COMPARE...

It is one of those typical Indian villages, like those you find in Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh. (Don't worry, I will not take you to the extreme conditions of Gujarat or Rajasthan.) Around 2.20 p.m. it is i.e. the sun is burning almost right above the woman's head. All the doors are closed, the place is desolate, dry, in every sense of the word, and the loo has made a dense layer of the fertile soil (which can be called sand in its dry condition) in the atmosphere, denser than a fog, and it is coloured too, brown. The density, the colour and above that, the sand particles were not letting her see around properly. She had come out to take some water from the village well, but she could hardly even see the water level inside. With whatever little she could manage to pull out, she is tracing her footsteps back. People at her home have even run out of their saliva. So even that little amount of water is a desperate need for her, her family. But as she walks, I can see her sweating profusely, almost melting and the water in the pot over her head is evaporating towards the ever-thirsty sun above. What an ironical sight! And we here, sitting in front of the television, under the fans or air conditioners, complain of heat, humidity and sweating!!!