Ganga's Effort
It was very difficult to get water in Suntale village. Not only for irrigation but it was also difficult for drinking water. The villagers used to fetch water from a remote place named Chhange khola. The villagers used to gather early in the morning and go to fetch water making noise and waking each other up. They had to spend almost the whole morning fetching water. The children always used to be late to school due to the same problem. People of other villages used to hesitate in marital relations with the people of Suntale village because of the problem of water.
Not only the people but also the animals of that village used to go to the same stream to quench their thirst. To bathe and wash clothes, the villagers used to go there, too. The animals were killed by the leopard that came from the jungle. The villagers even thought of migrating from the village because of the water problem. After a long discussion, they concluded that one should not leave their birthplace as far as possible. So, they gave up the idea of migrating.
In the village, there lived a Dalit family. Ganga was one of the members of that family. She was a teacher at a primary school in that village. One day, Ganga was just sitting at home. There was a trail (road) in front of her house that linked the other villages. Two pedestrians came and asked Ganga for a little water to drink. Ganga went inside to bring water but there was not a single drop of water to drink. One of the pedestrians looked sick. They went their way without drinking water. Ganga felt very sad for not being able to provide them water to drink.
She had read in her childhood that no matter how poor a family is if a family provides good hospitality to the guests, provides space to take rest, and water to drink, that family is considered to be a well-cultured family. She felt very bad and restless about what she had to experience. She even felt the misery of being a human being.
Ganga could not sleep that night. "There are so many people in the village. Many of them are senior and respectable to me. However, no one thinks about the solution to the drinking water problem." she went on thinking like this.
She had saved a little money. She had not planned what to do with that money yet. She knows that one has to utilize her money, earned through hard work, to help people in need. She thought of doing something new.
After a few days, the winter vacation began at her school. She went to the Village Development Committee (VDC) office requesting them to manage to bring the water of Change Khola to their village. The VDC responded that there was no sufficient budget in VDC for the project. VDC also said that it could buy the pipeline under the limitation of its budget but it was difficult for them to build a reservoir tank. Ganga proposed that she will manage other resources if the VDC can manage the pipeline. VDC agreed to manage the pipeline up to the village from Chhange Khola.
The VDC started laying the pipeline to bring the water of Change Khola to the village. Ganga started building a reservoir tank in the village at her personal expense. She completed building a water tank before the pipeline work was completed. The villagers were very happy with this project. People proposed that since Ganga built the water tank at her own expense the tank should be named after her. But Ganga denied that proposal. She said that 'I did not work for my name; I worked for the welfare of others'. She requested the villagers not to dirt the surrounding area. She also erected a fence around the water tank at her own expense to protect the tank. Trees were planted all around and a Chautaro was made nearby.
From the day the tank was filled with water, the villagers were at rest. There is peace everywhere now. The major problem of water has been solved now.
Their time was saved. Animals are not being killed by the leopards. They have quenched their thirst properly. The villagers have utilized the extra water in vegetable farming. They have made a routine to use water on their farm. The pedestrians walking for a long distance say, "If we reach Suntale village, we can get plenty of water to drink ''. The neighbouring villages praise Suntale village saying - 'a village should be like Suntale village'. Everyone in the village respects Ganga and says that she was blessed by the god of water (jal delta). She is going to be honoured by the VDC for her social work.
Summary:
People can set an example in society by doing moral deeds under their own level and circumstances. For good works, action is better than words. With full determination and proactive nature, we can do something good for the welfare of society. The good works of good people help to change the whole society. If there is a will, there is a way. And it gives a positive outcome.
