Stories of Water Bottles!

Water is precious and is essential for economic and social development. But isn't water a gesture too? Yes, it is very much. And if water is gesture, then water is a way of communication. Please read on....

In older days, when guests or elders used to visit our sweet homes, we were disciplined to wash the feet of guests and clean them. This practice might be extincting but is still prevalent in homes where traditions are still deep rooted. So, water was a method to convey respect and gratitude. Now, in a jungle of urban concrete and water scarcity, this practice may not be practical but offering a glass of water (may be half a glass of water) is still relevant. In many homes and offices as well, a glass of water is still served with a smile.

Recently, I wanted to visit someone's house for the first time. I don't had the address but I was in that area. So got some instructions on phone (telephonic communication) and tried my luck and entered one bungalow. The one who communicated (sender) said that is the only bungalow in that area and I as a receiver construed that this must be that bungalow, which was actually not. But the owners first offered me a glass of water and later we all understood that this was a communication problem and they guided to the other correct bungalow. But offering a water sufficient is still a practice and even to strangers.

Nowadays I am blue eyed guy and is always contacted in the emergency for legal documentation needs. And I too reciprocate with sense of urgency. Yes, I am specialist. This time someone wanted to get document delivered next day, as the person had flight for London. Courier was risky, so broke my rule of no visits, and decided to deliver in person. Scorching heat, traffic, highway traffic, new address, new location (even I feel that location is prominent), finding the correct location in the age where the neighbor is alien and overcoming all these physical barricades, I managed to reach the Rendezvous Point. And the first question was - Would you like to have a glass of water? In Pune, this is a typical language. Perhaps, the person might be wanting to offer me a glass of water, but I was anticipating that water must be served. Poor me. Traditional Hat . So, I politely refused and said, I do have a water bottle in my car and moved out of that place. But water is still important.

Very recently one HR manager of a scrap company having qualification of Master of Social Work banged my door early in the morning without any appointment citing dire emergency. I have a fixed teaching schedule and I can't entertain you before 2:30 pm and asked the person to wait in the building premises or elsewhere and I will come back and can entertain you at 2:30 pm, if OK. The person said OK. But I ensured a bottle of water and other things as a gesture of human being. Thank You was the reply. The documentation session started at 2:30 and ended at 7:00 pm. We had some differences in the areas of Laws and Languages but we tried to bridge the gaps. Very supportive and great explanation was the feedback in the visitor's book. The bottle of water remained in the car parking and was sent back in an empty lift. Perhaps, she might have given to security guard and he might have considered it as an merely empty bottle of water and returned that way. Had I been the person in the same situation, I would have returned that empty bottle with respect and gratitude because water means respect and gratitude. Off course there was no respect only dire emergency, later was the conclusion.

We have right to water. Water means respect and gratitude. Keep watering your plants and minds and guests and even strangers. Because water is a communication tool too and serving water is like communicating. Communicate with respect and gratitude and conserve relations and water too!

~ Avinash Murkute | Galaxy4u Legal Consulting | Pune