WUNRN
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/16/asia/india-water-wives/
India – Western Region Wells Dry – Difficulty
& Distance for Women to Carry Water
Some Men Marry Multiple Wives to Carry Family Water Needs–Water Wives VIDEO
By Mallika Kapur, CNN – July 16, 2015
(CNN)Denganmal
is a typical village in India's western Maharashtra state. With a population of
around 500 people, it's a tiny place, where everyone knows everyone.
We
were there to meet Sakharam Bhagat.
Bhagat's
modest house is made of mud, supported by a few wooden beams. But it's one of
the bigger huts in the neighborhood -- and Bhagat's family is one of the
largest.
A
middle aged lady wearing a colorful sari and a bright smile comes out to greet
us, introducing herself as Tuki, while two other women peep out from inside the
house to see who has come.
I
understand their curiosity. We're strangers who've shown up at their doorstep
with a bunch of cameras and many questions.
While
Tuki chats with us, the other ladies, Saakhri and Bhaggi hover around.
The
hierarchy is clear: Tuki is Sakharam Bhagat's first wife. "I've been
married for so long, I can't even remember how many years it's been," she
laughs.
Saakhri
and Bhaggi joined the family later. They are Sakharam's second and third wives,
respectively.
Illegal Marriage
It's
an unusual and complicated relationship. It's also against the law: polygamy is
illegal in India unless you're Muslim, and the Bhagat family is Hindu.
Initially
hesitant to talk about it, Tuki eventually explains their circumstances.
She
and Sakharam have six children. When they were younger, Tuki was responsible
for looking after them while her husband went to work in the fields. Tuki would
run the house, cook, clean, feed and bathe her children -- but she faced a
massive problem: There was no water.
Denganmal
is located in a region which routinely experiences drought-like conditions. In
the summer months, the heat is so severe that wells run dry and cattle die.
There is no water connection in this village. It's in a remote, hilly area,
isolated from other villages.
The
only solution is to walk to a well or to river, carrying vessels to fill up
with water. Neither are close by. It can take up to 12 hours to go there and
return home. "How could I leave my children alone for so long?" Tuki
asks.
Sakharam
had no option. He married again. And again. So that wife number two and wife
number three could go and collect water while Tuki managed the home and kids.
"I
did what I did only because of water," he tells me.
Water Wives
Saakhri
and Bhaggi are now known locally as "paani bais," or water wives.
For
years, they've been performing the same routine. In the summer months, Saakhi
and Bhaggi leave home at sunrise, carrying empty vessels on their head. They
walk through fields and mud tracks, up and down the hilly terrain, to a river
where they fetch water.
It's
a challenging journey. Each vessel carries approximately 15 liters of water and
each woman usually balances two vessels on her head. During the monsoon months,
the walk is shorter because a well close by fills up.
It's
a tough life. Saakhri and Bhaggi don't talk to me about their situation but
Tuki tell us they were both widows. By marrying again, the women gain status in
society once more. In many parts of rural India where traditions run deep,
women are ostracized after their husbands die. They aren't allowed to
participate in religious functions or festivals, and in some cases, aren't
permitted to eat with the rest of the family either.
While
I don't know Saakhri and Bhaggi's individual life stories, I do know they get
the respect associated with being married women once again. The family eats
together, lives together, and we see and hear them laugh together.
They've
had this arrangement for years, Tuki tells me.
Little
has changed in Denganmal over that time. There's still no water in the village.
So wives two and three must still go out and get water every day. They need it
to cook, clean, bathe and wash utensils and clothes.
It's
water -- or the lack thereof -- that keeps this unusual family together.