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Water
-​ Challapalli Swaroopa Rani

Summary

Introduction
Challapalli Swaroopa Rani is a prominent Dalit writer. Her mature poetry
focuses mainly on the issues of gender and caste. Her translated piece
“Water” by Uma Bhrugubanda is a metaphor that shows the plight of the
untouchables in our society.
Summary
The poem is a heart rending account of a Dalit voice. It is a graphic
portrayal of humiliation and insult suffered by the downtrodden. The evil
practices of the century-old caste system is the theme of this poem. The
poet gives us a first hand account of the agony and sorrow experienced
by Dalits. Water is holy; it purges our sins according to our holy
scriptures. It is our basic commodity. However, water becomes the
symbol of revolt over equal rights.

Water through the eyes of the speaker becomes omniscient that knows
the age-old conflict between the village and the wada. According to the
poet, water also knows very well that untouchability remains as long as
discrimination prevails.

The poet cites the instance of water being witness to the kind Samarian
women of inferior race giving water to Jesus of superior race. It also
knows the difference between the subcastes of cobblers and weavers.
Water knows that Panchamas who are ranked below the Shudras are
considered untouchables and they are not allowed to draw water from
the wells. A panchama has to wait for a kind shudra to arrive. It knows
the humiliation of the wada girl who suffers abuse from the one who
pours water from a distance.

The writer gives us an instance wherein Suvaartha, a Dalit woman tries to

protect a Dalit boy from two youths belonging to the dominant
community. This leads to a severe attack on Dalits. So, the water has
witnessed centuries of injustice.

Swaroopa Rani further narrates her personal experience recollecting

from her memory. She vividly remembers how her wada would thirst all
day without water. For Dalits water is not just H2O. It's a mighty
movement. Dr. Ambedkar led an uprising at Mahad over the rights to

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water at Chadar tank. They have fought many battles for water over
several generations.

When the poet sees water, she is reminded of her hard times. They would
get water just once in a week while the whole village had this privilege
twice a day. She is reminded of her childhood when she walked miles to
collect water from the canal and carried back heavy pots straining her
neck.

The writer has seen the entire Malapalle village going in flames without
enough water. So, she says that water can give and take lives. It can take
the form of a tsunami and swallow village after village. The same water
can turn villages into deserts. Water is the reason for the village and the
wada and states for conflicts.

The concluding lines of the poem look at water in a new avatar. Water
that knows all the discrimination and struggles through ages now sits
innocently in a Bisleri water. The same water occupies the Pepsi man's
bottle as mineral water. It is no mean water any longer but a commodity
worth millions. So, water is omniscient and contains the world in it.

Conclusion

Water presents a truly captivating story of social injustice done to the

marginalized in the name of caste through centuries. The writer takes
water as a means to express her frustration and disapproval over
inhuman practices of casteism. Besides, she looks at water becoming the
ground for global rifts on an economic front. Hence, water becomes the
world in itself.

1. ________according to the poet knows the ground’s incline in ‘Water’.

a) Untouchability ​ b) Water​ c) Wada ​ d) Jesus

2. Generations-old-strife in ‘Water’ refers to the dispute between ______.

a) leather and spool b) village and wada
c) Samaria woman and Jesus d) two states

3. Like the dampness on the well’s edge that never dries, it knows that
never _______ disappears.
a) strife ​ ​ b) struggle​ ​ c) Wada ​ d) untouchability

4. ________ according to the poet never disappears in ‘Water’.

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a) Strife b) Struggle between two nations c) Dampness d)

Untouchability

5. Water knows the difference of race between a Samaria woman and

_____.
a) Karamchedu Suvarthamma b) Jesus the Jew
c) centuries of social injustice d) the panchama

6. Water knows the ______ of the Panchama.

a) difficulties b) agony​ ​ c) sub-caste difference ​d) righteous rage

7. Water knows the righteous rage of Karamchedu Suvarthamma who

opposed _______.
a) the Mahad struggle ​ ​ ​ b) the Samaria woman
c) the kamma landlords ​ ​ d) the weekly bath

8. The water is witness to centuries of ___________.

a) political instability ​ ​ ​ b) the generations old-strife
c) social instability ​ ​ ​ d) the mighty movement

9. The poet remembered how her wada would thirst all day ________.
a) for a drop of water ​ ​ ​ ​ b) a small puddle of water
c) for a glass of water​ ​ ​ ​ d) for equality

10. For the people of the wada, water is ________.

a) just a drop of nectar ​​ ​ b) a small puddle of water
c) a mighty movement​ ​ d) struggle for equality

11. Water is the Mahad struggle _______.

a) at Malapalle​ ​ ​ ​ b) at the Chadar tank
c) for several generations ​ ​ d) in a water pot

12. For the people of the wada, ________ flowed like streams.
a) inequality​ b) water​ ​ c) pepsi​ ​ d) blood

13. For the people of the wada, blood flowed like streams, but they never
managed __________.
a) to win even a small puddle of water
b) to oppose the kamma landlords
c) to know the generations old strife
d) to welcome their weekly bath

14. The people of the wada welcomed their ______.

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a) daily bath b) weekly bath ​c) monthly bath d) fortnightly bath

15. The people of the wada walked miles to reach ________.

a) the rivers​ b) the streams​ c) the big canal ​​ d) the ponds

16. _______ was burnt to ashes for want of a pot of water.

a) The village​ ​ ​ b) Malapalle
c) The Samaria woman ​​ d) The multinational market

17. Water can give life but it can also _______.

a) devour lives ​ ​ b) destroy lives
c) swallow lives ​ ​ d) ignite many struggles

18. Between one state and another, this water can ______.
a) reinstate friendship ​ ​ ​ b) ignite many struggles
c) swallow lives ​ ​ ​ ​ d) quench thirst

19. Water can make blood run in streams but it can also sit innocently
in _______.
a) a pepsi bottle b) a water bottle ​ c) a Bisleri bottle d) a glass of water

20 Water is no mean matter, ________.

a) it’s a tsunami wave b) it’s a multinational market commodity
c) it’s a Bisleri bottle d) it contains the world

***

-​ Suresh B.T.
Dept. of English

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