Nagpur:- The lockout period now over 31 days has given the majority of us enough time that can be used in some positive activity or another.
But during this time, a couple from Karkheda, a hamlet in district Washim, did something unthinkable. The couple drilled a 25-feet deep well in their front yard, working day and night, without taking any outside support or using drilling machines.
Their hard work has been rewarded as they reach 21 feet on the water. Pushpa and Gajanan Pakhmode are now happy to share this water with their neighbors who ridiculed the couple when Gudi Padwa, Maharashtrian New Year Day, began the digging process on March 25.
“Everyone, even me, would have mocked this proposal,” said Gajanan, who owns the village’s 2,5-acre rain-fed land but also works as a construction worker on sites around Washim and Akola districts.
“The work at our construction site stopped when Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared a lockdown. I always came around. Then the thought right-clicked, “he added.
However, sometime earlier the seeds of the idea were sown. “We’re beginning to feel water shortage in our village right from February and the situation will worsen by May-June. My wife has 3 km to fetch water from here. So, our dream has always been to have a well in the house, “Gajanan said.
As Pushpa shared his proposal with Gajanan, she readily agreed. “I told my husband that we are going to continue digging until we reach water, come what may,” she said adding that the hard work put into digging the well was better than the everyday pain of fetching water from 3 km away.
Gajanan, a professional construction worker, knew all the necessary technicalities. They started on a 5 ft diameter field and reduced it to 4.5 ft after having digged for 7 feet. They worked from 8 am until midday. After lunch break work will resume, and continue until late at night. This lasted 20 days.
“The next 3 ft was full of crumbly rock, after soil covering up to 5 ft. The next 1 ft was the hardest since it was all hard rock. It was barren blackish soil up to 21 ft after that, where we reached water, “said Gajanan. “It was the best moment,” said Pushpa who was confident that he would get a decent amount of water out of the well.
Once the lockout ends Gajanan plans to create the well properly. “This does not only benefit us but also our neighbors. I’m also going to build a small tank next to the road to provide water for stray cattle and other animals,’ he said.
Washim’s district collector Hrishikesh Modak said the story of a pair of Pakhmode is inspiring for the whole world. “That is the beauty of India’s hard-working people. We have icons the young and inspiring right here in our villages, “he said.
