WATER T(H)ANKS

WATER T(H)ANKS
Daily, hundreds of people out in the sun slake their thirst with glasses of cool water and murmur their gratitude to the Good Samaritan who has put them there. R V Bhadraiah, a small-time trader, has established over 400 water tanks across the city at his own expense
S ESHWAR & DEEPTHI M R


He’s among the rare breed who believes that the proverbial left hand shouldn’t know what the right hand does. Over the years, he has been the recipient of thousands of anonymous thanks. People on the roads, in the mid-day sun, wanting a glass of water above everything else in the world but not knowing where to turn. And then providentially, they discover a water container chained to a lamppost or near a shop front, with the sign ‘drinking water’ on it.
After they quench their thirst and feel life returning to their leaden limbs, they murmur their gratitude to whoever so selflessly installed the container there.
That unknown Good Samaritan is none other than R V Bhadraiah. A betel leaf wholesaler and resident of Rajajinagar, this 65-year-old man’s story is as quaint as it is inspirational. He fills over 400 tanks with cold water every day and keeps them in different parts of the city for the benefit of passers-by who can swig water to their heart’s content while out in the harsh sun.
MODEST BEGINNING
What started as an impulse has now become a passion for him. When he first began his betel leaves business in 1980, Bhadraiah had no more than five rupees in his pocket. Newly married and with an aged mother to look after, there was little that he could afford. “Soon, I started selling plantain leaves and other small puja items like turmeric, kumkum and cotton threads. One afternoon, I saw a little girl and her mother walking by and literally begging for water. Since I had a shop on the footpath, I could not help her. After a few days, I somehow saved Rs 17 to buy an earthen pot. I would fill water in it and anyone near Bhashyam Circle who wanted water would come to me,” he said.
Soon, he began keeping pots near bus stops and areas where there was no water. “Initially, I used to keep earthen pots and cover them with a steel lid. But I realised that people would simply steal it. So I came up with these plastic tanks which could be tied to a pole. This continued for a long time and then I got small cages in which the water tanks can be kept, exposing only the taps,” he said.
Speaking about how this developed, he said, “Back then I would personally go and wash the tanks and fill fresh water every day. The tanks became popular but I realised that in summer the water in the tanks would heat up. It would not quench thirst. So I made an insulating layer inside the cage and filled in sand and poured water into them as well. This keeps the water cool.”
SONS FOLLOW FATHER
As the number of tanks increased, Bhadraiah could not do it all by himself. “Over the years, the number of tanks increased and meanwhile I was also getting older. It became hard for me to personally fill the tanks. Since I have taught my sons to do good for society, they have also started to help me fill water in my beloved tanks,” he said.
Basavaraju, Bhadraiah’s son, said, “In our street, whoever tried to dig a bore well ended up hitting a rock bottom or could not find water. But when my father dug a bore well, we got abundant water. This has made my father feel that he is responsible in providing water to people. Anyone who wants water can just walk into our house or drink from the tanks situated all over Bangalore.” His acts have not always gone well with his family, not least because of how it burns a considerable hole in the family’s income. But undaunted, Bhadraiah continues to fill water tanks, make stone benches and makeshift bus shelters all over the city.
“People ask us to install tanks and some of them are maintained by people who live close to the tanks. In Chamarajpet, some truck owners requested us to install a tank. They are taking care of them without our support,” Bhadraiah said.
Not just water
Bhadraiah has placed more than 400 water tanks, and erected over 300 stone benches and 30 bus shelters. Finding it hard to supply water to all his tanks, he bought a small water truck which holds 750 litres of water. This truck makes two trips every day and fills the water tanks. All the tanks now have his name and phone number on them.
On why he started building bus shelters too, Bhadraiah has an interesting story.“In the old days, just a board on a tree would indicate a bus stop. One day, I saw a few girls waiting under a dried-up tree. One girl held her notebook over her head to shade herself from the scorching sun. I went to the mayor and spoke to him and took a loan of Rs 15,000 and built a bus shelter which stands even today,” he said.