By It was one of my first experiences of a door-to-door survey in the scorching Indian May rural summer. I remember knocking at the door and waiting for a response; waiting so that the canvassing of this last schedule could be completed.
An elderly lady opened the small wooden door, asked what we wanted and when satisfied called us in. She spread a jute mat and seated us on it. She saw sweat beads on our foreheads and then went into the corner of her one-room home to the earthen clay pot (known as ‘matka’ or ‘surai’ in Hindi and ‘kunda’ or ‘khuja’ in Telugu). She fetched two glasses of water and brought it to us.
God in heaven! I swear that day I saw you that day the moment this elixir touched my mouth and throat.
It was not cold; it was not room temperature as that would be warm in this summer heat. It has just the right coolness- as if this water understood the temperament of your mouth- it was just perfect.
To talk about the taste….it was a taste to die for. All the big names in the mineral water industry would perish in front of this heavenly taste.
While offering us this water, the woman said:
“Amma, fridge ledu. Kunda neel e taguu.” (Amma, there is no fridge. Drink water of clay pot.)
Refrigerator! No I am not against technology. However, can water from a fridge compete with this water?
The lady was kind-hearted, we finished canvassing our schedule and also had a glimpse of her simple life. We left her home but the taste and smell of this water stayed with me.
The concept of clay pot is modernized today. There are also clay bottles, water clay jugs and utensils.
I used to carry with me a clay pot to work and would encounter both smiles and stares. The older colleagues would look at me with eyes full of wonder and shock- is this to be considered modern or something from their time.
There are various advantages of drinking from a clay pot:
- It maintains the pH balance of water
- Adds minerals to the water
- Water stored is toxin free
- As the water becomes cool but not cold, there are fewer chances of you developing a sore throat.
The details of any survey data are confidential- however, I would thank that elderly lady who had opened her door and heart to me. Thanks to her- every summer, I purchase a clay container and consume water from it.
This summer- a clay jug it is!
