Jal Nahin Toh Kal Nahin, 2017

(If there is no water, there would be no tomorrow)

A long afternoon conversation with a Swamiji on the banks of the Triveni Sangam Ghat about water brought me to this topic. He narrated the history of Somnath, spoke about how ‘water’ was an important historical element in the landmarks of Somnath and continues to be. Suddenly he asked me how long will it last if we continue to exploit it? And then he said ‘Jal nahin toh kal nahin’. This got me interested in exploring the human dependence on water and its resources in Gujarat.

I travelled along the coast from Veraval to Somnath and later towards Chandod and Umeta, to see understand the dynamics of both marine and riverine ecosystems. I interacted with people whose livelihood is directly based on water, knew their water stories and photographed them. The people-centric stories point to the otherwise ignored aspects: environmental impact of overfishing, waste disposal, working conditions of people, migration and many more that need our attention.

The objective of this project is to reflect on the cycle of what we get from water and what we give back to water. And reflect on the thought ‘Jal Nahin Toh Kal Nahin’.