9. Summary of the lesson

"Who Owns the Water?" is a thought-provoking story about sharing of natural resources amongst all creatures on the earth. A tiny bird searched for trees or bushes to lay its eggs in a parched and dry village. Since there was not a patch of green, the desperate bird laid her eggs in a shallow depression. She nurtured the tiny ones until they were big enough to fly away. Then she also left the nest. There came along a wild boar who settled his rump into the depression. At first, he was not comfortable, but he scraped and dug the hole; widened it to his size and had a long snooze. After sunset, he left the hole too. A pack of wild dogs smelled the scent of the boar and thought they had found a prey for dinner. They thought the boar was still there and dug the ground, making the hole even wider. They left the place when they did not find any animal.

 

Soon, it was time for rains. It poured heavily for three days and three nights. The thirsty land soaked up all the moisture. The hole became a small pond, which some buffaloes used as a picnic spot for some afternoons.

 

There was a poor farmer who saw the water hole and the fresh green patch around it. His life was hard because rains had failed his crops and he had to travel far to get water to reap a meagre harvest. When he saw the patch, he was filled with gratitude that he found water so close to his plot. His wife immediately summoned the priest to bless their fortune. The news travelled far and wide in the small village and a crowd had gathered around the pond. The richest farmer in the village came forward suddenly and claimed that it was his pond, because the poor farmer's patch ended with his plot and the rest of the land belonged to him. The buffaloes, the dogs, the boar and even the little bird, had come to witness the scene! They all had a similar thought - they all had contributed to the pond! The author ends the story here with not a moral, but a thought to ponder about who owns the water actually!