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Unbelievalbe Story which you will love to read and share
In a small village called Dola, Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, a young boy named Rajendra Singh was born on 06th August 1957. He grew up watching his father struggle with farming. The rivers had disappeared, land became dry and every failed crop season made deeper lines of worry on his father’s face. But the village elders spoke of a time when water was plentiful, when rivers flowed freely, and the land flourished. These stories made young Rajendra to think differently.
As he grew older, Rajendra wanted to make a difference. He studied Ayurvedic medicine and even took up a government job in Jaipur. But deep down, he felt unfulfilled. The work was bureaucratic, full of red tape, and far from the real issues he wanted to address. In 1984, he made a bold decision and he quit his job, sold his belongings, and, along with a few friends, set out on a journey to rural Rajasthan.
The bus stopped at its last destination—Bhikampura, a barren village in Alwar district. The land was cracked, the wells were dry, and the villagers had given up hope. Rajendra started his work as a doctor, but he quickly realized that medicine wasn’t the cure they needed. An old villager, Mangu Lal Meena, pointed to the dry riverbed and said, “Doctor saab, medicine won’t save us. Water will.” That moment changed everything.
Rajendra listened to the wisdom of the villagers and learned about johads, ancient earthen check dams that once harvested rainwater. Determined to revive these forgotten structures, he and his team built the first johad in Gopalpura. The villagers laughed, skeptical that water could ever return. But when the monsoons came, the johad filled up, and soon, nearby wells began refilling. The laughter turned into astonishment.
One village turned into two, then ten, then a hundred. Rivers that had been dry for decades, like the arvari, started flowing again. The land turned green, farmers returned to their fields, and hope was restored. But success came with its own set of battles. Illegal miners and industries saw Rajendra’s efforts as a threat and fought against him. He faced legal battles, threats, and immense pressure, but he never backed down. In 1991, he filed a case against illegal mining near Sariska Tiger Reserve. A year later, the Supreme Court ordered the closure of 465 mines, one of the biggest victories for water conservation.
Over the years, Rajendra Singh and his team have built over 8,600 water conservation structures across 1,000 villages, reviving five major rivers. His efforts earned him the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award and the Stockholm Water Prize, often called the ‘Nobel Prize for Water.’ But to him, the greatest reward is seeing water flow and communities thrive.
Today, at 65, Rajendra Singh still walks from village to village, inspiring people to take control of their water resources. His message is simple yet powerful:
“Water belongs to the people. It is not to be sold or owned. It is our responsibility to protect it. Don’t wait for governments to act and start in your own village, your own home.”
His journey is a testament to the fact that one person, with determination and vision, can change the fate of entire communities. The Waterman of India didn’t just revive rivers, he revived hope. And his story reminds us all change begins with us.
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