would fetch in a pot whatever water they could find outside and by putting a cloth to their mouth as a filter people would drink it. That was the extent of purification they could afford. Cholera, diarrhea and scabies were rampant. Most diseases could have been easily avoided by simple habits of personal cleanliness like washing hands before meals, taking bath and changing clothes every day, cleaning the utensils properly. But in absence of water even that basic hygiene could not be maintained. There was only one school in the village which used to be open provided the teacher was present. The ceiling leaked, walls had cracks, doors and windows were broken. In monsoon months it used to be mostly closed. Children were inclined to bunk class. Even parents were not keen on their schooling. “What is the use of this education” was the usual question. They themselves were illiterate. If there was some work to be done in the fields, children would give a hand for a while but otherwise whole day they just used to loiter around. Many young people would take up job in some small company in the MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation) area away from the village. One day, a young man came to see Joshi and said, ‘Sir, I used to work on your farm. After slogging hard under hot sun I would get in the evening hardly three Rupees as my wage. Today I work in a factory. I run my machine by merely standing behind it, as I smoke my bidi! But last month I got the monthly salary of 900 Rupees, which is 30 Rupees a day! Ten times what I used to earn here! And that too without doing any backbreaking work!’ When he said this, his eyes were moist with tears. Joshi himself was very upset to see this colossal difference in the value society put on the work done in the farm and work done in a factory. Of course one in hundred was able to get a job in a factory. Apart from looking after his own farm Joshi conducted Hands in Soil
Q
81
