By Ashok Mathur

With the coming of monsoon season Lake City citizens begin to watch the sky for rains not like farmers to get water for their crops but for a different reason.

Any guesses? What will happen to their lakes, their life-line Pichola, 4^1/2 km. wide and 10-15 ft. deep built originally by Lakha Banjara and the famous Fateh Sagar built amidst the lush green surroundings and overlooking hills by Maharana Fateh Singh?

As the water from Sisarma River and Madar canal begin to feed these waterbodies the eyes of the whole town are riveted on the water gauge of the two lakes.

People are as eager to know about the level as are ardent cricket fans about the latest score in an Indio Pak match.

The talk of the town in buses and rickshaws, at ‘pan’ shops and street corner tea stalls and restaurants and even in high society, centres on the question- whether and when the water in the two lakes would brim over. A lot of bets are put on both sides.

Prayers and even ‘yagnas’ are held to propitiate the rain god to fill the lakes and fulfill their wishes. People enjoy gathering on the banks to gladden their hearts by watching the rising level.

Others passing by Ayad or Swaroop Sagar Bridge on foot or in their vehicles just stop for a while and are highly elated by the sight and sound of the gushing water below creating snow white foam. The whole town seems to be greatly excited and palpable pleasure is perceptible on their faces beaming with joy.

And this increases as the level of the waterbodies rises. When the lakes overflow everbody is overwhelmed. It may seem that some of them think that

they have achieved something great through their efforts and tend to forget that it is due to nature’s bounty.

Various are the ways in which the auspicious occasion is celebrated through out the city-offering ‘prasad’ to their favourite deities as thanks giving, distributing sweets at the crossroads and street corners, doing ‘bhangra’ illuminations, fireworks, sending SMS’s to friends and relatives in India and even abroad etc. etc. The citizens are undoubtedly in a big celebration mode.

Will such feeling of fervour, expectation and excitement continue in the years to come? Perhaps no. With the second phase of the prestigious Mansi Vakal project nearing completion, the lakes would not lack water and be full through out the year.

Rains in the catchment area of the far away Mansi Vakal dam would to a great extent determine the quantity of water, especially in Pichola.

There would perhaps be not many occasions for Udaipurites to watch the rising level of the lakes inch by inch as a press of the button at a distant dam would make a huge body of water travel the long meandering path, gush into the famous lakes and push up the level suddenly.

Overflowing may no more be a phenomenon happening occasionally and be watched with bated breath. The prayers to water bearing clouds to pour all their contents here need not be so intense or the celebrations after wish fulfillment as boisterous as they are today. May be a price to be paid for progress!

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Udaipurtimes.com’s policy.