Once again, we must ask the question to ourselves : Who gobbled up those 6-7 beautiful, wonderful lakes in Nagpur ? Whose neck should be caught in the wringer for this sin ? Who is the real culprit, the real sinner ?

For, in the past 30-40 years, the city of Nagpur has seen at least 6-7 
waterbodies (lakes) disappear or going to the verge of disappearance :
1. Binaki Mangalwari Talao;
2. Pandhrabodi Talao;
3. Naik Talao;
4. Lendi Talao;
5. Dobi Talao;
6. Sanjay Gandhi Nagar Talao ...

The dots at the end point to another dark truth that a few other lakes, too, are in line of disappearance. If care is not taken, those, too, would disappear in a few more years. And who is the culprit ? Who should be made to walk to the gallows for this unpardonable sin ? This question, of course, invites a sinking silence over the city’s society. Nobody speaks a word. Nobody even turns head in search of the culprit. Nobody wants to blame anybody. For, everybody knows that everybody -- all of us -- is the culprit. The loosefooter has often imagined that decades ago, Nagpurians held a secret meeting in some undisclosed place to discuss how to kill its own lakes and waterbodies. In that meeting, the decision was made that slowly and surely, the lakes would be killed without a word. In absolute silence. As per that diabolical plan, the people of Nagpur -- its people, its political leaders, its bureaucratic leaders, its social thinkers, its educationists, its industrialists, its entrepreneurs, its businessmen, its social organisations, its religious bodies -- decided to allow the city’s lakes to die a slow death, through a carefully-administered poison of utter and shameless and purposeful neglect.

 

 

And each of the components of Nagpur’s society remained true to that dark commitment through time. So, in these past few decades, at least six lakes (talaos -- in Marathi, or talabs -- in Hindi) are already dead or are on the verge of dying: East Nagpur used to have a cluster of three beautiful lakes -- Naik Talao, Lendi Talao, and Dobi Talao. Those wonderful waterbodies attracted not just people in search of natural coolness, but also thousands of migratory birds. The loosefooter remembers having made innumerable trips -- three-or-four kids on one bicycle -- to this cluster of lakes only to enjoy their mirror-like cool expanses and feel good that the city had been blessed with many such lakes (13-14 in number, positioned in different parts of the expanding city). The loosefooter remembers feeling proud of being a Nagpurian because the city’s founders had the vision and creative genius to design a water-management ecosystem through lakes and rivers and streams using the city’s natural geographical contours.

 

Later on, as a journalist, the loosefooter also started witnessing the murder of many of the city’s lakes -- a systematic killing of waterbodies. Unfortunately, that process still continues -- with no one being held responsible for this homicide ! As a journalist, the loosefooter tried to bring to people’s notice the killing of the city’s lakes -- only to be told many times by people of consequences to keep quiet. In time, a few generations of green activists also came up in the city and raised voice against this slow-poisoning of lakes. Nothing worked -- and the city continued on its murderous path. Today, nearly half of the city’s lakes are already dead or are dying -- and all of us know the story fully well. We know all the details. For, we have participated in that act of murder -- directly or indirectly, knowingly or unknowingly, as murderers or as spectators of the dark deed ! Who should be held responsible for this homicidal act ? On this first day of the Hindu New Year, this question must be asked. n