Grace wanted to return

“Here you go, Ma’am. You can board your flight from Gate Number 2 on the first floor”, said the airline staff, handing over the boarding pass. Grace left quickly without looking at her. She hated forcing a smile without a reason. Besides, that lady had already irked her by asking whether she was pregnant. “Why do you ask?”, Grace had replied. “Ma’am, our new policy requires us to know whether a female passenger above thirty is carrying a child. We would require your consent on a form”, the staff said. Grace threw a cold “No, I am not pregnant!” and reflected back at the topic on which she had been questioned so many times over the last few years that the doubts had, at least partially, transferred from her ‘well-wishers’ to her own brain. Forget about having a child, Grace had not even thought about getting married! Right after completing her education, she took up a job. And boy, she knew she was good at it! There had been no looking back since then. Slowly and steadily, she climbed every step she could, and now she had reached a position where she was indispensable for her firm. She did not get it by chance, or by favours; she had to earn every bit of it. This was the only thing she was good at and the only thing she could possibly do all her life! She was aware that all her friends or girls of her age in the family were, by this time, well-settled, married, and busy raising children.

Grace had been, after all, brought up in a close-knit Indian family. It is not that she looked down upon such ideas or did not value them; she simply did not consider these as her priority because she was ignorant in a way, perhaps a little stupid and mostly so much engrossed in her work that she did not have time to let these ideas invade her thoughts. Her relatives, though, left no stone unturned to remind her of the duties she was supposed to do. When the ‘tradition’ card failed, they tried to go the logical way and emphasized on the importance of companionship. Grace knew that companionship, if gone wrong, has the potential to ruin a person’s life. She had, hence, learned this ability to turn blind. The only thing which she trusted, which never failed her nor will ever leave her, which has truly awarded her every time she has put in efforts towards it, was her work. In her own small mind-palace, her work gave her the joy of ruling the world. And who would want to give up ruling the whole world for building a petty little family? It is not that she hadn't pondered upon the idea that she may not be very normal, but Grace never realized when such issues stopped mattering to her. She really had grown up.

“We request you to please store your luggage in the overhead bins or beneath the seat in front of you”, the cabin crew announced as Grace took her seat. She liked an aisle seat, and always preferred boarding after everyone else. Standing in a queue repelled her.

This was a low-cost-airline flight. Not something Grace would choose; but this assignment was of a new kind and it involved going to places which were not popular flight destinations. This was the only direct flight, and Grace did decide for this travel pretty late. After she was seated, she saw a woman take the seat on the other side of the aisle. She was an elderly lady, in a wheelchair, travelling with her middle-aged son who sat on the middle seat right next to her. Even with the help of the airline ground staff, it was fairly difficult to transfer her from the wheelchair to the seat as she could barely walk or balance herself on her feet.

Grace’s already pestered mind got saddened at the sight. Why do people grow so old that they can’t help themselves? She would never want to get into such a situation herself. Never, ever! She remembered how her grandmother was bed-ridden for a long time and she suffered so much! With this thought, a sudden gush of cold air blew past Grace. She almost skipped a heart-beat! Her grandmother!

The only human being whom Grace could lend a piece of her heart to, was her grandmother. Her love for Grace was unfathomable, and Grace also knew that her grandmother could be the only source of peace if everything else in this world had lost its meaning.

It was a warm summer night two years ago; Grace had to finish a work assignment in two days’ time. She had left her hometown for her job long back, and by this time, her frequency of calling home had reduced to once a week or so. She had, by then, also developed the habit of taking alcohol during long hours of work. It increased her efficiency, and helped her forget everything else. Often, she would work from home, with a bottle of hard liquor for the night, and work like nothing else existed. She worked like a dog for that project. In the foolishness of it all, she did not step out of the house for some days together, and had not even checked her phone which ran out of charge. By the time she could gain her sanity back, it was too late. She rushed back home, only to see her father return home after performing her grandmother’s last rites.

There are some griefs that turn a person’s whole world topsy-turvy. And then, there are sorrows which simply and quietly turn a person cold. In Grace’s case, it was the latter. It slowly, but surely, dampened her emotions and she became neutral to every thought that came to her. At one point, she would hold herself responsible for not being able to see her grandmother one last time. At another, she would loathe the fact that she had allowed herself to be so attached to her grandmother’s love that it pained. At times when she would want to recollect the last time she saw her grandmother, she remembered nothing! She would close her eyes forcibly and from deep inside, die to see her grandmother’s smiling face for one last time! She could see nothing! It was as if some reaction inside her brain had wiped out the last trace of her grandmother’s memories. Or, was her grandmother so cross with her that she would not want to come to her, even in her thoughts? And all this while, there was only one thing which would reciprocate Grace’s coldness with solidarity, and she clutched onto it with all her might. It was her work!

“I need to use the wash-room”, the aged lady told one of the flight attendants after she boarded the flight. “Ma’am, we are taking off now, I will get back to you after the take-off is complete”, the flight attendant replied and went back to her seat. The flight was quite crowded. The idea of proximity to so many people for a considerable 4 hours of travel had put Grace off, but she had no option. The lady looked at Grace and smiled. Grace could understand that she was in discomfort, but she said nothing. She desperately wanted to put her headphones on, but since no electronic devices were allowed at that time, Grace simply closed her eyes and pretended to sleep, to ward off any conversation that could likely have started.

“Ladies and gentleman, we have completed the take-off, however, due to turbulent weather, you are requested to remain seated with your seat belts on”, the crew announced. Grace felt somewhat worried. She knew how difficult it was to control nature’s call at such an old age. But why would she need to worry about a stranger when her own son was beside her? Grace dropped the idea and started listening to music. Several minutes later, the turbulence had reduced and the crew started their on-board sale of food items and merchandise, while the seat belt sign was still on. What? Did they forget that the old lady had asked for their help? In a momentary impulse, Grace did something very unlike her. “May I help you, Aunty?” Grace asked that lady. “Oh, that’s sweet of you, but I have already informed the crew, they will come”, she replied. “They have moved ahead with their cart of merchandise, Aunty! I am not sure when they will come. Here, let me take you to the wash-room”, Grace offered, almost involuntarily. She did not realize why she was doing it.

Grace got up from her seat and started helping the lady. Her son on the next seat, like most people on this flight, was fast asleep. This was an early morning flight and the passengers clearly had not had enough sleep the previous night. For Grace, staying up two nights in a row had by now become a regular habit, so she did not realize any difference. She opened the lady’s seat belt, and tried to pull her up. The old lady gave in the best effort she could give, and stood up. Slowly she could move one step, with Grace’s support, and then another. Finally, they reached the wash-room. Grace helped her with her clothes, and made her use the closet. This came as a surprise to Grace herself. She was usually very fussy about using the toilet properly, and when she would see her friends cleaning their childrens' wastes, she almost felt like vomiting. If motherhood entailed doing that, she was way better off the way she was.

But look at Grace, now! She was helping an elderly adult, a stranger, and literally doing what a mother does to a child! And after the old lady was done, she slowly brought her back. It was very tough and tiring for her, for Grace was not very well-built. The flight attendants had reached closer to their seats by this time and offered their help to place the lady back in her seat. The old lady had made tremendous efforts to stand and walk on her feet, as much as she possibly could and she was tired, too. Grace realized that this lady was not a person who liked to depend on others, but she had to do it as she had no other choice. “Thank you!”, the lady said in a very soft voice, looking at Grace after she was placed back to her seat. “You are not related to her? Oh, thank you so much for your help, Ma’am”, the cabin attendants looked surprised, and obliged. They realized that they had forgotten about the lady’s call for help since no call-lights were still on, and when they had seen Grace help her, they could not join as they had already moved ahead with their large cart full of food and merchandise. Grace placed herself on her seat, put the seatbelt on, and looked at the old lady. A smile lit up on Grace’s face. It was an unforced smile in years! She turned her head and closed her eyes. It was silent all around, and all she could now see was a very bright light and a smiling, aged, wrinkled face that she knew too well.

-Arpita Mondal (CIVIL)

The story behind the stink – IISc’s recycled water system

“When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.” – Benjamin Franklin (1746)

While I was once watching an episode of Satyamev Jayate (Amir Khan’s talk show on social initiatives) on poorly managed water resources in the country which was aired back in 2013, my neighbours in Dollars Colony happily let their overhead water tank overflow for more than half an hour. When I went and asked them to stop their pump, they looked at me as if it should be none of my business. Often, the complacence of education is worse than the lack of it. Grudges apart, what can we do to make the best use of what is available to us? As part of the country’s best in research, is the Indian Institute of Science able to lead by example? Well, apparently, yes!

IISc has set-up what can be called the first domestic waste water recycling plant to be established in an educational institute campus in India using state-of-the-art Submerged Membrane Bioreactor (SMBR) technology. Yes, it is the same place whose stink might have bothered you on your way to the new Biological Sciences Building from what-used-to-be-our-beloved Faculty Club Canteen.

The plant has been operational since December, 2010 while the recycled water has been made available through a high-pressure distribution system since October, 2011 which ensures reliable availability of water 24 x 7. At present, it produces more than 5 lakh litres of recycled water per day which is being used for toilet flushing, gardening, car washing, and floor and road washing in different parts of the campus including a few departments, both of the new hostels and the residences. The SMBR technology is able to prevent the presence of all bacteria and most of the common viruses.

Pestered by recurring problems and complaints on water issues in the campus, the institute set up its first Water Committee (WC) comprising of seven professors and the Registrar in 2008. The WC, with the help of hired consultants, completed the rigorous task of preparing a comprehensive Geographical Information System (GIS) of the campus water infrastructure. Apart from setting up the recycling plant, groundwater monitoring was carried out in and around the IISc campus; a water body was created in the Jubilee Garden pond to collect storm run-off for groundwater recharge and a rainwater harvesting initiative was taken up in the new E-type quarters area. The Center for Campus Management and Development (CCMD) had worked with the WC in implementing these measures.

Since IISc buys water from the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) at an industry rate of about Rs 70 per kilolitre, the WC thought that it was important to re-use the domestic waste water for non-potable uses. The cost of treated water at the recycling plant, including power supply is about Rs 9 per kilolitre. Although the plant and the distribution system were built with a staggering capital investment of more than 4 crore rupees, the economics of it, as worked out by the WC, promise a payback within approximately four years. In spite of the fact that considerable fractions of the total water consumption in the campus come from groundwater and localized private buying of water from tankers, the total BWSSB water bill of the institute has indeed been reported to come down from the 2012-13 amount by about one crore rupees in the present assessment year.

How useful is the recycled water for the campus? When asked, Prof P. P. Mujumdar, who was the Chairman of the WC when the plant was set-up, answered “almost all the gardening in campus is now being done with recycled water. Some departments also use it for toilet flushing. The setting up of the treatment plant was given to highly reputed multinational companies on a ‘design, build and operate’ contract. Not just that, the entire collection system of domestic waste water was geared up. We understood that just an island of hi-tech is not going to help. We wanted a very high level of service as far as complaints pertaining to water and waste water systems are concerned, which is why a 24 x 7 water helpline was created. The whole idea of an additional source, as far as water availability is concerned, is to build a resilient system.”

On being asked whether any problems were faced in the design, execution and maintenance of the recycled water system, he replied,
“Creating the distribution network for parts of the campus across the bus-route roads was difficult. To SID and the Gymkhana
grounds, pipelines were established over the ground along the pathways. Even inside the main campus, we did not want to dig up the main roads, for which the expensive trenchless technology had to be used. The WC’s aim is to bring out notices prior to expected
shut downs of the plant, though accidental failures are difficult to avoid and do happen. Other than that, there had been some problems like theft of valves from the taps, too”. Now, in a country where lawlessness and corruption have gotten into our bloods, the last one is not a surprise though.

Prof Mujumdar also informed that a similar plant is being planned in the eastern part of the campus behind the Swimming Pool with the intention to create another 5 lakh litres of recycled water per day.

How are the end users reacting to the recycled water system? An ardent lover of nature, Mrs Shubha Bhat, a resident of the E-type quarters, is very happy and satisfied with the supplied recycled water which has helped her rejuvenate the garden beside her house. When I visited her house some months ago, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that she is able to provide shelter to many rare birds! In big pots in her garden, she also rears fish which kill the mosquito larva.

“Earlier, I had to re-use my kitchen waste water and house cleaning water for the plants here, but that was not enough. On the other hand, I was scared to use the potable water that is supplied to the houses for gardening purposes. The recycled water supply has come like a boon to me. Now I can watch beautiful birds take a dip in the water right from my kitchen while I am cooking food. In fact, last winter, migratory birds had also come to the tree beside my house”, she said. “Initially, I was somewhat skeptic about whether they add chemicals into the waste water to treat it, but when I visited the plant, I got to know that it is a membrane that they use. I feel very proud that such a thing has come up in the Institute. Our kids also should see the treatment plant, they should also know about it”, she added.

The Inorganic and Physical Chemistry (IPC) Department also uses the recycled water extensively, not just for the gardening of its lawns, but also for toilet flushing. When I went there to inquire about the benefits or disadvantages of the recycled water system some months ago, Prof. A. G. Samuelson, the then Chairman of IPC had said, “We have been consistently using the recycled water for the last few months for toilet flushing, and for a month before that too, for gardening. Earlier, we were buying tankers at the rate of one to two tankers per week, which means about 10,000 liters on an average, every week. Since the time we have started using the recycled water for the toilets,
we have not bought a single tanker! This is a big improvement for us, because, other than saving water, it is saving us a lot of trouble.
We are very thankful to the administration for making this effort because I think in a sense this was long overdue for a campus of this size. This is a great step!”. Prof. Samuelson had, however, also mentioned that using recycled water for laboratories might entail a little more and the reliability has to be 100% for that.

The IISc Director Prof. Balaram, too seemed positive about this initiative. “The residents are definitely using the recycled water for gardening and car washing”, he said. On being asked whether the recycled water will be further treated to make it suitable for drinking, he jovially replied “I did offer to drink this water. I said, you can then watch me for a week, to see whether I am still coming and going regularly, and at the end of it, take a call”. He emphasized that the water quality parameters are being measured and the water is indeed supposed to be potable. “If you take a scientific view, water is water; and, if every harmful contaminant in it can be measured and quantitated and found to be within the accepted limits for potable water, then it is potable. You see, after all, you do not know what water is supplied in those tankers”, he said.

Why is it then that all the Departments are not using the recycled water? When I had posed this question, Prof. Balram had replied, “This is what the IT-people call the last mile connectivity. Sometimes it is just not there. I think the residents on campus automatically use the water simply because there is a tap there and they can get hold of the water and use it for washing the car or gardening but the
apartments have not taken it with the level of enthusiasm that one might have expected”.

In several laboratories, this treated recycled water can be used; especially in the laboratories where treatments like distillation of water are anyways performed in-situ, there is no reason why recycled water cannot be used. Other than that, recycled water can be used for cooling purposes too. Huge amounts of water can be saved if all the construction works in the campus are carried out with recycled water, given that the amount of constructions, as opposed to the greenery in the Institute, is monotonically increasing. But perhaps, we have yet not realized that the well is dry. One step ahead at a time will take us a long way ahead. The good thing is that a small step has been taken, which will perhaps show the way to others. There are several other campuses and places in Bangalore City where interested people are ready to take up such similar initiatives. Thus, while my neighbour may feel irritated when I ask him to stop wasting water by letting
it overflow, I am sure the next time he does it, he will think twice. And the next time you walk past the recycling plant, you might bear the stink without much ado.

If we humans are responsible for exploiting the earth’s resources with the help of our intelligence to smoothen our lives, I am not ready to believe that we will prove ourselves to be foolish enough to not restore the earth back to a state that is favourable to nature. We must show the way, leading by examples so that our future generations with their paramount intelligence will be able to differentiate between need and greed.

Arpita Mondal