21.07.17 Check Dams

21.07.17 Check Dams

My motivation to write about check dams emanates from a report titled “Check Dam could address salinity,” I happened to read in today’s The Hindu.  

I have written and published an English novel titled: WHAT, IF OUR DREAMS COME TRUE! AN UNCOMMON MEETING WITH LORD SIVA. The book is about the life experience of an enlightened individual and his struggles and achievements, told in first person. Of course, for the narrator, it was no struggle or achievement – just finishing the agenda for which he came into being.

Here are the 7 of my dreams that eventually found their way into the book:

1.     Preventing flash floods by building check dams across         several small rivers

2.     Protecting the centuries-old assets of the temples from the     exploiters

3.     Eradicating begging, especially child begging

4.     Developing Sports in India as a Movement and make           many youngsters world-class champions

5.     Providing true autonomy to village administration (Gram     Swarajya on the models dreamed about by Gandhiji to         help rural development)

6.     People’s integration through people’s interdependence

The 7^th is: For an individual to fight for these dreams he would need to be highly enlightened so that he is fearless, honest, determined, have no self-interest, maintains inner integrity, and loves our nation. Gandhiji was one such person in our recent history. He was also one of the most difficult to understand. That was the kind of narrator of this story in the book.

While preparing for the book, I tried to do some detailed research on all the seven topics.

While searching for ways to prevent flash floods, I came across several articles written by various professionals supporting construction of check dams, vis-à-vis, big water reservoir dams, which serve other purposes like generation of electricity etc. I learnt that check dams were effective in preserving the ground water potential, preventing flash floods, and protecting the flora and fauna of the region; they need less money, can be organized with local indigenous labor, don’t need enormous technological support, and so on. So, I borrowed the idea and built one whole episode, where the hero of the novel went about organizing construction of check dams on the hilly terrains across Tamirabarani River.

In the same way, in another episode, the people of a group of villages decide to construct another check dam in another place with their own personal finances and borrowing from the banks, rather than relying and waiting for the government to decide, plan and construct. Here, the question was: Do the people of a group of villages have the power to decide what development project they need and how they want to go about implementing the project?

Now, the current news report says check dams can present salinity of the water too.

There are 7 episodes in the book, each depicting approximately 7 years of life of the narrator, in 7 different places, along the River Tamirabarani – all abodes of Lord Siva.

The book: WHAT, IF OUR DREAMS COME TRUE! AN UNCOMMON MEETING WITH LORD SIVA is available on www.pothi.com, I would recommend this book to every avid reader. Books are great gifts. Please buy one today. Send your comments on the book. Greetings!