in order to return and work on fundraising projects in North America. And

I agree with Sunita that “water” and “sanitation” are some of the most crucial issues in Rural India. As I walked in two to three villages, I was shown how the farming lands – once defecatation areas – had been abandoned by some of the villagers, who had accepted the outhouse toilets. Short conversations with village women, mostly Muslim, showed their concerns for accessing water closer to home than the old decaying village wells or other areas nearer the hills with water streams.

In October, I had the opportunity of meeting Rohini Nilekani at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, where she had been lecturing earlier, at a reception/dinner, where she was invited by Prof. Dr. Kamal Bawa, Chairman of Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology & Environment ( ATREE). I filmed the event which was attended by the Sustainability Science Program staff members and two other organizations working in India : Ed Scribner, Board Chair of Barakat (www.barakatworld.org) and David Elliott, President of Village Forward (www.villageforward.org). Mr. Elliott mentioned having sent Rohini’s office a proposal for cleaning water. They both laughed and felt it was a “start” and may be, a beginning to see whether the project might work for Arghyam ?