Tap Water

In summertime, I miss the cool water from the surahi back home. My mother drenched the outside with water and then wrapped it in a moist towel. There was nothing more refreshing than to drink a glass of water from it after an afternoon siesta. I am sure that It did something good for the soul. Tap water went through some modest filtering at home before it made it to the surahi. When we moved to a new place, it was typical to check with the neighbors what they did about drinking water. The cleaning advise could range from filter, strain to boil for ten minutes.

By the 90s it was common to see huge containers of bottled water delivered to homes. The filtering units at home had turned more complex and expensive. With bottled water sharing shelf space with soda in the refrigerator, the trusty surahi had become a relic from the past just as the moistened khus window mats had been retired in favor of vinyl blinds and air conditioning. Kids these days most likely have never seen either in their homes.

Reading about the snob appeal of plain old tap water reminded me of childhood days. I don't know about snob appeal but I do think there was something very charming about the way our lives were back then.