Two days ago, I was watching a Chinese film 'Shower.' It's a story of an old man and his mentally challenged son running a bathhouse. The old man's elder son who had migrated to city many years ago in search of fortune arrives one day. The misunderstandings between father-son, the love of elder brother towards his sibling, the younger one'e clear sense of right and wrong are a delight to watch. The old man narrates his wife's story to his children — a story of villages in China suffering for want of water. With very less water found for even drinking, the families in villages never take bath. However, it is their custom that a bride should take bath on the night before her wedding.
The scene where the bride's father and little brother go door-to-door seeking water is heart-rending. They carry two casks on a mule, give one large cup of rice in exchange for equivalent amount of water. After going to so many houses, they manage to fill up the casks. It is shocking that a cup of water is so precious, much more than rice. The girl then bathes in the tub filled with that water, tears mixing with the water. It is a scene I will never forget — a stark reminder to our own future.
A man lounging in the bathhouse discusses with his friends about the relocation from their street which is on the verge of demolition. His friend asks him if he would continue to rear crickets (cricket fighting is a popular pastime in China) for the game. The man looks at him, pauses, and says: "Crickets don't survive in multi-storeyed buildings." I wanted to say, "So do we."
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