Author: Ramesh Beniwal
Across western Rajasthan, many traditional wells have slowly disappeared beneath sand and memory. Some have been replaced by tube wells, while others survive only in the stories of elders. Yet, in the pastoral landscape of Netasi, Maythi Ji Ka Kuan continues to provide water to both people and animals, carrying within it a deeper story about changing technologies, shifting ideas of labour, and the enduring relationship between the desert and those who call it home.
“कुछ कुएँ केवल पानी नहीं, यादों को भी संजोकर रखते हैं। मायथी जी का कुआँ आज भी पानी और स्मृतियों—दोनों को अपने भीतर जीवित रखे हुए है।”
“Some wells hold water, and some hold memories. Maythi Ji Ka Kuan carries both.”
A Traditional Well That Continues to Sustain Life in a Changing Desert
Before roads, electricity, and mobile networks reached this part of the Thar, there was a well. People gathered around it, animals waited beside it, and entire livelihoods moved according to the water it offered. The story of Maythi Ji Ka Kuan is therefore not simply the story of a water source; it is the story of how an entire way of life has adapted to change while holding on to its roots. Unlike many traditional wells of western Rajasthan that have been abandoned, filled with sand, or replaced by tube wells, this well continues to remain at the centre of everyday life.
When Every Drop of Water Carried the Weight of Labour
The well is nearly 250 feet deep. Earlier, water was drawn manually with the help of camels and human effort. Every bucket of water carried the weight of patience. The earth gave water, but only after demanding labour in return. Obtaining even a small quantity of water required enormous physical effort, and because every drop came through hard work, people understood its value differently.
The animals that helped draw water were not merely animals; they were companions in survival. People lived closely with them, understood their behaviour, and noticed immediately if an animal was sick or tired because their lives moved together. Dependency existed then too, but it was shared between humans, animals, and nature.
“पहले पानी तक पहुँचना श्रम का काम था; आज पानी तक पहुँचना तकनीक का काम है। पानी की कीमत आज भी उतनी ही है, लेकिन उसके साथ हमारा रिश्ता बदल गया है।”
“Earlier, reaching water was a matter of labour; today, it is a matter of technology. The value of water remains the same, but our relationship with it has changed.”
A Well That Holds the Memory of Time, Labour, and a Changing Society
Maythi Ji Ka Kuan is perhaps different from many other traditional wells of western Rajasthan because it has refused to disappear with time. Across the desert, old wells have slowly been replaced by tube wells; many have filled with sand and dust, and some have become so invisible that only the elders remember where they once stood. Yet this well still remains at the centre of life. The people here still drink its water, and so do their animals, although the way of reaching that water has changed completely.
Today, the same well continues to provide water, but now a motor installed inside the well lifts it to the surface. Solar panels stand nearby, converting the harsh desert sunlight into energy, and the water that once demanded hours of labour now arrives with the push of a switch. There is no electricity bill and no diesel expense. In many ways, this is progress. Yet every form of progress creates a new kind of dependency. A camel grew old slowly; a rope weakened gradually; one could anticipate when repairs would be needed. But a motor has its own uncertainties. It may function perfectly one day and fail completely the next. When this happens, an unusual crisis emerges. The people and the hundreds of animals dependent upon this well suddenly find themselves without access to water. Earlier, dependency was shared between people and animals, and the signs of change appeared slowly. Today, dependency rests upon a machine, and its failure often comes without warning.
The story of this well also becomes a story about changing ideas of labour itself. As time changes, society changes, and with it the meaning of hard work. The elders often say that earlier generations had fewer choices but greater patience and endurance. Agriculture and livestock rearing were not occupations that people chose; they were simply life itself. Today, many young people wish to work less physically, and farming and pastoralism are increasingly seen as difficult and less desirable forms of livelihood.
“आज के लोग मेहनत कम करना चाहते हैं। खेती और पशुपालन को लोग छोटा काम समझने लगे हैं।”
“People today want to work less physically. Farming and livestock rearing are increasingly seen as lesser occupations.”
The desert, however, has not changed its nature. It still demands patience and continues to reward those willing to work with uncertainty. Perhaps that is why Maythi Ji Ka Kuan feels so important. It is not merely a traditional water source surviving in a modern world. It is a reminder that while technology can change the way water reaches us, it cannot replace the relationships, labour, and collective understanding that once grew around every drop drawn from the earth.
In a landscape where many wells have disappeared beneath sand and memory, Maythi Ji Ka Kuan continues to stand quietly, carrying both the past and the present within its waters. It reminds us that the history of the desert is not only written in its dunes but also in the changing ways through which people learn to reach water, depend on it, and live beside it.
The Ecology of Survival
During our conversation, Chatar Singh Ji explained the relationship between resources and life through a simple example. He pointed towards a watermelon vine and explained that when water becomes scarce, the vine stops producing new growth and uses its remaining energy to protect the fruits that already exist. But when rainfall arrives and water becomes available, the same vine begins spreading in every direction.
“अगर प्रकृति में संसाधन पर्याप्त हों, तो हर जीव की बढ़ने और आगे बढ़ने की क्षमता बढ़ जाती है।”
“When nature provides sufficient resources, every living being gains the ability to grow and reproduce.”
This simple example carried a much larger message. More water creates better grass, better grass creates healthier animals, and healthier animals provide stronger livelihoods. In the desert, nothing exists separately. Water, animals, vegetation, and people remain deeply connected.
Knowledge That Cannot Be Learnt from Books
The pastoral families living around Maythi Ji Ka Kuan manage nearly five hundred animals, including around three hundred sheep and two hundred goats. To an outsider, the herd appears like a moving sea of wool and dust. Hundreds of animals walk together, seemingly identical. But not to the shepherds.
They recognise every sheep, every goat, every lamb, and every kid. They know which mother belongs to which offspring and can immediately notice when even a few animals are missing.
“ये शब्दों में समझाया नहीं जा सकता। जानवरों को पहचानना अनुभव से आता है।”
“This cannot be explained in words. Recognising animals comes through experience.”
Their knowledge is not written in books. It exists in memory, observation, and generations spent living beside animals.
For pastoral communities, rainfall is not simply a weather event. It is the beginning of an entire cycle of life. Good rainfall produces good grass, good grass improves animal health, and healthy animals reproduce better. During favourable conditions, goats can give birth twice in a year, while cows generally produce calves once a year when nutrition is adequate.
Their cows produce around three to four litres of milk per milking, yet the market price remains low. The labour invested in raising animals often receives far less value than it deserves. Yet people continue, because in this landscape livestock is not merely an economic activity. It is security, savings, and survival itself.
A Traditional Well That Carries the Past into the Future of the Thar
Technology has entered pastoral life in unexpected ways. Earlier, if animals went missing, shepherds searched for them using camels and travelled long distances on foot. Today, photographs of missing animals are shared through mobile phones and WhatsApp groups, and because the animals often carry unique identification marks, other shepherds can quickly recognise them and help return them to their owners.
The desert continues to change, and the people living within it continue to adapt, but some things remain remarkably constant. Maythi Ji Ka Kuan is one such constant. It continues to connect people not only with their animals but also with memories of older ways of life.
Perhaps its greatest lesson is that survival in the Thar Desert has never come from controlling nature. It comes from understanding it, respecting its uncertainties, and learning its language.
Summary
Maythi Ji Ka Kuan represents an extraordinary example of continuity and adaptation in the Thar Desert. The traditional well continues to provide drinking water through a modern solar-powered system, revealing both the benefits and the new dependencies created by technology. At the same time, it reflects changing ideas of labour, the deep ecological knowledge of pastoral communities, and the enduring relationship between water, livestock, and survival in one of India’s harshest landscapes.