When a river spoke

A video of the song Pyaasi by Bengaluru-based band Swarathama whose lyrics were written by Vasu Dixit and Hitesh Kawalya was released on Tuesday in Mumbai as part of an awareness programme to save water. 

The band later performed the song live at the event.

The song was adopted by Global Water Challenge whose board members include director Shekar Kapur. His message was simple. "Fresh water is the biggest challenge we face today. Pyassi tells this story very well. I hope many people will be inspired to join us and also change their attitude towards water usage after seeing this video".

The video shows a young girl in a small village running around looking for water. A locked pipe, a dry lake and a deep bore well is all she sees. On the other hand people showering, swimming in a pool is shown as a contrast to the scene in the village.

The song is based on a reflection of what river Cauvery would have said when she saw Tamil Nadu and Karnataka fighting over her. She says, "I am thirsty even as I quench your thirst. I am water, let me be water and let me take my course'.

Global Water challenge is a coalition of many organisations which have the common objective of providing safe drinking water to needy people.