In flashbacks, truth happens!

Story tellers use flashbacks to tell a back story. Some use a flashback in the beginning to set a foundation and others set up the progress in the story by small doses of flashback. Life does that too. It's happening so often to me these days that I am left connecting dots for hours post that. For example, I am walking with Missus last evening, quick walk to clear the head before I get back to unfinished work. It's 6.45 pm. Suddenly, raindrops. Bangalore is very warm now and the sun has been at it through the day. But then, raindrops. Missus is a practical person. She starts walking swiftly. Ahead of me. Saying she's washed her hair. She cannot have her hair wet again. I am at the back of her. Trying to catch up. It's when I have that. Flashback. Goa. Maybe 1997. Same. She ahead of me. She's telling let's just get home. Me at the back, trying to catch up. I can remember even the clothes. I can remember my rubber sandals. I can smell the wet soil of Carenzalem, where we stayed then. These kinds of flashbacks have been happening a lot. I wouldn't know if it's good or bad. I also wouldn't know if it tells me something or not. Evidently, it should. But you know how it is. I don't get any life enhancing thoughts from that. Just the flashbacks. Maybe it's like Vinod Khanna's Major Ranjeet in Achanak where he does things based on the flashbacks he has, of his past, of his trainings and such. Tries to save himself from police parties. I am having other flashbacks too. Of Farakka Barrage back in the 70s and the sharing of water controversy. Bangladesh was horrified back then in the early 90s when the Bengal government first and the Indian government said that we had a formula and that formula said that majority of the Ganga waters was to be in India. Padma, a branch of the same Ganga, is the lifeline of Bangladesh. They have numerous livelihoods that depend on that river. So, understandably they were livid. That was never resolved satisfactorily though many governments since then have sat down to resolve. Once, pretty recently, during the UPA 2 times, nearly everything was resolved when Queen Mamata had a change of heart. Back to square one. Now, this NDA government has proposed water sharing through many states. I have flashbacks of that Farakka Barrage and Cauvery disputes. Why do we have to get into disputes? There's technology and better infrastructure available today. Rainwater harvesting techniques are far better than ever before. You hear of successes in many hamlets too. How about institutionalizing rainwater harvesting? One village. Farming all around. One rainwater harvesting project as a cooperative. One ePassbook for all members and users. One gas project. One mini power plant or a solar project. One purchase point for all produce and livestock at fair price set up by government or a nationally computed price for that year, that month. How difficult is this? Maybe it isn't. Maybe it's just the will. Because we are only emotively attached to our villages and see them through the prism of nostalgia, we cannot or do not bother to see them self reliant. At all.