India: Part 2 of 8 – The water (#484)

You can admire food from a distance.

You cannot do that with water.

Water enters you quietly. It slips past intention and habit, past years of unthinking trust.

In India, water is never neutral.

It is watched, boiled, filtered, carried, bartered, worshiped, feared.

It is life - and it is risk.

You learn this not from a warning sign, but from the pause before you brush your teeth.

Water Is Everywhere & It’s Rarely Innocent

In much of the world, water is invisible infrastructure. You turn a tap. You trust it. You forget it exists.

In India, water is visible labor. You see it pumped from wells, hauled in plastic jugs, poured carefully into bottles.

You see rivers revered and avoided at the same time.

You learn quickly that:

Tap water is never an option.

Not for drinking, not for brushing teeth, not even casually in the shower.

This is not paranoia. It is literacy.

Bottled Water as Daily Discipline

Bottled water becomes ritual.

• You check seals instinctively.

• You buy from hotels or reputable shops.

• You carry it everywhere, even on short walks.

• You stop accepting glasses of water offered kindly and explain that you are being careful, not ungrateful.

• You learn which brands to trust.

• You learn that room-temperature water is easier on digestion

• You learn to say no to ice without embarrassment.

What first feels restrictive becomes oddly calming. Attention replaces assumption.

Hydration Is Survival, Not Comfort

India is hot, often relentlessly so. Staying hydrated is not optional; it is a daily medical decision. Two liters a day becomes a baseline, more if you are walking, climbing, or simply enduring the heat.

When illness strikes - and sometimes it does despite care - rehydration becomes urgent.

Electrolytes matter. Coconut water matters. Rest matters. Panic does not.

India teaches you to respond pragmatically rather than dramatically.

When Bottles Run Out

There are moments - treks, remote villages, long journeys - when bottled water simply isn’t available. This is where preparation matters.

Filters, UV pens, boiling, iodine: old technologies, quiet safeguards. You do not use them often, but you are grateful when you need them.

Water in India rewards foresight.

Chai, Coconuts, and Conditional Trust

Not all liquids are enemies.

Chai is one of India’s great daily mercies. Boiled fiercely, infused with ginger and cardamom, it is both comfort and digestion. You watch it bubble. You trust what you can see.

Fresh coconuts are another gift. Sealed by nature, rich with electrolytes. Still, even here, you watch the knife, the straw, the hands.

Trust in India is observational.

You are not taught to fear.

You are taught to notice.

Holy Rivers and Hard Choices

At some point, you stand at the edge of a sacred river and feel the pull of history, devotion, and belonging. You watch pilgrims bathe, immerse, pray. You understand the meaning, even if you decline the act.

India’s rivers carry centuries of faith and the weight of modern life. Reverence does not require immersion. Sometimes respect is shown by restraint.

Privilege, Briefly Understood

For travelers, water problems are solvable. We buy bottles. We carry filters. We move on.

For many Indians, they are not.

In villages, wells are uncertain. Water scarcity shapes daily rhythms. Safety is negotiated, not guaranteed. You glimpse this reality briefly, and it stays with you. Water becomes moral as well as physical.

What Water Ultimately Teaches

Water strips away entitlement.

Water forces awareness.

Water punishes inattention and rewards care.

By the time you leave India, you no longer drink casually. You notice sources. You respect process. You understand that health is not a background condition, it is an active relationship with your environment.

Food teaches pleasure.

Water teaches humility.

India reveals herself one careful sip at a time.

Three Water Tips

• Drink only sealed bottled water and check the seal every time.

  
  

  • Never drink tap water in India.

    
    

  • Buy bottled water from hotels or reputable shops.

    
    

  • Check that the seal is intact.

    
    

  • Avoid ice in drinks

    
    

  • Use bottled water even for brushing your teeth.

• Watch what’s boiled, not what’s promised.

  
  

  • Chai is usually safe only if you see it boiling.

  
  

  • Coconut water is excellent only if the knife and straw look clean.

  
  

  • Trust what you can observe, not what you’re told.

    
    

• Hydration is medical, not optional.

  
  

  • India is hot and dehydrating.

    
    

  • Drink at least 2 liters a day, more if walking or traveling.

    
    

  • Carry electrolytes. If illness hits, rehydration matters more than food.

In Part 3, I’ll turn to family. To what happens when generosity flows faster than caution, when belonging is assumed rather than offered, and when love arrives on your plate whether you are ready or not.

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