In the name of water : The mesmerizing Baoris of India.

Nowadays, it is not so much a passion or an admiration that humankind has for water. It is an interest. Without water there's nothing, and it is not a coincidence that the first and very thing that men look for on other planets, is water. Thus, it comes as no surprise that the main water resources of the world are being fought for, by countries, by companies, by people, or animals, even. But for its storage and pumping, the mass and the rich classes have always worked side by side. It is, with air, our most precious resource. However, somewhere in the world, some time in the history, men and women have literally venerated the precious resource, have considered it the elixir of our life on earth, and even sometimes considered it the mother of everything. It has simply been sacred. Indeed, doesn’t water bring about everything? Drinks, food, body washing, soul cleansing, social linking, fresh air, transportation, life… Now imagine that, for the sake of this natural but precious liquid, an entire civilization erects fully dedicated monuments. Imagine that the majority of them is commissioned by the powerful in entire philanthropy, for the use of absolutely everyone. Imagine that these monuments, somewhere in between a temple and a well, called Stepwells, or Stepponds, were built for over ten centuries, between the fifth and the eighteenth, providing water to the entire population and a quiet haven for women of all religions, in charge of collecting water for the house, to come rest and socialize. Imagine that everyone, during this long moment of history, understands that water and air are the most precious resources we are being given by nature. The only two sources that, combined, allow life on earth, and that everyone is living by this simple rule. Air and water. Imagine that, some of these works of art are just as big, or just as decorated, or just as impressive, as the Parthenon of Athens, the Coliseum of Rome, the Pyramid of Gizeh, or the Temples of Angkor, because water is absolutely worth the tribute, but that you’ve never heard of them before... Now that you’ve pictured something in your mind, something beautiful, decorated, carved, with pillars, columns, carvings, paintings, staircases, rooms, kiosks and statues - yes, all of this -, imagine that this is not only one, not two, nor ten, or a hundred of such monuments... but thousands of them, tens of thousands of them to discover... Well - this is exactly the way I discovered the mesmerizing Stepwells of India, and the way this series was born. Only recently, thanks to the media and archeological organizations, are the Indians raising awareness on them again, and the closely-linked topics of architecture, cultural heritage, women’s status, environment, and water preservation. With longer and longer droughts every year, experts have even proposed to study the possibility to rehabilitate them, or at the very least, to learn from the water management of the past through them. As I write, some Baoris are being excavated, restored, opened to the public, and can be admired in full. Hopefully, there will be more examples to come. But until now, the vast majority of them is still quite invisible to the world. And a dump area to most of the locals.