Ripples of Compassion: Water Scarcity and Hope | Rishi Verma
‘Ripples of Compassion’ is a photo series that brings into the limelight the pressing matter of water scarcity, while exploring the deep, multifaceted bond between water and people—practical, emotional, and spiritual.
Regarded as a divine manifestation—the elixir of life—water presents itself in various forms: ponds, rivers, seas, and deities serving social purposes and fulfilling ritualistic ceremonies. However, due to the growing population and the mismanagement of water, this dynamic has shifted.
Somehow, we uphold centuries of traditions while also letting industrialists and corporations release toxins into our sacred bodies of water. By allowing this treatment of such a primordial and vital element of life, we allow these toxins to spread throughout the ecosystem, our food chain and our own bodies.
The flow of water connects consciousness on our blue planet, where all living beings contain water within their bodies. Each gesture of compassion towards this essential, life-giving element creates a ripple in the collective life force.
This series hopes to spark awareness by uncovering the fragments of life around the Ghat of the Yamuna River in Delhi—one of the world’s most populated cities, which currently faces a water shortage of 50 million gallons per day, during the summer heat.
The abundance of water on Earth and our struggle for clean water create an irony. Thankfully, water remains a source of connection, compassion, and hope.