Once upon a time, there were two drains — Drain1 and Drain2. They got along famously with each other, except for the occasional one-upmanship. They came from different localities, but met at a sewage treatment plant.
They loved their job, which was carrying sewage from houses and commercial establishments to the plant. When they were full of fast-flowing sewage, they would gurgle with delight.
On the road, outside the treatment plant, there was another drain — Drain3. Every day, these two drains, which also passed through the road on their way to the plant, would make fun of Drain3, because he did not seem to serve any purpose. He would not bring any sewage to the plant.
He was just there, jobless and unhappy. The two would discuss their day’s work, loud enough for Drain3 to hear. They were just rubbing in the fact that he had nothing to do.
Sample this.
“I feel great about myself today. I carried the stinkiest sewage ever,” said Drain2.
Now, Drain1 had to better that.
“I have never before carried so much sewage. It’s the marriage season and wedding halls are running full. There are three halls whose sewage I carry. The flushes at the toilets there were working overtime today. I think my achievement would qualify for a world record — most amount of sewage carried in a single day,” said Drain2.
You could imagine what such trumpeting did to Drain3.
He would be eating his heart out. He would want to cry, but tears eluded him. He was dry as a bone and did not have water even to shed a few drops of tears.
On such occasions, he would direct his gaze towards a river flowing on the other side of the road. How wonderful it must be to flow like that river, he would tell himself. Looking at the river had a soothing effect on him, giving him some relief from his sorrow.
The turnaround
One day, civic authorities came to inspect Drain3. He did not know what they were discussing, for they were speaking a language called Officialese. The other two drains were curious, but they could not get to the bottom of the matter either.
The next day, workers arrived and started extending Drain3 with additional pipes. In a week, they ensured Drain3 was connected to the waterway.
Drain1 and Drain2 were almost bursting with curiosity. Drain3 did not know what was happening, but enjoyed the attention he was receiving.
And then, the skies opened up. The monsoon had set in. It started raining heavily. And Drain3 felt something moving within his body. It was water!
“Oh goodness, I am full of water!” he shouted joyfully.
He could hear the sound of water sloshing through him and then flowing into the river. He realised this liquid was different from what Drain1 and Drain2 carried. It was water from the skies. It was rainwater and he liked the smell of it. Now, Drain1 and Drain2 were beside themselves with disbelief. The good-for-nothing Drain3 was suddenly carrying something that smelt better than what they carried. Drain3 was puffed up with pride. His eyes glowing with pride, he would often direct a mocking look at them.
Consumed by envy, Drain1 and Drain2 wanted to carry clean water just as Drain3 did. Envy turned to rage and due to the negativity building up within them, they burst. They were spewing sewage, which entered Drain3 through gaps between connected pipes and crevices. With the thought that sewage has entered his body, Drain3 went into depression, got physically ill. And then, he burst too. So, the locality experienced heavy waterlogging, consisting of rainwater and sewage. Residents began to complain about these faulty drains. All the three drains were plunged in grief. They felt so useless. Thankfully, civic workers stepped in promptly and set the drains right. Two different teams, reporting to two different government agencies, were at work. One team worked on Drain1 and Drain2 and the other on Drain3. It slowly dawned on the three drains that they were serving two different but significant purposes. Drain3 realised it was a stormwater drain that had to ensure rainwater does not stagnate and is carried to waterways. Drain1 and Drain2 knew they had a different role and it was restricted to carrying sewage.
A lesson learnt
All three learnt to appreciate each other’s work and celebrate their differences. Drain3 was now not envious of the fact that Drain1 and Drain2 had work all through the year. He was content doing what he had to when it rained. Similarly, Drain1 and Drain2 were now not envious of the fact that Drain3 carried clean water. After all, someone had to do the unpleasant work of clearing sewage, and these two drains were only too glad for the opportunity to help residents by doing this work. All the three drains knew they were indispensable in their own ways. And, they lived happily every after. So did the residents there.
