REFLECTED GLORY: Restoring the Laxmi Taal to its former grandeur wasn't easy

Who knows what episode in India's history was conceived of on its banks? Is it not possible that the sound of gentle ripples softly lapping against pebbles may have lulled Rani Laxmi Bai into a reverie in which she saw an India throwing off the colonial yoke? The intrepid 19th century queen, the sword-wielding icon of resistance to the British, certainly spent a great deal of time by the lake in Jhansi. It was a sanctuary to which she retreated when she needed to think or to relax. The beauty of the place was invigorating: the shimmering water and the lush greenery around, with the majestic domes of the Kali and Bhairav mandirs and the mazaar of Khakishah forming the backdrop.

The rani of Jhansi entered the history books as an inspiring leader of the 1857 rebellion. The two lakeside temples too remained intact. But the Laxmi Taal, as the lake is now known, was reduced to a cesspool covered by unyielding stretches of water hyacinth. Until one man took it upon himself to revitalise the historical water body.

On one of his various tours in Jhansi district, Rajneesh Dubey stood on the banks of the lake, the foetid stench of rotting plants heavy in his nose. He peered into the distance and all he could see among the hyacinth were small patches of dirty water. Dubey, mindful of the lake's significance, wondered what the 175-year-old lake must have once looked like and what he could do to save it.

Being the district magistrate of Jhansi helped. But instead of marshalling the government resources at his command to clean the lake, Dubey turned to the public to carry out the campaign early this year. Responding to his plan, tailors and traders, housewives and fishermen and Bundelkhand University students stepped forward as volunteers. The workforce included a 70-year-old physically disadvantaged person who spent many hours in the cold water. In no time, the Taal Bachao Abhiyan, a veritable people's movement, had swung into action. "Not a penny of the government was spent on the effort," says a proud Dubey.

Funds were not an issue at all as the local citizenry rose to the occasion. Petrol dealers provided fuel for the huge JCB machines that removed the slush and garbage, the Crushers' Association supplied tractor trolleys, and NGOs organised lunch packets for those at work.

The government too was involved but functioned as a facilitator. The Jhansi Development Authority acted as the nodal agency in coordinating the efforts while government servants donated a day's salary for the clean-up. As a memento to mark the event, Divisional Commissioner Stuti Kakkar got T-shirts specially designed with "Laxmi Taal Bachao" emblazoned on them. When she went to distribute them to the volunteers, she found them-and the district magistrate-neck-deep in filth.

It was by no means an easy task as the discharge from seven drains in the city had been emptying into the lake for decades. De-weeding too posed its share of problems but the team's determination ensured that the work was completed in three months. The Bundelkhand region, in which Jhansi falls, is known for its backwardness and lack of enterprise, but in this instance, it not only defied its reputation but also displayed how collective will could work miracles.

"Dubey's campaign is certainly inspiring and has revived the concept of community living," says P.L. Punia, principal secretary, tourism and culture, pointing to similar exercises undertaken by the district magistrate earlier. Referred to as a "mission man" by some, Dubey had personally driven down to the drought-affected areas of the district last year and ensured that they were provided potable water. In Phutera village of Jhansi, when a worrying number of jobless farmers were ending their lives by consuming pesticide, Dubey stepped in with his dose of common sense. With the help of the Uttar Pradesh Land Reclamation Corporation, he transformed the village into an oasis of green, with some farmers even taking to mushroom cultivation.

During the clean-up, the district administration discovered about 200 acres of unclaimed land around the lake covered by thick vegetation. Plans are afoot to develop it into an eco-tourism zone that will include a nature trail and a python park. The facelift has done wonders for the forgotten lake. The crowds thronging the banks now know why it was the private retreat of a revered queen.