India TV News Channel hosts a competition called “Video of the Day,” where participants are encouraged to submit videos on various topics. Each day, a winner is selected, and the prize is a color TV. I entered the competition with a video highlighting the issue of sewage discharge into the Ganga River in Varanasi. To my delight, my video was chosen as the Video of the Day, and I won the TV. While I was thrilled to win, the process was more complicated than I had anticipated. I had to pay a 25% tax on the prize and make phone calls that cost nearly a thousand rupees. Additionally, there was a lengthy wait of six months before I finally received the television.

I even had to travel to Lucknow to collect the TV and bring it back to Varanasi by bus. I chose the bus over the train because I was wary of potential encounters with the police. In trains and at railway stations, the police are known for seeking bribes, especially if they spot someone traveling with something new or valuable. I wanted to avoid sharing my joy with those who might dampen it. I made this video with Lane two years ago when he was in India. We visited the sewage discharge point in Nagwa and used his small camera to film the footage. I wish we had a better camera for the project.