Every night, while the city sleeps, 75-year-old Alag Natrajan quietly begins his day. By 3.30 am, he’s already in his garden in the upmarket Panchsheel Park area, filling water tanks in the dark. For over eight years, this cancer survivor—known lovingly as Delhi’s “Matka Man”—has been on a mission: to quench the thirst of thousands who have nowhere else to turn for clean drinking water. Natrajan provides clean, potable water to over 7,000 Delhi residents, mostly slum dwellers, construction workers or homeless people. Once the water tanks are full, he takes his van—especially designed to carry the water tanks—around Delhi to fill over 100 matka (earthen pots) stands.
“I started doing this around eight years back. Back then, I used to work in a cancer hospice. They needed someone to assist with the burials and cremations of the homeless people. I used to drive an ambulance for the hospital and also help with cremations,” says Natrajan, adding that it was during this time that he saw people struggling with access to clean water.
Delhi has clean, drinking water issues. Even people who are well off and live in high-end societies often struggle for potable water. The water coming out of the kitchen taps needs to be double-filtered before it can be deemed fit for drinking. “But where does the poor man get the water to drink? This thought started my journey as matka man,” he adds.
Natrajan initially started with water coolers only to realise they are expensive, need frequent maintenance and difficult to install because they require an electricity connection. On his friend’s advice, he shifted to using earthen pots.
In the last eight years, Natrajan has installed 100 matka stands across Delhi with the help of his wife and a few volunteers. But providing water has its own challenges. “Initially, I used borewell water. But later on as the water requirement grew, I contacted the Delhi Jal Board through recommendation of the local MLA. With some effort, the Jal Board agreed to release extra 4,000 litres of water,” he explains. Once the water was arranged, maintaining and keeping pots clean was another challenge. “Sometimes, the pot water gets polluted or there are cracks. Sometimes, the matka goes missing. At times, I see people washing their face with the water or even kids taking a cold shower especially in the summer,” sighs Natranjan. But he has learned to live with it.
When asked what drives him every morning to get up and fill pots throughout the day he says, “It’s just about sharing what you have in excess. “I believe every individual has something in excess to share, it could be money, kindness or even compassion for others.” Ironically, the septuagenarian doesn’t believe in charity. What drives his passion is the simple need to do something that is necessary. No anecdotal personal stories of struggle there.
“I do not run an NGO. I spend whatever little money or savings I have for this cause. Sometimes some people also contribute, which I am happy to see,” says the former businessman. Natrajan doesn’t worry about what will happen after he’s gone. “I have no plan,” he says with a gentle shrug. “This work requires dedication and commitment. If I can’t continue it in the future, I don’t know how it will go on or who will take it forward.” But perhaps that’s the beauty of it—some acts of kindness don’t need a plan. They simply ripple outward, waiting for someone else to carry them forward.