In the sun-drenched landscapes of Maharashtra, where the land often thirsts for just a drop of rain, drought is a relentless visitor. Its aftermath is all too familiar — parched fields, failed crops, and, for too many farmers, a desperate turn to unthinkable acts of taking their lives.

With the farmers of Marathwada and Khandesh bearing its brunt, year after year, a sombre saga unfolded here in 2016. Drought had gripped the state, hitting its agrarian communities with a ferocious intensity. Farmers saw not only their fields drying but also their dreams.

Among the voices echoing the emptiness left by deceased rains, the suicide of a farmer in North Maharashtra struck a personal chord with an IRS officer, Ujjwal Kumar Chavan. Moved by this tragedy and the collective cries from his homeland, he found himself compelled to act.

Amid a successful career in the Indian Revenue Service and a promising life ahead, the silent plea of his drought-stricken homeland was a call he could not ignore. It was during a visit to his village around the same time that he decided to spearhead an initiative that would harness the power of water conservation to change lives.

With a vision to alter the course of his drought-stricken village, Ujjwal embarked on an ambitious water conservation project. His plan involved constructing a reservoir capable of storing 10 core litres of water. But what began as a prototype soon blossomed beyond expectations — the initiative yielded a water reserve of 14 crore........

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