Rinki's parents fought over water.
Her mother, Kiran Devi, suffers from acute back pain, which has been aggravated by repeated trips to the only functional handpump in their village, Patpora, in Uttar Pradesh's Lalitpur district.
When she asked her husband to pitch in, he shot back: "It's not my job to fill water. Ask the children for help."
Rinki is all of six. But she walks with the steadiness of an adult, balancing a pot of water on her tiny head. Her older cousin, Ankita, accompanies her on the trip to the handpump every evening.
Shivani braces for the tanker challenge.
Every morning, a tanker comes to her neighbourhood in Panchampora village in Madhya Pradesh's Tikamgarh district. To make sure all residents get water, the volunteers of the non-profit supplying the tanker have asked families to fill not more than five vessels of water each.
As the tanker, yoked to a tractor, enters their lane, Shivani's grandmother brings out the vessels. The child shows great agility in navigating the crowds and pushing them forward. She herself fills and carries the smaller ones, leaving the bigger ones to her grandmother.
It's the last week of April. Attendance is thin at the primary school in Bhadauna village in Lalitpur. Of the 102 students on the rolls, only 25-odd students are present. Drought has forced many families to migrate.
For those who have stayed back, the school cook is stirring up a mid-day meal of tehri, or rice cooked with potatoes and tomatoes. A group of boys has been enlisted to skip class and help her fill water from the handpump installed inside the school compound.
The children have to push hard to get the handpump to yield a trickle. They pair up to carry the buckets of water to the school kitchen.
Alerted to the presence of a reporter, the teachers rush out. Concerned that the pictures could get them into trouble, they send the children back to their classrooms.
The children look bewildered. Fetching water is no big deal for them, it seems. Perhaps because that's what they do at home too.
Even those children who are too small to carry water vessels, have been roped in to help their mothers. They stand guard over the filled cans of water, while their mothers make trips to take them home.
This young boy in Mastapur village has come up with a smart idea: a wheel cart to push the water drums homes.
Here's a video on the impact of drought on the women and children of Bundelkhand.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!