I had just finished a presentation to a gathering of Venetian academics on the time-tested water storage systems of Rajasthan. During refreshments, while some wondered at what went into making such elaborate water systems, I asked: how was water managed before pipelines came to Venice about a 100 years ago? The city sits on a lagoon. There are similarities with, say, Jaisalmer, located in the middle of a sea of sand. Freshwater must be a great challenge here also.

I drew a blank. Nobody was willing to hazard a guess. I said I'd be able to tell in half an hour if they took me around town. They seemed doubtful, but politesse had the better of cynicism. I have begun to trust my eye, trained over the past two decades while trying to understand the legacy of water storage in Rajasthan. In 15 minutes, I spotted my first well in Venice.

It stood in a courtyard; white, sad, forsaken but steadfast. All kinds of people were walking past it, without sparing a thought for this