There is a pond behind our house. I have seen it since my birth. I suppose this pond is very old. Like many other things, this pond has become a living entity for me. 

At the peak of summer, boys swim in the cold water of the pond. The boys do not like to come out of the water. It took their mother to shout and scold them for half an hour to take them out of the water. Sometimes they make a floating platform with thermocol. They row it like boats. In my childhood, I and my cousins used banana trees to make such floating boats. Lets keep that story for another time.

In the morning and afternoon, when I look at the pond, I find many birds in and around the pond. The birds chirp in the morning. In the evening, they go back to their nest, leaving the pond in silence. There are a few kingfishers who wait patiently in the long, hanging branches of trees, ever ready to jump to the water. In the heat of a merciless summer, birds drink the water of the pond and rest in the tree on its bank. 

A few years ago, the whole pond was engulfed by a water hyacinth, in Bengali called “Kachuripana.”. This plant made the whole pond unusable. Fish started to die. It is very difficult to get rid of this "Kachuripana." After many unsuccessful attempts, humans ultimately triumphed over the plant. I suppose some chemical was used to tame the plant. 

Once or twice a year, fish are caught in the pond. A group of fishermen covered the water surface with their nets. In the winter, when we warm ourselves in woollen, fishermen's swim in the water in bare chest. Most of the catch is generally sold to fishermen. The holders of the pond divide the balance among themselves. My family does not own a share of the pond. Still, we are obliged to receive a few fish. Sometimes my mom buys some extra fish from the fishermen. I had a faint memory from my childhood about the day all the water was bailed out of the water body and released in the adjoining field. The boys scrambled in the mud to catch fish. Re-digging was carried out for one month. Earth stacked on the bank of the water body. In the next monsoon, the pond was again filled with fresh water. 

During monsoon, the pond was sometimes flooded with rainwater. Fish get out of the pond. Water enters the adjacent homes. Water snakes move here and there. People had to walk in knee-height water. 

In autumn, scattered cotton-like clouds hover in the sky. Kans Phul (the Flower of Saccharum Spontaneum) blossomed on the bank of the pond. Nature adorns itself for Bengal's biggest festival, Durga Puja. Grown-up green paddy fields behind the pond add to the serenity of the place.

Autumn makes way for winter. In this part of the country, the winter is mild. On some days, when mercury plunges around 10 degrees Celsius, pond water evaporates. In the fog, this stream of moisture creates a spooky environment.

There is a small bamboo grove to the north of the pond. In winter, cool breezes flow through the bamboo trees on the surface of the water body. 

For years, people have been bathing and washing their utensils and clothes. The pond yields fish and oysters for birds and humans. Women share their mundane stories while bathing or sitting in the ghat in the afternoon. This water reservoir has witnessed so many things happening for so many years. 

We can learn a lesson from this water body; for years, it has served all without any prejudice.