Water is literally like nectar or amrut (ambrosia) in Rajasthan. People and animals in Rajasthan can manage without water for a considerable period. Housewives manage their chores with a minimum of water. For cleaning vessels, they use a piece of cloth and fine sand, which is available in plenty. Brass and copper vessels, plates, and tumblers acquire a shiny look after a sandy dry-clean! After this they get a final wash with very little water and are ready for use.

Bikaner (a western district in Rajasthan) got its name because water (ner) was sold (bika) there -- a concept that is very absurd to most Indians, who do not experience such shortages of water. In Jodhpur water has to be delivered through the railway. In Jobnair also, water is sold like any other commodity.

A village well is the hub of activity in the morning. People who cannot afford to purchase water draw water from the well in earthen pitchers by themselves.

The water in earthen pots becomes ice-cold in the simmering heat of summer and becomes uncontaminated, although initially full of sand, as the sand settles. A baby is bathed in a thali or dinner plate with a piece of cloth for a sponge; one or two tumblers of water are enough for this. Half a bucket of water is ample for an adult to clean up.

Women usually cover their faces with an odhni or dupatta and wear thick, full-length skirts with innumerable pleats and a blouse with colorful designs. "Tie and dye" is a home industry and the colorful head-wear (pugdi or rumal ) of men and the gaudy dresses of women provide a wonderful contrast to the bleak environs of the state, which is bereft of trees and vegetation.