Delhi's 'Matka Man,' 77, Brings Free Water to Thousands

Every morning before Delhi wakes, 77-year-old Alag Natarajan is already on the move. By sunrise, dozens of earthen pots scattered across South Delhi are filled with clean, cool water, ready for anyone who needs a drink.

For more than eight years, the retired engineer has been providing free water to construction workers, street vendors, sanitation workers, and the homeless. His simple mission touches thousands of lives every single day.

Natarajan spent over 30 years working in London before returning to India in 2005. But surviving colon cancer changed everything about how he wanted to live the rest of his life.

He started volunteering at a cancer hospice, helping poor families with cremations and supporting the homeless. During this work, he noticed something heartbreaking: many people couldn't afford clean drinking water in Delhi's scorching heat.

What began with a few water coolers outside his Panchsheel Park home quickly grew into something much bigger. He switched to traditional earthen matkas, which naturally keep water cool without electricity and cost very little to maintain.

Now his modified van, equipped with water tanks, a pump, and a generator, makes daily rounds to refill matka stands throughout the city. Each pot displays his phone number, and when someone calls to report an empty one, he responds.

Natarajan doesn't see this as charity. "Don't call it charity. Call it sharing," he often says.

Sunny's Take

His kindness extends far beyond water. Natarajan distributes healthy salads to hundreds each week and has installed free air pumps for cyclists across the city.

The road hasn't always been easy. Some people initially suspected political motives or questioned his intentions, but Natarajan never stopped.

His daughter gave him the nickname "Matka Man," and it stuck. Today, that name means something special to thousands of Delhi residents who depend on his earthen pots for relief from the heat.

In a city where temperatures soar and water scarcity is a constant worry, Alag Natarajan proves that the simplest acts can create the deepest impact.