Beauty of the Bucket

Thoughts on alternative bathing from a typical shower head.

Marc Unger
Aug 26, 2017 · 3 min read
Photo Credit: NPR

Sitting inside the bathroom of many Indian homes, one will find a large plastic bucket with a mini-me-size cup hooked to the edge. An untrained eye may see a cleaning mechanism for the open floor bathroom. In reality, that bucket holds a much higher purpose in the minds of the residents: to hold the very water that showers over them in times of cleansing.

Bucket showers are quite common in India, especially when the shower head is merely a prop. Typically the bather fills the large bucket from the bath faucet, scoops up the water with the cup, and administers a self-shower. The method uses less water than a head-shower, and puts the control of water flow into the hands of those who hold the cup.

From an American point of view, this practice seems odd at first, but eventually becomes a savored part of the evening routine. However, outside observers, especially those in the US, are not able to comprehend the sacrifice of a long, ever-flowing shower. Certain aspects of using the bucket compare well to the typical showering method and even surpass other aspects of the experience.

First, given the bucket is not attached to the bathroom, one can have a custom-bucket experience. In town, there are stores dedicated to the sale of bathroom buckets. Hundreds piled high put the onlooker in awe until the fumes of fresh plastic knock them out. Every color on the color-wheel is represented: blue, rose, lavender, and even ten shades of grey, the other forty unavailable for adulterous reasons. If one color is too boring, then transparent buckets with splashes of other hues is likely a better option. Either way, one’s time cleaning unclothed will never bore with infinite shades galore!

Second, one learns to appreciate the sanctity of dihydrogen oxide (H2O). Besides A-list celebrities licking hose-water in drought-ridden California and Flint, Michigan residents relying on bottled-water for everything, most Americans don’t lift a finger against excessive water use, especially in the shower. On college campuses, at least for the students, water truly grows on trees. The showers, with at least one always running, seem to produce a constant flow, hearkening back to the steady rivers of the Roman Aqueducts. However, most universities don’t hold communal Roman bath parties — perhaps a few fraternities from who knows where — and the water ends up down the drain and through its usefulness. With a bucket, the amount of water used is finite and directly controlled by the bather, leaving plenty of resources for the toilets and the plants outside!

Lastly, relaxation through water-flow is still possible. For many, a shower can be a meditative or calming experience. The steady stream of warm, wet hugs really drain the mind of any bothers from the outside world. Showers could take thirty seconds, but the time is wasted without ten to fifteen minutes of reflection. However, the bucket neither provides the constant flow or the feeling of surrounded-isolation. Although, with purposeful meditation, the same feeling comes about. One cup of water slowly streamed onto the crown of the head does the trick, pulling thoughts completely into the moment on how cold the water is crawling down the body. In an alternate method, one can still reach the same moment of inner peace!

Bucket showers hold a special place in the hearts of just under two billion people, and that very sentiment keeps the cup pouring.

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Marc Unger

Written by

Undergraduate in Political Science and a Flying Sack of Space Dust in the Middle of the Milky Way

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