HYDRATE will be available for sale at the March 18 launch at Drifters Cafe & Bar in Bandra. Join me there at 12 pm for fantastic beer (I dig their IPA) and food. And support my launch by taking home a limited edition print!

Bottled water is everywhere you look. If you need a drink and you’re away from home, chances are a plastic bottle of water is moments away. But studies and research continue to shed light on one of the biggest scams in consumer history, one that reaches back as far as 1767 in Boston, when Jackson’s Spa water was sold as commercially-distributed therapeutic water, it’s becoming more clear that bottled water, especially plastic-based bottled water, is at best, not much better than tap water, and at worst, harmful personally.

The great irony may be that we need bottled water, especially in times of shortages. I haven’t had the misfortune of being a victim in a drought-stricken region. I can only speak of water shortage in terms of having lived in a certain “luxury” high-rise building in Mumbai, where water is shipped in daily because there’s no access to piped water. Every few months there were issues with the supply lines, the BMC would announce water interruptions and sometimes our building would be without water completely for a day or two or only be available at certain times until the water started flowing again. It was during these times that I had to order cases of bottled water, not only for drinking but also for bathing.

Bottled water is an immense topic and I won’t be able to do it justice here. But as time goes on, I can easily imagine a future where water wars are certain, where the correlation between catastrophic health issues and consumption of microplastics is even more rampant, and when civilization itself may be tested. I only have to run this hypothetical situation through my mind to remember how fragile our modern world really is: what if the water supply was suddenly cut? Would I be ready? How much time before humanity turns on itself in a desperate bout of survival? Forget about pandemics, comets, global warming, an AI uprising, nuclear war, and supervolcanoes. A global water crisis could prove more problematic.

On that cheery note, join me for the launch of the Aksa Collection and my debut as an artist on March 18th in Bandra, Mumbai. Sign up for my newsletter for pre-ordering on March 14 - 18. A 20% discount is available as well for those who attend the launch. Read more about the launch here.