When an 80-year-old Irish man was seen pulling garbage, sludge and even dead animals out of Jodhpur’s centuries-old stepwells, people laughed. They called him “Paagal Saab”—the mad sir. After all, why would a foreigner spend his days cleaning India’s forgotten water heritage?
But Caron Rawnsley wasn’t trying to prove a point. He was simply trying to save something he believed was too valuable to lose.
Caron’s connection with India began long before he arrived. His grandfather had worked as the Chief Railway Engineer on the Bombay–Baroda railway line during British India, and stories about the country stayed with him throughout his life. After spending nearly two decades in Pakistan as an educator and environmentalist, where he worked with children, planted trees and promoted conservation, Caron moved to Rajasthan in 2014.
While volunteering at the Barefoot College and later working on environmental projects, he discovered Jodhpur’s magnificent bawris and jhalaras—ancient stepwells that had once formed the backbone of the city’s water management system. Instead of finding thriving heritage sites, he found garbage dumps, sewage, plastic waste and neglected monuments.
He approached authorities and organisations, hoping someone would restore them. When little changed, he picked up a broom himself.
Day after day, Caron cleaned the stepwells with his own hands. The work was exhausting, the smell unbearable and volunteers often gave up after a day or two. He didn’t.
His persistence slowly inspired others. Local residents, volunteers, the Mehrangarh Museum Trust and INTACH joined the effort. Together, they have helped restore around 10 historic stepwells and water bodies, including Ram Bawari, Chandpol Bawari and Gulab Sagar, bringing new life to structures that once sustained an entire city.
For Caron, these stepwells are more than beautiful monuments. They are engineering marvels, natural groundwater recharge systems, habitats for wildlife and living reminders of India’s remarkable tradition of water conservation.
His work has earned admiration across the country, with environmental organisations, heritage groups and even industrialist Anand Mahindra applauding his unwavering commitment. Yet, perhaps his greatest achievement is transforming the meaning of the nickname people once gave him. Today, “Paagal Saab” is no longer an insult—it is a title of respect.
Sometimes, preserving a nation’s heritage doesn’t begin with a government project or a grand campaign. Sometimes, it begins with one person refusing to walk past a problem, even when everyone else does.
