Overview
- Caron Rawnsley, an 80-year-old Irish volunteer nicknamed 'Pagal Saab' by locals, began cleaning Jodhpur’s neglected stepwells after first seeing them in disrepair around 2014 and has worked on sites such as Rambauri and Gulab Sagar.
- Industrialist Anand Mahindra shared a video of Rawnsley on X on Friday, July 10, prompting renewed national attention and wide praise on social media for the volunteer’s long-term efforts.
- Reporting shows Rawnsley carries out much of the clearing work himself and coordinates with local residents, volunteers and heritage enthusiasts to remove waste and make the wells accessible again.
- Journalists note that stepwells served as engineered water‑harvesting systems and social spaces in arid regions, so their revival supports both cultural preservation and practical water conservation.
- Coverage places Rawnsley’s work within a broader, decentralized movement—citing figures and groups such as Rajendra Singh, Tarun Bharat Sangh and Project Bawri—and suggests Mahindra’s amplification could spur more community-led restoration projects.