Of Rivers

 Rivers in a way are the real mothers of civilization. This truth, universally acknowledged, appears absolutely validated, while sitting on the banks of the great Ganges, awaiting all along  the famed "aarti".

Actually, the Ganges, beginning as Bhagirathi, is always with you when you promise yourself the Chardham yatra. At Gangotri, she is so ferocious that you completely believe the myth of the Shankara's head/his "three jata" being necessary to control her.

All along the way, she is with us, through different confluences with very many of her tributaries. Many natural waterfalls join her along the way. She is constantly jumping downwards, what with the force of gravity. All along, she is cutting the Himalayan rocks in to different sizes, at times jumping over them, at times brushing forcefully against them, at times, carrying them with her.

Till she reaches with you to Rishikesh, she is bouncy, rapidly jumping with glee, absolutely without much depth, tops five or six feet, making a huge noise proving the adage, "shallow waters make the most noise". 

Sure, unlike stupid human beings with an agenda and hence constantly shrieking like mad, her bounce has a sweet music of her own. Her tributaries add a lilt and a colour of their own. 

The problem starts with human beings beginning to intervene. The dams on the way, whether huge or just small turbines, do all sorts of things to the flow of hers/her tributaries. She slows down, much worse, she begins to get absolutely dirty.  All along her banks, till the utmost edge of the embankment, there are human structures. Naturally, plastic  water bottles to residues of all sorts add dirt to her, not to mention the refuse of all sorts.

A look at her at Haridwar, especially as you await the spectacle of the evening Aarti, she is sheer filth. At Rishikesh, at least there is depth to her. May be, not the eighty feet you are told she has so as to avoid the promised boat ride! But, yes, the depth keeps her cleaner.

But at Haridwar, her rich resources as a water body that could greatly provide riparian farm produces are made in to a motor stand! It is filled with filth, and the worst of human refuge. The road to the aarti stand shows how the holiness and purity of the Ganges are completely destroyed by the human beings who use her for sustenance in ways that are genuinely ugly, dirty and filthy. On both the sides of the narrow clock tower bridge, there is just sheer dirtiness of the worst variety. 

During the aarti, the ghats are full of plastic sheets people use so that their clothes do not get wet. Nobody bothers to put them in to the garbage bag. Noteworthy by absence are the employees, making earlier a great show of pushing the dirtiest bank water in to the flow so that they can get their tips! 

People are swimming in that very water, making it dirtier still. The beggars make the entire scenario as filthy as possible. There are the "bum bhole" drunkards and/or those 'high' on all sorts! All sorts of shops dot the banks. They might create some wealth for the small time shopkeepers! Who would care in such a scenario for small boys standing in the freezing water, making marks/tilaks on the foreheads of devotees who wait for the spectacle, while haggling over the marginal profit these kids might be making. The Ganges continues to flow!

Pratima@Everybody must respect the Ganges and not make the water turbid in any way. The government, too, should keep strict vigilance!