The Call of the Ganges

[Guest guest]

As most people know Ganga Asnan means taking a bath in the sacred

river Ganges for self-purification. This is an age-old tradition of

the Hindus, who still observe it whether they have settled overseas

or live in India, even if the mighty river or its tributaries do not

flow through their respective states.

 

On Ganga Asnan day, considered auspicious both by astrologers and

learned men, devotees in the subcontinent make their way to the

nearest temple on the bank of the Ganges, for example Hardwar,

Varanasi (Benaras), Patna, Kolkata or to any ghat (bathing spot) for

ablutions, prayers and the offering of fruits and flowers to the

river Goddess who, from time immemorial, has become part and parcel

of the Hindu consciousness and identity. Those who do not belong to

the Gangetic plain which the river crosses through before it reaches

Kolkata -- after having taken its source higher up in the Himalayas

at Gangotri – make a beeline to the banks of other rivers, beaches or

lakes that they hold sacred with as much fervour as though their

waters were no less holy.

 

In fact the Sanskrit slokas (verses) recited during Hindu religious

functions include reference to other major rivers, such as the

Narmada in the west, the Krishna in the south, the Jamuna in the

north, and in the east the Brahmaputra and the Saraswati. The

latter's existence was once thought to be mythological but recently

has been confirmed by satellite pictures taken by the NASA, as the

river flows down from the Himalayas to AIlahabad or Prayag, where its

confluence with the Jamuna and the Ganges has been for centuries a

place of holy pilgrimage especially during Kumbhmelas (meets) or

Ganga Asnan.

 

In fine, however numerous may be other lakes and streams, some of

which are historical like the Indus or Sutlej, and others always

present in the Hindu psyche, like the Ganga or the Jamuna, the Ganges

is the river that is associated with Indian culture and Hindu

spirituality. Pilgrims however who, in their the spiritual or moral

quest , have gone beyond Rishikesh and stood on its famous bridge at

Luxman Jhoola watching the light green churning waters of the sacred

river hundreds of metres down below, might have like this writer

experienced the same sadness when taking cognizance of the

degradation of the environment almost as far as the eyes could go.

 

Some thirty years ago, when I had first stood on the same bridge, I

could barely refrain from tightening my grip on the ropes on either

side of the Luxman Jhoola Bridge as it slowly swayed in the breeze. I

held my breath as I inched my way back to where I had started taking

great care to concentrate on the thick woods far away up to where

they looked like a vast green carpet as a foil to the blue mountain

whose summits were hidden by white fleecy clouds.

 

Today, however, hotels, health spas and resorts as well as ashrams

dot the landscape whilst not far away stand ghats where pilgrims can

be seen bathing, praying and repeatedly immersing their bodies

totally in the cold water of the river as it negotiates a ninety-

degree bend on its way down to Hardwar. This is one of the most holy

spots on the Ganges. It is also known as the gateway to heaven. But

gone are the days when both Rishikesh and Hardwar were attractive

bathing spots where mercantilism had not yet extended its tentacles

or urbanization had not yet made inroads. Cars, vans rickshaws and

buses from far and near are now everywhere to be seen and bottlenecks

are as frequent in Hardwar as in other small towns on the banks of

the Ganges.

 

People from Delhi and the north visit the region frequently for the

weekend for a cool refreshing bath or just to escape the crowded

metropolis. Hardwar too has its many religions melas (meets) when

Hindus of different denominations congregate for prayers and

scripture recitals, or musical concerts. On Ganga Asnan day, for

miles on end, the roads leading to the city are blocked with vehicles

carrying pilgrims who would do anything not to miss the auspicious

hour of immersion in the holy waters.

 

It is to the credit of the Indian authorities that an exhaustive

network of bathing spots has been put into place so that whole

families can without getting drowned perform their ablutions in a

fairly reasonable and disciplined manner. Here can be seen and heard

on such auspicious days people from across the subcontinent piously

waiting for their turn to take a dip in the river, the cold and deep

waters of which flowing fast from the foothills of the Himalayas are

the playground of lean, scantily-clad urchins who fearlessly plunge

to the bottom to pick up any coins that devotees throw across.

Neither the cold nor the fleeting currents would deter them. In fact,

lean and thin as they are, they have been found to rescue people who

sometimes negligently let go of the ropes that have been placed all

along the bathing ghats to protect them.

 

Well, Ganga Asnan is not only about holy dips or about rescuing

careless pilgrims but most importantly about not polluting the lakes,

rivers and lakes by throwing rubbish of all sorts into the water.

Unfortunately, the Ganges, like the Seine or Thames years ago is

literally threatened by the waste, organic and non-organic, which the

millions of people living in towns on its banks negligently dump into

it. In fact, the environmental pollution it is subjected to everyday

was masterly portrayed in a film by the late Raj Kapoor in his

memorable work entitled Ram Teri Ganga Maili Hai (Lord Rama, your

river the Ganges is polluted).

 

Millions of rupees were spent soon after by the states as well as the

Centural government in view of the touristic, agricultural and

religious appeal of the river. But, as is clear to any frequent

visitor to Varanasi, AIlahabad or Campur, the result has been almost

next to nothing. Large stretches of the river are being invaded by

pollution that hopefully the new plan, based on the successful de-

pollution of the Thames, will be able to thoroughly combat. In the

meantime, Raj Kapoor's appeal for saving the sacred river, symbol of

Indian identity, will ring in the ears of pilgrims as they travel to

its source at Gangotri for blessings and spiritual peace.

 

The temple bells remind everybody that the great actor's complaint

should be heard for the good of millions of pilgrims, tourists and

devotees from far and near. So that bathing in the Ganges, far from

being a mere ritual, remains the eternal call that the serene waters

of the holy river symbolize.

 

SOURCE: 2005 Mauritius Times. The Call of the Ganges by

Deepchand Beeharry.

 

URL: http://www.mauritiustimes.com/181105db.htm