Rivers - Random Thoughts # 3

History says that all civilisations developed and grew on river banks. All the prominent cities in the world are still the ones that have a river flowing through it.

If you have ever spent a few hours on the bank of a river, you would know the soothing and healing effects of a river, with its soft music and cool breeze. Rivers have sweet water and thus they support a variety of marine life. The rivers provide a means of transportation, of humans as well as goods, they also provide recreation in the form of row boats, sailing and other water sports are also becoming more popular by the day, they also provide hydro electric power. The beauty of water falls when they traverse the hilly terrain is always a thing to cherish. The Niagara falls are world famous, there are other innumerable other falls all over the world which are very also very beautiful.

I was born in Delhi and I lived the first ten years of my life in Kashmiri Gate in Delhi. We were very close to the present Nigambodh Ghat. The river Yamuna used to flow where we have the Ring Road today. In the monsoon or during a flood, the river used to literally reach our door step. Our government bungalow was on a slightly elevated area so we never had the flooding problem, but I did manage to see the river and see its various hues and moods from close quarters. I was always fascinated by the river and seeing the boats I would wonder and imagine as to what lay on the other bank of the river. At that age I could never have imagined that this river would reach Agra and the merge into the famous Ganga (Ganges) at Allahabad, and end its journey in Bengal to merge into the sea..

After that we had moved to Calcutta (now Kolkata) and there we had the Hooghly snaking through the city. Hooghly is the longest distributary of the Ganga – the most sacred river in India for the Hindus. I had a few occasions for a boat ride in the river. We had the old fashioned covered boats – lantern and all that – in the vicinity of the Howrah Bridge. These were mainly used for fishing and crossing the river as the township of Howrah was on the other side. These boats could also be used or hired for pleasure. The type you see in the historic Amar Prem (Rajesh Khanna & Sharmila Tagore). The famous temples of Dakshineshwar & the Belur Math on either side of the river are not only historic landmarks and have also become important tourist destinations.

We moved back to Delhi when I was 14, but we stayed fairly far from the river, we were living in Reading Road (now known as Mandir Marg) near the famous Birla temple. At that time there were a few row boats (could seat maximum five) available for hire near the India Gate, that was not too far from Reading Road and boating became quite a passion with me.

After passing my school I went for Engineering in the well known Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi. The college was situated on the bank of the river Subarnrekha and one its tributaries called Jhumar having their confluence just near the campus. These two surrounded our campus on 3 sides. You can see the photos of the campus and the confluence of the rivers by a click here. Such was the attraction of the river – that a classmate of mine, one Siddharth Shah, and I would at times just go and sit on the bank of the river and listen to its soft gurgling as it flowed along lazily.

II joined the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd in Bangalore. There was no river in Bangalore, though there was a huge natural lake, a lake where one could hire a row boat – the Ulsoor Lake. The call and the lure of the water and boats led me to it. Once we experienced a storm while Varsha and I were in a boat in Ulsoor. The boat did not capsize but it etched a permanent fear of water in my wife's mind.

We moved to Lucknow and on to the banks or Gomti river. There was an area near the Imambada, where the fishermen would give us a joy ride in a boat. Our son Anurag was about 2 years old and still remembers his boat ride as ek batti and do pachach (meaning a lantern and two spoons – chamach) which meant the oars.

Apart from supplying a city or civilization with drinking water, marine life and fertile areas rivers were also used as a dumping ground for the waste of the city. The rivers have been historically a necessity for the cremation grounds for the Hindus. After the death and cremation, the ashes of the dead were disposed off in the rivers. The rivers, thus, also assumed a religious tint and were worshipped as goddesses. The Ganga being a sure passage to heaven. Thus on the banks of the rivers emerged all the religious and pilgrimage places. For those of northern India situated on the bank of the holiest river Ganga – Haridwar (meaning 'gateway to the lord' ) was the most holy place and traditionally the families would immerse the ashes of their dead in the Ganga at this place. Thus in Haridwar, developed a tradition or families of pandas – Hindu priests – who would record your dead and also the births. All you need to tell them is the original town and your surname and they have evolved a manual system of maintaining your Family Tree. Mine was traceable for about 250 years quite easily.

The rivers have also been romanticised by poets in all the ages. In fact a beautiful romantic poem of Rabindranath Tagore comes to my mind, I just cannot help but to reproduce one verse of the same:

“We both live in the same village and that is our one piece of joy.

The yellow bird sings in their tree and makes my heart dance with gladness.

Her pair of pet lambs come to graze near the shade of our garden.

If they stray into our barley field I take them up in my arms.         

The name of our village is Khanjuna, and Anjana they call our river;

My name is known to all the village and her name is Ranjana.”

(Read the full poem here)

London has the the famous Thames. The river is the life line of the city and since London is not too far from the ocean, the river is a major highway to the port of London for international trade. On date it is a major source of tourism, water sports, a large variety of wild life. It is also used for Hydro-electric power. It is being used for boat cruises, fishing and even the HMS Belfast is permanently stationed in the river and has been converted into the Imperial War Museum.

Paris has its Seine and its famous bridges. There are 37 bridges spanning the river in Paris itself and about a dozen more elsewhere on the river. The river is also used for trade and ships come into the river up to about 100 km from the English Channel till port at Rouen. AND can you forget the beautiful song of Dean Martin “Under the Bridges of Paris”? Click the link if you wish to listen, and watch the scenes of Paris at the same time.

The Rhine river is the most important in Europe. It starts in Switzerland, goes along the border of Austria and becomes the most important river in Germany. Ultimately flowing through Holland – it enters the sea. Being on a cruise in Germany at Boppart is a real treat. We went upstream for about a couple of hours – with villages and castles dotting the banks on either side. A very scenic journey. There is really no end, one can fill a complete blog with just one river.

The Amazon, the Mississippi, the Nile, the Danube, Congo, Yantze, Brahmaputra, Lena, Tiber etc. etc., the list is never ending. Each has its history, civilizations and special features.

One just needs to think of a town/city/civilization and you will find it on the bank of a river. However, it is saddening to note that most of the rivers are gradually turning into sewers or drying up. The toxic wastes of the so called civilised world is destroying its own life giving source. Let us ponder and think a while as to what we can contribute to reverse this change and not destroy ourselves.