Revitalization of Rivers in India Draft Policy - Isha Guru Jaggi Vasudev

Revitalization of Rivers In India
Draft Policy Recommendation
A CULTURE OF REVERENCE
C
ivilizations across the world have sprouted on the banks
of rivers. South Asia’s first cities were established around
2600 BCE in what is now northwestern India and further
west. The people who built and ruled these cities belonged
to what we today refer to as the Harappan Culture or Indus Valley
Civilization. Besides its namesake, the Indus River, the civilization may
have seen another major river run in parallel to the east. The northern
part of this lost river’s bed is usually dry now and is called “Ghaggar”
in India. A group of channels in this area is sometimes referred to as
“Saraswati”. Its lost banks are slowly being traced by researchers. Along
and within its dry bed, archaeologists are discovering a whole new set of
ancient settlements. 1
Rig Veda 2 is one of the oldest texts of the Indian subcontinent.
Around 45 of its verses repeatedly speak of river Saraswati. She is
described as “great among the great, the most impetuous of rivers”. 3
Whether the Saraswati was a real river that was lost to tectonic plate
movement or was a mythical one still remains a mystery, but the
reverence for rivers has undisputably been a tradition since the times of
the Rig Veda.
River Ganga, that now enjoys the status of “national river” was
worshipped as mokshadayini. Taking a dip in Ganga is believed to rid one
of all sins and sorrows. For ages, people from across this subcontinent
have been going on yatras to Prayag, Kashi and other cities on the banks
of Ganga, walking thousands of kilometers to pay their tribute to her.
The Kumbha Mela which happens every 12 years is celebrated at the
confluence of river Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati (now believed to be
underground) at Prayag in Allahabad. Even today, there is deep faith
among Indians that if they take a dip in the confluence at Prayag during
the Kumbh Mela, they will attain mukti. One can behold in these Melas,
lakhs of people from all over the country, from all walks of life and the
economic spectrum – from the poorest to the richest – bringing their
belongings and travelling all the way to the Mela just to witness the
confluence and bathe in it. Ganga’s water is held sacred for its self-
37