Missing the woods for the trees - The story of Ganga
Why politicize Ganga aarti issue, Kejriwal asks Modi - The Hindu.
I don't care what Modi thinks of Kejriwal or the common man thinks of the chaiwala. I am certainly not going to justify the act of one over the other. As an ordinary man caught between the swing of modern development and the calling of ancient traditions, I am more worried about the fact that the leader of a party that promises to bring about change has missed the woods for the trees here. The woods - the river itself - has been largely ignored in the past for the trees - the rituals and the worst part is the man who some believe is the future has fallen prey to this culture to win in the present.
As an Indian, I love the river Ganga. India, as we know her today, would certainly not be here without this mighty river. A sneak peek into history and mythology would reveal this obvious fact.
The historical Ganga:
In the second millennium B.C, the harappans faced a grave danger - extinction. The Indus dried, climate patterns changed, trade with Egypt and Mesopotamia declined, and relationship with immigrants(I don't believe in Aryan theory and these immigrants are not Aryans) turned sour. The harappans were left without any support to sustain life. In order to find one, they migrated east(Hindu temples and deities always face east and east is considered an auspicious direction). When they met Ganga, they found hope. In India where rivers are revered for providing us with food, water, and means of transport, it is only fair that the river that formed the foundation for this country be celebrated as one of the holiest places. No wonder it crawled into literature, both religious and secular.
The mythological Ganga:
Religious literature claims that the river flows out of heaven through a hole made by Lord Vishnu when he strode across the heaven, the earth and the sky. It then cleanses the lord's feet before it makes it across the sky through the moon and then to the earth, Lord Brahma's abode. But it is Lord Shiva who makes her descent from the sky to the earth possible by breaking her fall with the coils in his matted hair.
The involvement of all three major deities of Hinduism in her descent to th earth elevates her position in the religion. She is portrayed as a goddess in some texts. She is also considered the step-mother of the children of Shiva and Parvati. Hindus consider than bathing in the river and drinking her water purges them of their sins. As she is told to have descended from heaven, they also believe cremating/burying the dead beside her will lead the dead to the heaven. It has been a long standing tradition for Hindus to travel to one of the cities along her banks for a dip/drink and separate with the dead. No wonder now she is beyond redemption.
The modern Ganga:
A water body where
1) Tanning industries dispose wastes.
2) Inhabitants of cities and villages along its banks wash, bathe and clean, both themselves and their cattle.
3) Ashes and bones, some times half burnt bodies of the dead are dispersed.
4) Hundreds of unwanted or illegitimate babies, cattle and other animal carcasses are also dumped.
5) Dead bodies are buried in a religious ceremony to be decomposed by water.
In other words, it is the world's biggest open sewage system, a source of epidemics, and probably, the world's longest dormant volcano waiting to explode.
The river and the people who depend on it for their living(which includes most of us who eat the rice and wheat growing there) face a grave danger now, much like what the harappans faced 4000 years ago and yet what the most rational PM candidate can think of is Ganga aarti ?
Who will clean Ganga and when ? Who will take the necessary steps to sustain life in this country ? Who will dare to blaspheme to survive ?
I don't care what Modi thinks of Kejriwal or the common man thinks of the chaiwala. I am certainly not going to justify the act of one over the other. As an ordinary man caught between the swing of modern development and the calling of ancient traditions, I am more worried about the fact that the leader of a party that promises to bring about change has missed the woods for the trees here. The woods - the river itself - has been largely ignored in the past for the trees - the rituals and the worst part is the man who some believe is the future has fallen prey to this culture to win in the present.
As an Indian, I love the river Ganga. India, as we know her today, would certainly not be here without this mighty river. A sneak peek into history and mythology would reveal this obvious fact.
The historical Ganga:
In the second millennium B.C, the harappans faced a grave danger - extinction. The Indus dried, climate patterns changed, trade with Egypt and Mesopotamia declined, and relationship with immigrants(I don't believe in Aryan theory and these immigrants are not Aryans) turned sour. The harappans were left without any support to sustain life. In order to find one, they migrated east(Hindu temples and deities always face east and east is considered an auspicious direction). When they met Ganga, they found hope. In India where rivers are revered for providing us with food, water, and means of transport, it is only fair that the river that formed the foundation for this country be celebrated as one of the holiest places. No wonder it crawled into literature, both religious and secular.
The mythological Ganga:
Religious literature claims that the river flows out of heaven through a hole made by Lord Vishnu when he strode across the heaven, the earth and the sky. It then cleanses the lord's feet before it makes it across the sky through the moon and then to the earth, Lord Brahma's abode. But it is Lord Shiva who makes her descent from the sky to the earth possible by breaking her fall with the coils in his matted hair.
The involvement of all three major deities of Hinduism in her descent to th earth elevates her position in the religion. She is portrayed as a goddess in some texts. She is also considered the step-mother of the children of Shiva and Parvati. Hindus consider than bathing in the river and drinking her water purges them of their sins. As she is told to have descended from heaven, they also believe cremating/burying the dead beside her will lead the dead to the heaven. It has been a long standing tradition for Hindus to travel to one of the cities along her banks for a dip/drink and separate with the dead. No wonder now she is beyond redemption.
The modern Ganga:
A water body where
1) Tanning industries dispose wastes.
2) Inhabitants of cities and villages along its banks wash, bathe and clean, both themselves and their cattle.
3) Ashes and bones, some times half burnt bodies of the dead are dispersed.
4) Hundreds of unwanted or illegitimate babies, cattle and other animal carcasses are also dumped.
5) Dead bodies are buried in a religious ceremony to be decomposed by water.
In other words, it is the world's biggest open sewage system, a source of epidemics, and probably, the world's longest dormant volcano waiting to explode.
The river and the people who depend on it for their living(which includes most of us who eat the rice and wheat growing there) face a grave danger now, much like what the harappans faced 4000 years ago and yet what the most rational PM candidate can think of is Ganga aarti ?
Who will clean Ganga and when ? Who will take the necessary steps to sustain life in this country ? Who will dare to blaspheme to survive ?
Comments