New Hope for Ma Ganga: Can the World Bank’s Recent Loan Help Make “Mission Clean” Ganga a Success?
I come to you as a child to his mother.
I come as an orphan to you, moist with love.
I come without refuge to you, giver of sacred rest.
I come a fallen man to you, uplifter of all.
I come undone by disease to you, the perfect physician.
I come, my heart dry with thirst, to you, ocean of sweet wine.
Do with me whatever you will.
Panditraj Jagannatha
Ganges River at Varanasi, India --- Photo Credit: Måns Sjödahl
In this hymn from the collection of verses entitled Ganga Lahiri (trans: The Waves of Ganga) from the 17th century, Brahmin poet Jagannatha expresses the divine inspiration and love he feels while he sits at the banks of the Ganges River in India. His lyrics display how the people of India see this holy site: as a mother, a place of rest and refuge, a healer, and a source of inspiration and, importantly, of purity. Several Hindu myths revolve around the Hindu goddess Ganga, most of which focus on her travel from Heaven to Earth and taking her place as the river; in this way, the river can be viewed as a direct connection to the Hindu divinities. Reverently addressed as Ma Ganga or Ganga Mata, the river is thought of as an all-welcoming mother, symbolizing life and fertility, especially since the banks of the river are one of the most agriculturally fertile in the world. Hindu devotees believe that water from the Ganges can purify their sins and help the deceased find their way to Heaven. Families will keep some of its water in their homes, feed the holy liquid to the dying or the sick in traditional medicines, and take pilgrimages to the Ganges River to swim or drink in it, as well as to release the ashes of their cremated deceased into its sacred waters. Over half a billion Hindus participate in Kumbh Mela, an important religious festival on the banks of the Ganges River, as well as many other such gatherings that revolve around its waters.
Kumbh Mela, Haridwar, India --- Photo Credit: Edson Walker
Pure Image, Impure Reality
Although so highly venerated, Ma Ganga has quickly become the opposite of its untainted and all-cleansing image. With India’s growing population, industrial, agricultural, and religious practices have steadily increased, adding a deadly taint to the river. The river’s water is used for the daily household needs of the roughly 300 million people that reside on the riverbanks, such as washing clothes, bathing, and cooking. Over 1.3 billion liters a day of sewage, as well as a large number of trash, food, and human and animal remains, from nearby populations pollute the river. 260 million liters of toxic waste from the hundreds of factories along the river, including hydrochloric acid, heavy metals, bleaches and dyes, pesticides, and other such hazardous chemicals, as well as agricultural runoff, including chemical fertilizers and pesticides such as DDT, easily find their way into the river. In addition, corpses from incomplete cremations and bodies whose families could not afford cremation can be found floating in the river. Cow carcasses, a sacred animal of Hindus, are found along the river as well. Furthermore, damming of the river and practices surrounding irrigation can add to the pollution. (more…)
