On reaching Rishikesh, we right away headed to the Laxman Jhoola one of the two suspension bridges connecting the two banks of the Ganga in the town. We spotted the bridge and went to cross the river but midway realized it is the other bridge – the Ram Jhoola. So be it, and I started taking pictures. I talked to a small girl who was selling flour balls to feed the fish … I asked her if she studies to which she said yes, during the day she works and in the late afternoon she goes to school. On being asked what if Ganga dried up, she naively says she would go up stream near Laxman Jhula and sell the flour-balls there.
As we were crossing the river over the Ram Jhoola, I happened to spot a holy-man crossing alongside. I asked if I could have a chat with him in regards to the Ganga, to which he agreed vehemently and asked us to walk with him to a place more serene. We walked for about 5 minutes and then sat on two big rock like benches (not sure what they were though) along the banks of the Ganga. His name was Anand Baba and my utter surprise he taught meta-physics at various universities in the US. And despite that he just carried a back-pack with all his belongings in there. He talked at length about all the aspects of the Ganga – religious, pollution, water extraction, and economic (The details of our conversation would be posted on a separate page on this blog).As we moved on, we saw a sadhu (Holy man) taking bath in the Ganga, a dhobi washing clothes, a lady selling flower garlands, some young guys having a picnic, one man just sleeping on a rock, a westerner meditating, several beggars begging, tourists from all over India and the world... and a cow drinking water from the Ganga... couldn't resist thinking Ganga has given so much to so many of us... from all backgrounds and species. And the question comes back...what have we given her?
Slide Show (please use arrows to scroll)
We then went to the Laxman Jhula for a bit, had our lunch and headed back towards the Parmarth Niketan to attend the evening Ganga Aarti. On our way we stopped at the banks of the Ganga on the other side of the Parmarth Niketan where we met two boys selling chat and namkeen. On being asked what Ganga meant to them, both said almost simultaneously "She is our maan (mother)". They used the Ganga water to drink, cook and wash clothes and utensils. I asked if it was a clean water, one of them went forward took some water in his hands and drank it right away. When I told them about the sewage system of the cities and towns dumping polluted water into the Ganga ... the answer that was shot back at me was "Ganga cleans even the sewer waters, and its the purest water". Was it their faith that was speaking or did they know that Ganga water was clean? Well, they were not wrong.
The waters of river Ganga are indeed clean. It contains a virus termed Bacteriophage that feeds upon the harmful Bacteria, thus preventing deadly diseases like Cholera and Dysentery. The other thing very peculiar about these waters is its ability to retain high amounts of Oxygen... 25 times more than any other water body in the world. (How that helps...I am trying to find out).
We reached the Parmarth Niketan almost on time to catch the evening Ganga aarti. There was a large Havan Kund, the sacred fire from which filled the air with a very tranquilizing smell. The aarti was truly mesmerizing with chantings of Gayatri Mantra, Hanuman Chalisa, Ganga Aarti and more religious hymns... it was very relaxing. Every one was chanting... adults and kids, Indians and Foreigners... rich and the poor... there was a feeling of oneness... Ganga does bring us all together... another thing that Ganga has given us...
Later that night soon after the aarti we headed towards the historic city of Hastinapur, our next stop...
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