The Hindu Business Line : Celebrating Ganga, daughter of the mountains

Chennai, Oct. 23 “Oh no, not another documentary on the Ganga and its degradation.” That was the first thought as one sat down for a preview of Ganges, a three-part film produced by Discovery Channel on the mighty, sacred river. But what followed was a fascinating account of the river tracing her journey from the origins deep in the Himalayas, down the plains of North India and into Bengal before the confluence with the sea.

The best thing about the series is that it is a positive account of the holy river that has cradled mighty civilisations over centuries. It is not about the pollution that is threatening the river or about the devastation of the surrounding eco-system.

What we have is a series that is all about celebrating the Ganga as she transforms from a wild, exciting child of the mountains, to a mellow woman cradling life in the hot and dusty plains of North India and eventually merging into the sea, to complete the cycle of birth and death.

Discovery touch

At the end of the three-part series of approximately an hour’s duration each, you would have learnt about how the Ganga is critical to the lives of half-a-billion people, almost a tenth of the world’s population.

Discovery’s touch is evident all through; it has been successful in maintaining the tempo throughout, with the narration by Sudha Bhuchar being outstanding. The script adds strength to the visuals as Sudha teases you with silence at critical points in the narration while at other times, her powerful punch lines leave you with a smile in the face.

The first part of the series — Daughter of the mountains — traces the origin of the Ganga as Discovery transports you to Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath. At Tapovan, where Sudha says the “spiritual and geographical origins of the Ganges come together”, you see nothing but snowy wilderness with the odd sadhu making his way to “Hinduism’s holiest spot”.

The camera catches the spectacular arrival of monsoon clouds over the snow-capped peaks of Tapovan but exquisite as the shots are, it is once again the script and Sudha’s narration that leave you spell bound.

Hindus believe that the origin of the Ganga is the crossing point between heaven and earth. “By mid-summer”, she says, “there is a very powerful meteorological reminder of the mythological connection….. the monsoon has arrived”.

The few weeks of monsoon rains contribute to half the torrential flows of the river which collects about half-a-billion tonnes of mineral-rich sediment from the Himalayas and deposits it on the plains.

The Ganga aarathi performed at Haridwar every evening at twilight leaves you spellbound and one felt that the film could have captured the surreal experience better. A friend who was there recently narrated how the entire experience brought tears of joy to her and anyone who’s been there in person would agree with her.

Haridwar is where the wild and exciting Ganga is tamed and turns into “Ganga Ma”, as Discovery tells you.

Ghariyals & their babies

The second part of the series – River of Life – dwells on the various life forms that the river supports throughout its course. There are some powerful images of the Kumbh Mela which is held once every 12 years and attracts 50 million people. There is a captivating visual of a baby ghariyal breaking out of its egg on the banks of the Chambal river and you are told that though ghariyals are cold-blooded, the mothers are highly devoted and tend to the baby for at least six months, sometimes sharing babysitting responsibility with other mothers!

You are transported to the famous annual Sonepur cattle fair, which began 1,000 years ago and is held on the first full moon day of November.

Animals from the lowly goat to the mighty elephant are traded here and you discover that the price of a healthy tusker can go up to £10,000 (Rs 8 lakh).

Beehive hunters

The final part of the series — Waterland — takes you to the Sunderbans delta, just before the Ganga merges into the Bay of Bengal.

It is a revelation to know that 100 million people live in and off the delta. It is also the last remaining natural wildlife sanctuary and you are surprised to learn that the tiger is still king here.

The story of beehive hunters, venturing deep into the delta in search of honey, not knowing if they would return alive, is captivating and touching at the same time.

“The honey will fetch a high price but many men pay an even higher price for collecting it,” announces Sudha somberly, even as you compare yourself with those hunters and wonder whether you have the right to complain about your own working conditions.

Enduring, endearing

There are really two images that stand out at the end. The first is about man-nature conflict in the green fields of Bengal where elephants rampage through paddy crop feasting themselves.

Farmers keep watch through the night for a full six months over their fields and when they spot a herd they chase it out with no more deadly weapons than drums and burning torches.

Every year, up to 100 lives are lost on each side, you are told. These visuals are fascinating and you wonder whether you ought to sympathise with the elephants that have been deprived of forest cover.

The other absorbing visual is of this funny creature called mud-skipper which is really fish with specially adapted fins that enable it to walk. They live in burrows in the delta, emerge at times of low tide and scurry back in when the tide turns.

The scene where two male mud-skippers square up for a fight is fascinating and again, the narration adds to the visual as Sudha announces — “Sometimes arguments can get heated but they don’t last long”.

Discovery’s Ganges is a good stress-buster that leaves you with a nice feeling at the end. It reminds you that life is much more than P-notes and 123 politics.

Do watch the three parts beginning today at 8 p.m. on Discovery Channel and the following two Wednesdays at the same time.