atobiography of a river
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I am river. I was born a long time ago in an ambiguous region in a mountain. I am combination of several streams. From the day I was born I was restless to move on and travel to unknown regions. Thus, I was bubbling with life and vigour, ready to overcome any obstacle that came my way. I ferociously scurry through the narrow creeks and bends in the mountains to begin my journey into unknown lands. I really feel very strong, invincible and pure at this point as I move along a rough terrain with strong undercurrents. Sometimes I plunge several hundreds of feet from a great height with great force. This is known as a waterfall. As I progress on a downward trend carrying along broken rocks and debris, I finally reach the plains.
At this juncture of my course, I find myself in the upper plains and observe my course widening. The water that I bring down here from the mountains is made good use of by people settled in the area. It is quite interesting to see a good number of settlements on my banks. People make feel very important since they feel I am sacred, holy and a source of life. Along with small townships, houses there are temples as well. The scenic beauty around me is very beautiful and amazing. From the rough mountain terrain, I tend to become a bit slow and slurry in the upper plains. I am the only source of pure and clean water and I feel great that I am useful to so many people. As I move along, I collect a lot of soil, rocks and debris and become heavy. Thus I lose on speed and slowly trudge along the plains.
Leaving the upper plains behind I reach the lower plains. The soil that I carry along with me is very fertile and extremely good for agriculture. I flood the plains with fertile alluvial soil that increases the fertility and yield of fields located on my banks. Several farmers are dependent on me for their livelihood and occupation. I water the fields, which in turn helps crops to grow in abundance here. This makes the region prosper and fosters economic growth. There is always some hustle and bustle to be seen here and the scenery is very beautiful and enriching.
As I move across the plains, I considerably slow down and begin to take wide turns and bends. Several townships have developed along my banks, which have commercial and economic importance. These townships have a varied culture as well. I have become a platform for trade and commerce. People carry goods to and fro across the river for trade. My water is also used for bathing, household chores and for drinking as well.
Sometimes during my course in the mountains and plains, especially in the monsoon seasons I carry overwhelming volumes of water that causes floods. To control the volume of water I carry, people have built dams. I move with great fury and force during this time, and sometimes even cause a good amount of damage to civilization. Dams have been built to store excess water, which is to be used for agricultural purposes during the dry season. In the upper course of my journey, i.e. in the mountains, the government has developed several hydel power projects to generate electricity. The electricity that is generated here helps industry to grow and also helps the people living in the area in the occupation and trade.
In this manner I continue moving along with no end until I meet the sea. In the lower course of the river, I play the role of the creator and destroyer. Several homes and houses have been washed away by me during the floods; but at the same time I am also a source of new life, especially agriculture. I deposit fertile soil in the plains that helps crops to grow, which would enhance economic growth of the country.
My goal is to continue flowing till I meet the sea. This is the last phase of my journey. Here people have built ports and factories. This brings about a certain amount of pollution and impurities. In the upper course my water is pure without any impurities; but in the last phase of my journey I am unable to retain my purity on account human activity. Thus my journey is actually never comes to an end. I continue to flow eternally with an aim to be at the service of mankind for generations to come.
-Ritesh bande
Naturally there are different speeds in the course of my journey. In the middle it becomes slower and in the plains it is very slow. Here I am very wide. Here I pass through the paddy fields, forests and thickly populated inhabitations. People of different creed and culture have built their cities and towns on the bank of me. Many towns of pilgrimage have also been built on my bank. I am an object of worship to the Hindus. They bath in my sacred water and use it in different occasions. Even the sanctity offer to the altars by sprinkling my water. I am myself a deity to thousands of people of the country.
Boats, Steamers and Ships ply along on my surfaced. My water is used for drinking and other purpose. In spite of that they do not take care of me. They throw polluted articles. During the rainy seasons my surface rises and I overflew the banks causing flood. People suffer much. But I cannot actually be responsible for this. I am the perennial life line of India. I have sustained the Indian civilizations. Naturally precautions should be taken to purify my water. For this reason Ganga Action Plan was also initiated in 1984. But all the attempts were in vain.
I am a very old river. I will flow on forever. Like the cloud, I change but I cannot die.