There are so many special days and dates in our nation , this essay is about one such wonderful day which makes me feel proud and also worried at the same time.
It was the night of 19th May when we were having fun watching a movie, celebrating the weekend, when my grandma came to our room requesting us to sleep early. I had a small argument which I love to do with my grandma to let us be awake late. She stated that it’s a special day tomorrow- a Birthday indeed, and that we all should get up early in the morning and take a bath.
I was a little confused as there was no birthday in our family or amongst our first cousins, if so whose Birthday is grandma talking about?
The next moment she stated- Tomorrow is Ganga Dussehra, and I burst into laughter, that Grandma’s memory is fading. Dussehra comes in the month of October or November and this is May, how could a Dussehra festival fall in May. And she reiterated that it is Ganga Dussehra and explained that it’s the birthday of River Ganges.
Me and my brother requested my father to tell us the story. And he narrated a beautiful story of Ganga Dussehra, also called Ganga Avtaran – Goddess Ganga resided happily in the heavens , people of heaven blissed with it’s bountiful gifts. There was a noble King on earth- King Sagar who became mighty and challenged the King of Heavens- Lord Indra . Indra became mad in rage and killed 60,000 sons of Sagar. A grieved king beseeched Ganga to come at his rescue as the divine power of her waters would make the sons rise again. The river goddess granted the noble king what he wished. But Ganga knew that her violent descent to earth may fracture the mother earth. And then came Lord Shiva who took this responsibility to calm the fall of Ganga by fielding her in his locks. The day she placed her feet on earth is celebrated as Ganga Dussehra.
As he narrated the mythological story of this important day- I was so entrenched in the beauty of our puranas or the knowledge of the ancestors. Even if I don’t believe in mythology for some time, then this virtue of those wise men is to be praised after thousands of years. They made us pray to nature- probably with an intent to care for her.
Most Indian scriptures speak about reverence to Ganges and other rivers- Ganges considered the most sacred. There have been references in Vedas and Upnishads of Ganges and people believe it as a demi-god and pray to River Ganges. They call it Maa-Ganga meaning Mother Ganges. And it’s those virtues that continue till date and we celebrate Ganga Dussehra. Millions of people go and take a holy dip in river Ganges.
It indeed is a mother who made lives possible. I can imagine that because of the river, agriculture would have been possible, and thus the settlements of humans around it and these humans, who became self-sufficient in providing food to themselves and their society must have thought of other things and other inventions. Indeed- all things have been made possible because this nature or mother earth or Maa Ganga gave the much needed support or care. It must have been more than a true mother taking care of the needs of its people and slowly and slowly, people started praying to it.
Today, when there is so much pollution around – when humans are mercilessly exploiting nature and mother earth, these few days or dates become of immense significance. Indeed, these days should be made as national days so that our generations of children try to learn more about the importance of rivers or nature and try to take care of them.
Today we talk about the WATER RISING, that the sea water is rising and it may flood our coastal areas, But we as children need to learn more about these important dates – Ganga Dussehra, when we indeed will appreciate WATER RECEDING.
I saw tears in the eyes of my father one day while we were crossing river Ganges and he said – what a beautiful and majestic river it used to be when he was a child like me and look what have we done to it? The water has receded such that the day is not far that it may become another dead river- like the sacred Yamuna.
Sacred River Ganges is an example of the Life Giving Nature which is there all around us. And we should be celebrating more of these days and get a feel of being closer to nature and pledging to care for it, to save it to save ourselves.
So, a Happy Ganga Dussehra to you as well.
By Jihaan Madhav Relhan, Delhi
