Vyas | February, 2002

"...we are still alive, still vital, still looking forward, still dissatisfied with our present, still not merely adoring the past, but looking forward to the future. So long as we have this kind of impulse in our minds, the future of our country, of every country for that matter, is safe."     S. Radhakrishnan

Bridges are meant for crossing rivers. But the River Ganga is itself a bridge between our human limitations and the divine: man's craving to be one with the beyond.

The mighty Ganga in all its splendor.

The Ganga is 2,525 km long, but its depth in the Indian psyche is even more considerable. People swear by its name, as a symbol of purity, and believe that the river has the power to answer prayers. A mere dip in the Ganga can provide moksha-deliverance from the endless cycle of birth and death.

Should such a benevolent provider be poisoned, and die?

A time has come when wayfarers on this bridge-religious and secular alike- must make concerted efforts to cleanse the beloved waterway. The redeemer must be redeemed. If the Ganga is to offer the solace of sacredness, it has to be continuously purged of impurities and squalor.