About twenty years ago, I made my first trek in the
Garhwal Himalayas. Hemkunt, at an elevation of 15,000 feet above sea level was
our destination. The principal of my school in Delhi at that time was a
passionate mountaineer and it was he who arranged this, and later a few more,
trek for the senior students and their teachers. I was not quite enthusiastic
initially because I doubted my stamina to make the climbs. But I was happy that
I went on those treks. I am happier now, looking back. They were quite unique
and rare experiences.
The first time in my life that I
stood on the side of the highway and looked at the queer phenomenon of the
Alaknanda and the Bhagirathi Rivers merging into one to become the Ganga at Devprayag
was during that Hemkunt trip. It was queer because the Alaknanda is a crystal-clear
river while the Bhagirathi is always turbulent. Their sources make the
difference.
The source is important.
When I saw a picture of Devprayag in
a Malayalam journal this morning, used as an illustration for a poem, I was
reminded of my first trek and my fascination with the Ganga that accepted the
purity of the Alaknanda and the turbulence of the Bhagirathi. The Ganga is a
symbol of India; it accepts and transforms… It doesn’t destroy. No demolitions.
No fabrications of history. It is a natural merge and flow.
Interestingly, the Malayalam poem in
the journal mentioned above makes a vague reference to T S Eliot’s The
Rock. My thoughts swayed like a trapeze artiste from Devprayag’s magic
to Eliot’s Rock and back.
Where is the life we have
lost in living? Eliot asks. Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is
the knowledge we have lost in information?
The poem was written ninety years ago
when the world was not overloaded with information.
Eliot goes on to warn us: There is
no life that is not in community.
And that the man of excellent
intention but impure heart is deadly.
The last line of the Malayalam poem referred
to above is: What is great is not without some merges.
The Ganga’s purity as well as its
impurity makes up India’s national texture. No one can rip them apart without
destroying the integrity. Excellent intention is not enough; the purity of the
heart matters too.
Beautiful thought.
ReplyDeleteSome of our leaders should read poetry instead of history.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteApplause!!!!!! YAM xx
🙏
DeleteWhat a great piece! "The Ganga is a symbol of India; it accepts and transforms" I don't think anyone has said it better! Thank you, I'll be using it from now on to get my point across about the ignoble changes taking place in the country~
ReplyDeleteHappy to see you here more frequently now 😊
DeleteI loved the lines...no fabrications.... just merge and flow.Very beautiful thoughts.
ReplyDeleteWe live in such troubled times that poetry has to be rebirthed.
DeleteThat must have been an interesting trip. Sometimes we have to be pushed into things that we don't necessarily want, but we enjoy once we're there.
ReplyDeleteI loved all the Himalayan treks in those days. Unforgettable experiences.
Delete