On the banks of Brahmaputra

AN EVENING BESIDES THE BRAHMAPUTRA

Brahma putra is the only river called a male river [‘nath’ in Hindi instead of ‘nathi’ the way other rivers are known] the Brahmaputra which originates from the Himalayas is at its majestic best while flowing through Assam. I have crisscrossed the river many times from Tezpur, Jalghat near Jorhat and many times on the banks of the mighty Brahmaputra , when I stayed for some time in Guwahati, capital of Assam. Sitting on the banks of Brahmaputra I have spent hours alone with only the rivers giggling sound during the nights my thoughts have taken me to visit different places and a variety of thoughts thinking of evolution and the cyclic phases the earth may have gone through those billions of years in its, existence and the natural changes over centuries and millions of years.

The river is so wide in some places and one gets the same feel as near an ocean. The other bank is barely visible. More than that, the life of so many species in the river with sea lions type creatures jumping over the water there are even dolphins of different variety, the current is also very forceful the ferries have to sail in an angular way 1when ferrying against the currents coughing and puffing. I have thoroughly enjoyed my evenings sitting beside the river calm and giggling in the silent night. The moonlit nights gives us ecstatic beauty of the nature. The Kaziringa reserved forests most popularly known for Rhinosours and so many rare creatures, birds and animals. I missed the beauty of the river on the banks of Dibrughar where, the river is encroaching upon the land slowly and some even mentioned that the town Dibrugarh is being eaten mainly because of its low lying landscape.

There are some very big deltas with the river flowing on from both sides. The river is famous for floods during summers as a result of melting glaciers and also during rainy season. The people living on the banks must have seen the fury of the river on many occasions. I am very disturbed to know the melting of ice peaks which are fast disappearing. These rivers including Ganga, Saraswathy, are mainly the life line for fresh water needs of the entire northeast and central north India. I have also seen the dry Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad which was dry for so many years, the people actually started living on the riverbeds. Off late since, last few years the rains in North West India was slightly steadier the dry and summer heat has killed cattle and wrecked havoc among the people who unfortunately live downstream and seldom gets enough fresh water, adding to their woes building dams in upstream places have actually aggravated the hardship of those tribes and socially backward people who depends mainly on natural water sources for their cultivation and drinking needs, we must also be aware that they have nothing else to fall back on for a living.

Our country must have answers for the future growing needs for fresh water due to our increasing population and the receding or drying up of the rivers. Now most cases have been the loss of cattle and agriculture. As time goes on the same fate awaits our countries’ poor people mainly farmers, unless we address this issue seriously. Freshwater scarcity is one of the main disturbing factors looming in front, of all other problems of Energy needs, pollution related issues, hydro electric power generation also may come down drastically due to the freaky weather patterns, wind turbines on sea shores are viable, other energy sources of atomic power reactors, are risky for the whole planet as the leaks may prove more devastating and destructive than what we experienced at Bhopal decades ago. There is even scope for wiping out all living beings from the face of our planet including green vegetations.

The fact that three fourth of our earth is sea water hardly matters when it comes to drinking needs.

The idea of joining the rivers to help otherwise dry areas is worth considering, with an ultimate aim of providing for our thirsty masses equally and without any partiality.
Even thinking of a north without Ganges just does not fit well for any One view of the whole phases our human kind is going through is in a cycle which keeps repeating, again and again with floods wiping out vast inhabited areas to only create livable conditions else where, that cycle happens with millions of years for a single cycle to start and the evolution happens followed by devastation man made or natural calamities. The geological survey gets struck on one excavation after the other where the past existence of people, animals some are even extinct for ever is disclosed all throughout the world. They even found recently human existence under kilometers of thick ice in the poles.

These are signs that no place on earth is safe for ever, considering the possibilities of calamities when it happens, where and why, is not known to mankind. We can only salvage from what ever is left after the strike by natures fury and mystery. If one is able to grasp the wholeness of our world, with more wisdom we can see that how little we are and our helpless state, against nature, leaves all human beings desiring for a more congenial and tolerant world free of wars, warriors and become saviors of other helpless people helping each other in times of need without communal or political considerations.

On most occasions people who are fighting each other some times unites while confronting a third alien, or enemy. Like wise I pray for an alien from outer space to come and challenge the earth and its people, at least then, we might actually unite to fight the aliens.

Compiled by,

Balakrishnan Mechakat, 16a, 3rd layout, Meena Estate, Sowripalayam Road, Coimbatore –TN- 641028 Phone Res. 0422 2310637, Cell.9894474174