Page 15 - Sugam Sarita

CHAPTER 1

Rivers and the Indian Society

Some of the most dynamic and complicated landscapes are those that

are formed by rivers and their basins. Perhaps the most important
element for life on Earth is freshwater, which supports global human
population, economies and ways of life while also being crucial for
ecological health. Naming the rivers that originate on the snow-
capped Himalayan peaks and flow onto the Indian subcontinent is

equivalent to reciting a spiritual chant. The names Ganga, Yamuna,
Saraswati, Alaknanda, and Bhagirathi are ingrained in the collective
mind of the people in India. Indians venerate their rivers as goddesses

and see them as holy. They serve as a lifeline for the villages, towns,
and cities along their route and are intricately connected to the
history and culture of the region. They are also a part of rituals and
celebrations.

Since water is ultimately the source of all life, many great civilizations
have developed alongside rivers and in their surrounding lush valleys.
The thought of the Himalayas’ perpetual melting of snow and
supplying the world’s great rivers throughout time is truly amazing.
The great prehistoric culture and civilisation along the river Indus

developed around the same time, i.e. 2500 BC, just as the Nile watered
the valleys of Egypt and made them fertile, the Euphrates and Tigris
encouraged the growth of Babylon, Mesopotamia, and Sumeria, and

the great civilization of China arose along the two rivers Hwang Ho

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