Goddess or sewage?

TELLY VISION

, another documentary made in 2006 by Tyson Sadler.

What struck me about the documentary was its focus on the continuous devastation caused to what was "" according to a cheap, yellow-coloured advertisement on the ghats of Varanasi, captured on Sadler's camera "" "the lifeline of Indian culture".

Ganga Ma the giver, cleanser of all impurities, with the cycle of life, death and rebirth centred around her, according to Hindu mythology, in Sadler's documentary is sewage "" since 80 per cent of the total waste dumped in her is nothing but just that.

Industrial waste, especially from textiles, leather and paper industries, contributes 15 per cent of the total industrial waste that chokes the Ganga while ferociously pumping pollutants and cancer-causing dioxins. And though the Ganga Action Plan has already spent $33 million, the results, despite little improvement in water clarity, haven't been too encouraging.

This statement by Sadler leaves us wondering how Ganga, one of the richest sources that still intertwines between the natural and spiritual worlds, must have once gurgled. And this is where Ganges helps.

The first part of the documentary, Daughter of the Mountains, adjusts its camera angles in the picturesque mountains of Garhwal, also known as Dev Bhoomi "" the land of gods, from where the Ganga originates.

The documentary, with a crystal-clear voiceover by Sudha Bhuchar, shows the river as she gushes through the rugged mountains and surges ahead while carpets of rhododendrons smile at her, a lone snow leapord strikes a pose, almost welcoming her from a distance, and a beautiful stream rushes to join the holy river.

Images such as these to feast on are aplenty, mostly surreal, and completely lavish in treatment. Also fascinating is the manner in which the documentary moves ahead "" from the bleak winter to spring time when Ganga, released from winter season's grip, begins to flow.

It is a treat to watch the cameras follow the river from the valleys of Dev Bhoomi to Badrinath, Nanda Devi, Gangotri, Gaumukh and even Tapovan, where a lone sadhu bathes his matted hair in devotion. That said, the documentary, with its coffeetable book-like visuals, is a fitting tribute to the magical river with its infinite mood swings "" raging at times and calm otherwise.

What I personally liked about the documentary was the way it showcased the conservation issues surrounding all the living beings that the Ganga has sustained and preserved over so many years.

The documentary, especially its second part, River of Life, touches on issues related to the extinction of the cheetah, the dwindling tiger population, the destruction of deodhar forests and the human population soaking all its pollutants into the river. For some viewers, however, at this point it may look like the documentary is digressing from its main topic.

While the Ganga flows towards an uncertain future and battles ahead, the river's gift of life, says the documentary, hasn't run dry. But how long will its benevolence continue, Ganges asks. In a recently concluded film festival on water conservation, Ganga from the Ground, a documentary by Yves Saduvanui and Miriam Cisar, attempted to highlight solutions.

Lord Shiva, Hindu mythology says, gathered Ganga in his hair and made her flow on earth to cleanse the souls of living beings. Some suggest that Rama gathered sweat from Vishnu's feet and formed Ganga. Either way, the river has replenished lives for a long time. Isn't it time we nourish her back?

(abhilasha.ojha@bsmail.in)