Ganges River

At 5am I went down to the river for a sunrise boat trip. I joined a few other girls in a boat and we went up and down the river for several kilometers, watching the morning activity. It seemed as though the whole city was out. People were washing their hair and bathing, washing laundry and beating it against the steps, going for rigorous swims, and gathering drinking water. I saw a group of men and boys standing on the banks and practicing yoga, and many more people praying. The early morning bustle was lively and exciting to watch, and seeing the sunrise from the river was the best start to my day!

There are a lot of things I dream of doing (I have a written list of over 100 goals), but one of my longest life goals was to bathe in the River Ganges because I thought the concept was so beautiful and compelling. Unfortunately, I voiced that dream to my parents, who then strictly forbade me to do so. After passionately trying to convince them that they were over-reacting, I reluctantly promised I wouldn't set foot into the Ganges (it was only the second time in my life they forbade me to do something, so I knew they were serious).

My reluctance turned to willing consent when I learned that it's not so much the people bathing, or washing laundry, or the dead bodies in the river that make it dirty... it's the fact that over 30 sewers flow directly into the river that makes it unsafe and septic. One study I read showed that while safe bathing water has no more than 500 particles per liter of fecal coliform bacteria, the Ganges river has 1.5 million parts per liter - that's 3000 times what is considered safe!! This information was enough to dissuade me (a fairly intrepid individual) from even touching the water.

While I swore on my life that I wouldn't go in the water, I did venture down to the shore to watch some of the local kids taking an evening dip in the water. They motioned and urged me to come in, and laughed at me when I refused. They cheekily splashed me with water and got me pretty wet... hopefully I won't die of a flesh eating bacteria. A German girl mom and I spent a day with told us she had been offered tea by her boatman, and he admitted that it was Ganges water (what else would he have?) but she drank it anyways... oh, the horror! And I'm certain the sheets at our hotel were washed in the river as well, because they smelled vaguely putrid. Oh well.

So, one may wonder, why do people still bathe in the Ganges River if it's so dirty? Hindus believe that doing so will remove their sins, and that it helps them break the cycle of reincarnation, so it's an extremely important pilgrimage to make during one's life. They also trust that if they die on the banks of the Ganges or that if their ashes are sprinkled into the river, that they will go to heaven. That's why so many ill or old people are seen next to the river, and why there are burning ghats for cremation right on the shore.

The idea that the river has healing powers is actually a little scientifically sound, since the water has been found to have anti-bacterial microbes and a high sulpher content, which slows bacterial growth and supposedly keeps the water fresher. Unfortunately, the positive aspects of the water are overshadowed by all the filth that's poured into it. I hope the Indian government will someday create a solution so that the people can have clean, safe water with which to continue showing their devotion to their religion.