Yoga guru Swami Ramdev has been campaigning to save the Ganga from pollution, as have so many others in the past including religious heads and members of civil society.
He wishes that the river that is considered holy by millions should be given heritage status. At least then, he reasons, polluting the river would be considered a punishable crime. Swami Ramdev started his campaign from Kanpur since it is here that the river receives large volumes of toxic effluents from the city's tanneries and other small-scale industries.
The Ganga is both goddess and river. Sitting on the banks of the Ganga is in itself an uplifting experience, as the ambience is rich with the meditations of sages from time immemorial. As the consort of Shiva, flowing from his matted locks as Shakti, her waters are believed to have the power to wash away all sin.
How the Ganga was brought down to earth is told in the story of Bhagiratha who obtained permission from the gods for the river to descend to earth so that the sacred waters might wash over the ashes of the sons of his ancestor, Sagar. The Ganga came down but Shiva absorbed the force of the mighty torrent by letting it flow through his hair. From the head of Shiva it flowed down as the Sapta-Sindhva or the seven sacred rivers.
The Ganga is also called Alaknanda - from the locks of Shiva; Deva-Bhuti - heavenly; Gandini - ever-shining; Hara-Shekhara - Shiva's crest; Jahnavi - from Jahnu; Khapaga - flowing from heaven; Kumarsu - mother of Kartikeya; Mandakini - gently flowing; and Tripathga - flowing through the three worlds of heaven, earth and hell.
If the Himalayas are supreme among mountains and Kashi is supreme among holy cities, the Ganga is supreme among rivers. Jawaharlal Nehru said: "The Ganga especially is the river of India's age-long culture and civilisation, ever changing, ever-flowing, and yet ever the same Ganga."
Poet Jagannath, in his poem, 'Ganga Lahri', approaches the Ganga with total surrender: "I come to you as a child to his mother/ I come as an orphan /To you, moist with love/ I come without refuge/ To you, giver of sacred rest/ I come a fallen man/ To you, uplifter of all./ I come undone by disease/ To you the perfect physician/ I come, my heart dry with thirst/ To you, ocean of sweet wine/ Do with me whatever you will."
It is not only in India but in other parts of the world also that rivers have been referred to as mothers. Volga is Mat Rodanya, that is, mother of the land. Ireland's river Boyne is worshipped as a goddess. The Thai river Mae-nau translates literally as Water Mother. In ancient Egypt, the floods of the Nile were considered the tears of the Goddess Isis.
The name of Ganga appears twice in the Rig Veda. We find references to the Ganga in the Valmiki Ramayana, the Brahmanda Purana, the Devi Bhagavatam and the Mahabharata. A number of Sanskrit poets, including Adi Sankara, have composed beautiful verses in praise of the Ganga.
Our great rivers, including the Ganga, are dying. If we do not succeed in a determined effort to save these important water bodies, we are risking the right of future generations to a healthy, life-enhancing environment. Veda Vyasa said: "Anyone who cuts trees and pollutes rivers commits suicide."
Indian government could not ignore Yogi Raaj Swami Ramdev
Swami Ramdev caused uproar when it was claimed he could cure Aids. Now, however, India's government has recruited him to help halt an obesity epidemic.
Whatever might be said of the yoga master Swami Ramdev, one cannot accuse him of being dull. Clad from head to foot in orange robes, his early morning television show pulls in 20 million viewers in India alone, and there are the usual video and summer camp spin-offs, as well as the more unusual ones, like yoga cruises.
Two years ago, Ramdev triggered a row with the country's health minister after allegedly claiming yoga could cure Aids. He also managed to upset followers of Mahatma Gandhi by appearing to question the contribution he had made to winning India's independence, and he fell out with a female MP who alleged the Ayurvedic treatments produced by the guru's Himalayan laboratory contained human bone.
Now, in the latest addition to his colourful curriculum vitae, Swami Ramdev is being recruited by the government for a new health initiative. In what might seem like a case of selling coal to Newcastle, the Indian Health Ministry wants the guru to help persuade more Indians to take up yoga.
Yoga, which was originally designed to bring about spiritual and physical transformation, was first developed in India more than 3,000 years ago. Ancient seals contain figures in various postures, or asanas, while yoga is mentioned in the Hindu scriptures, the Upanishads. Yet while there have been efforts to introduce yoga in schools and many people may do basic yoga in their homes, only a fraction of the population practises it seriously.
Experts say that in the past decade, growing numbers of Indians have become interested in yoga, not for religious reasons, but for the health benefits that come along with it. Some believe the uptake has also been boosted by the growing popularity of yoga in the US, especially "celebrity styles" such as Bikram yoga, as practised by Madonna and the actor George Clooney. The Indian actress Shilpa Shetty recently produced her own yoga video.
On the face of it, the thinking behind the government's grand yoga plan makes sense. One of the side effects of India's economic growth is that a changing diet and increasingly sedentary lifestyle have created a health crisis. While up to 60 per cent of Indian children under the age of three are malnourished, in urban areas an estimated 20 per cent of men and 30 per cent of women are considered clinically obese. Around 40 million people suffer from diabetes.
Yet there are several peculiar things about the recruitment of the guru by the centrist government, which is led by the Congress Party – not least his affiliation with the far-right organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Even more curious is the fact that the man turning to the guru for help, Anbumani Ramadoss, is the same health minister with whom he had an unseemly public spat two years ago. But that's not what Mr Ramadoss wants to concentrate on.
"We are focusing on preventive health care and we see yoga to be a leader in preventative health care," he explained on the sidelines of an anti-smoking rally at Delhi University. "[Guru Ramdev] is working to help the government. Our vision is that each village should have a yoga teacher."
Swami Ramdev's spokesman said he could not arrange a telephone interview, but the guru confirmed his plan to work with the government via email. "The government of India is willing to help us in our movement for a healthy India, since our aim too is to ensure health to each and every Indian," he said. "The Patanjali Yogpeeth and Health Ministry are eager to work together to build a healthy and an ideal India. Besides, efforts are afoot to reduce or eliminate the use of [carbonated] drinks, fast-foods, drugs, alcohol and tobacco, which are causing adverse effects on the health of people."
Whatever might be said of the yoga master Swami Ramdev, one cannot accuse him of being dull. Clad from head to foot in orange robes, his early morning television show pulls in 20 million viewers in India alone, and there are the usual video and summer camp spin-offs, as well as the more unusual ones, like yoga cruises.
Two years ago, Ramdev triggered a row with the country's health minister after allegedly claiming yoga could cure Aids. He also managed to upset followers of Mahatma Gandhi by appearing to question the contribution he had made to winning India's independence, and he fell out with a female MP who alleged the Ayurvedic treatments produced by the guru's Himalayan laboratory contained human bone.
Now, in the latest addition to his colourful curriculum vitae, Swami Ramdev is being recruited by the government for a new health initiative. In what might seem like a case of selling coal to Newcastle, the Indian Health Ministry wants the guru to help persuade more Indians to take up yoga.
Yoga, which was originally designed to bring about spiritual and physical transformation, was first developed in India more than 3,000 years ago. Ancient seals contain figures in various postures, or asanas, while yoga is mentioned in the Hindu scriptures, the Upanishads. Yet while there have been efforts to introduce yoga in schools and many people may do basic yoga in their homes, only a fraction of the population practises it seriously.
Experts say that in the past decade, growing numbers of Indians have become interested in yoga, not for religious reasons, but for the health benefits that come along with it. Some believe the uptake has also been boosted by the growing popularity of yoga in the US, especially "celebrity styles" such as Bikram yoga, as practised by Madonna and the actor George Clooney. The Indian actress Shilpa Shetty recently produced her own yoga video.
On the face of it, the thinking behind the government's grand yoga plan makes sense. One of the side effects of India's economic growth is that a changing diet and increasingly sedentary lifestyle have created a health crisis. While up to 60 per cent of Indian children under the age of three are malnourished, in urban areas an estimated 20 per cent of men and 30 per cent of women are considered clinically obese. Around 40 million people suffer from diabetes.
Yet there are several peculiar things about the recruitment of the guru by the centrist government, which is led by the Congress Party – not least his affiliation with the far-right organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Even more curious is the fact that the man turning to the guru for help, Anbumani Ramadoss, is the same health minister with whom he had an unseemly public spat two years ago. But that's not what Mr Ramadoss wants to concentrate on.
"We are focusing on preventive health care and we see yoga to be a leader in preventative health care," he explained on the sidelines of an anti-smoking rally at Delhi University. "[Guru Ramdev] is working to help the government. Our vision is that each village should have a yoga teacher."
Swami Ramdev's spokesman said he could not arrange a telephone interview, but the guru confirmed his plan to work with the government via email. "The government of India is willing to help us in our movement for a healthy India, since our aim too is to ensure health to each and every Indian," he said. "The Patanjali Yogpeeth and Health Ministry are eager to work together to build a healthy and an ideal India. Besides, efforts are afoot to reduce or eliminate the use of [carbonated] drinks, fast-foods, drugs, alcohol and tobacco, which are causing adverse effects on the health of people."
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