Some thoughts from the Mutha River Walk by Jeevit Nadi and Janwani

Rivers allowed the development of civilisations

Rivers, mountains, the earth and planetary bodies or any such significant objects were personified, given names, given a myth and often worshipped. That’s because of the understanding than an entity moves, functions, changes and changes the way we exist, continuously.

The twin rivers of Mutha & Mula were apsaras (courtesans) in the court of Indra, the king of gods. Indra was a title, rather than a name and he had earned it by extreme penance. However, the lifestyle of a deva (god) corrupted him and made him insecure every time someone was up to severe penance. He sent his apsaras to seduce them so that their penance was interrupted. The king Bharat whose name this country got, was the son of a daughter of another such divine seduction.

The apsaras however did so at great risk. Two apsaras went to seduce an ancient sage who was meditating in Pune. The sage flew into a rage and cursed them to become rivers to nourish the arid land. As a concession, he allowed them to merge together and then disappear into the Krishna river. A short course. A longer course is more painful, as the Ganga would testify today.

The rivers however are older than the myth. According to geologists, the rivers have been around before the first humans walked in. They are older than the Himalayas, older than Ganga and were probably present when there was no India but just the super continent Gondwana.

Right now, our culture of consumption and waste production that nature is unable to keep up with has turned the river into a dark, stinky colloid of numerous plastic bags, over run with plants that the river cannot control.

Completely ignored by a whole civilisation that in awe of shiny glass buildings and concrete jungles of convenient doorstep delivery, own private transport and such, the river is dying unable to repair its own wounds. Unless we start paying attention, these rivers would go beyond being sewers and become slowly forming, drying landmasses.

We still use the rivers water. We tapped into the source, diverted water into a convenient system of pipes, sieves and taps. This alternative abundant river cleans our lives; takes away all our shampoos, detergents and other wastes. As if that’s not enough, we toss stuff into it as if it is a huge dustbin.

A river should be beautiful

They (Jeevit Nadi & Janwani) say people have no need to come to the river. The river has ceased to be an entity that affects our life. It is a servant and a slave. We have conquered the gods all over. We are disconnected with the earth that we stand on and we only realise that it is a living, breathing entity, when tragedy strikes.

We need to start acknowledging the entity that we live with, the mother Muthai, the one who gives us gentle breeze, beautiful birds and plants. I would love to take a boat ride in a clean and clear Muthai, on a pleasant summer evening, wait till the cacophony of thousand birds turn into the sweet and eerie chirping of the crickets on a full moon night. It’s a nice dream.

What can you do?

Just go for one such walk, meet and greet the river and know some of the stories; some heart warming, others chilling like the 1961 floods. Maybe you’ll find a connect. Once you become acquainted, you might just become a friend and realise that Mutha is sick but alive and maybe, you’d find a way to help nurse it back.