Born along the shores of the river, I have stood witness to its majestic flow that transcends the boundaries of our material world. The river has rejuvenated my existence, allowing me to explore its depths and rediscover the histories of civilizations past. But I am not alone.

In the vast circle of coexistence, the river is a mother deity to us all – a harbinger of life. In her holy waters, we wash away our sins and light the fire of eternal salvation. The secrets that lie beneath are nothing but reflections of our past, waiting to be explored by a future persona.

Chasing the dying sun across the river horizon, I have been on many a stroll along the shore. In that moment of silence when the water changed its colour to a deeper shade of blue and the tiny lights on the other side sparkled like stars in the night sky, I stood there motionless – waiting for someone to break my trance and rescue me from this mirage. I long for the day when I will drift away into this state of enchantment – travelling beyond the fabrics of space and time – where the river and I will be one.

Running 2500 kms through the heart of India, the eternal flow of Ganga rejuvenates the lives of more than a billion people. Yet, the present day holds a different truth. A river that once used to be worshipped as a goddess has now been turned into a bottomless pit of waste disposal. The very rituals that were supposed to conserve the river are wreaking havoc to the river’s holy waters. Over the years, many significant cities have been built along the shores of Ganga, that now contribute the most to its pollution.

Working as a Freshwater Conservation Extern for National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy,I have developed this Story Map detailing the contemporary issues faced by the river today,and their proposed solutions.

Read here

With the vision of saving the river from her impending doom, I have created this long-term project to inspire action through the power of storytelling. My project seeks to amplify the voices of the marginalized inhabitants, in an effort to view the river from their eyes.With the support of Seed Funding, I have envisioned a series of workshops and awareness campaigns to drive change in the local communities. However, my final goal is to inspire action amongst the young changemakers community around the world to work towards the challenges faced by the freshwater systems in their local environment. It is only through our shared efforts in conservation that we can build a sustainable future where nature and mankind can thrive in eternal harmony.