Visiting the Mother Ganga A journalist retraces his ancestral steps in India

Visiting the Mother Ganga
A journalist retraces his ancestral steps in India

Vinode Mamchan
Published: Guardian
Sunday, April 10, 2016

A huge moment for me, touching the sacred Ganges River in Kolkata.

Growing up as young boy in the village of Ste Madeleine, south Trinidad, I would reluctantly attend many religious functions on the insistence of my mother. Coming from a Sanatanist Hindu background and living in an area that was basically divided between Hindus and Presbyterians, there was always a religious event to attend.

At a very young age, I preferred to venture into the playfields instead of the Ramayana venue but when my mother spoke, there was little I could do to oppose. Being at the Ramayana one would sit and listen to the presiding pundit with one eye cast on the kitchen area, from where the sweet smell of prasad emanated.

The interest was always in the kitchen but given the numerous visits to religious functions there was bound to be something from the scriptures that stuck with me. I remembered hearing about the power of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers and the area where they met—called the Triveni Sangam.

As a young boy I had a near-death experience in water and ever since I was made to worship Mother Ganga (since in Hinduism the river Ganga is considered sacred and is personified as a Goddess Ganga).

Over the years I grew very close to the deity in terms of my worship and would visit the Mosquito Creek in San  Fernando on a regular basis with my family to make offerings of fruits and flowers in the water.

Since that experience of nearly drowning, I have been very scared of water and even now would not go for a swim. I would visit the lovely beaches of the Caribbean  during my travels as a journalist and just sit on the shores and enjoy but never venture into the lovely clear waters for a swim.

During the recent ICC World T20 in India, I was hoping and praying that the West Indies teams would do well in the tournament.

A look at my travel schedule showed I would not have the opportunity to visit the mighty Ganges, given the fact that the West Indies preliminary games were in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Nagpur. In my previous four visits to India, I was never lucky enough to visit its sacred waters.

Given the tight schedule of the World T20, I would only get a chance if the West Indies got into the finals and I visited Kolkata. Well, the boys and girls played brilliantly and I was on my way to the Bay of Bengal. I was very excited and got into Kolkata at 7 o’clock on the morning of the finals.

The time to pick up my ICC “match day” pass was at 12.30 pm, so I had ample time to visit the Ganges. I headed off in search of the river and whilst asking many passers-by where was the closest point at which I could have touched the water, I finally got some proper directions from a young boy who spoke and understood English well.

I jumped into a taxi and was on my way. Given the fact that the cabby charged 50 rupees (TT$5), I knew it was very close to the ground. In no time I was there, and there before me was the Ganges. It was walking distance from the Eden Garden Cricket Stadium. Known as the Hoogly River in those parts, which is a tributary of the Ganges. I immediately set off to reach the edge of the water, having to cross a trainline to get to it.

It is very difficult to describe how I felt as I bent down and touched the water. I decided given this golden opportunity I must worship at the site, and with my West Indies shirt on, the guys who were having a bath in the Ganges close by must have thought I had visited to pray for the team as well. I started to feel “very light” as I did my prayers and the emotions came rushing. At the end of my worship I stayed on just to take in the vibe of the area.

As it was Sunday morning, the people there were doing a lot of pujas, and close by the edge of the river, there were pundits in stalls, ready to do a “puja” for a fee. As soon as the puja was finished, they headed into the holy waters for a bath, as this is seen as cleansing and purifying the body and soul.

Prior to landing at the Ganges, I was fortunate enough to see the Yamuna in Delhi.

The Yamuna River borders the famous Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh, the ancestral home state of many people of Indian descent now living in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana. This proved to be the beginning of a wonderful religious journey for me.

After visiting the Yamuna, I went to the very sacred town of Mathura on the banks of the Yamuna—the birthplace of Lord Krishna.

The very prison where he was born is still there and they have built a temple around it. Worshippers were seen by the hundreds in the small temple, paying their respects and conducting devotion unto the Supreme Being.

The trip to India was more than just covering the fortunes of the West Indies cricket teams. It was deeply spiritual as well. I got to live the scriptures, and connect on an emotional level with my religion and my ancestry. The cricket, representing where I am from, completed the circle.

www.guardian.co.tt/lifestyle/2016-04-10/visiting-mother-ganga

Well, I visited a the Ganges where its actually clean- Rishikesh. My friend has a private ghat(sort of like a private beach) there. Its a vast ocean-like river and even though I am a strong swimmer, I am pretty sure I would have been swept away had it not been for the barricades that ensure safety.


They keep saying its dirty downstream, but what they don't tell you is that there are tens of hydro power projects that basically obstruct the flow, so obviously the stream that remains (after the innumerable dams, diverted canals, and other structures) is really not enough to sustain the 300 million people who live at its banks. The more nuclear power plants they have, the fewer such dams will they need.

Whappen to the flesh eating turtles after the Pyres  /

Hahaha... Nothing remains after cremation. The body completely disappears within seconds and turns into ash.

I heard there were limbs floating and they got some "special turtles'

to go after it ....and then they got Huge

and so they sent something else to eat them...

et cetera , et cetera

Yeah, but that story really isn't true. You'll only find that weird news in western publications and some communist publications.

You see, the West wants to push the idea the West is the ultimate civilization. But, you know that continuous and superior civilizations have existed in India, China, and other parts of Asia since the last ice age.

According to them, all Islamic countries = evil. India and China=Cheap sweatshops and poverty, Russia = Struggling, etc etc.But, I've been to Saudi, UAE, etc. Absolutely amazing places. In fact, tons of expats visit or settle in the Arab world each year, much to the chagrin of the powers that be.

As far as Russia is concerned. How many countries has Russia or even the Soviets invaded in the past 70 years? How many people actually visit the country or live there to know the real situation? And if you visit China today (or even Hong Kong), you'll realize that the place puts any other country to shame when it comes to luxury, growth and development.

Sure there are a lot of problems and some states in India that were influenced by communism have stayed poor. Very very poor. But, then there are places that are just amazingly developed. Having lived in 5 time zones, I can tell you that the best life to live is either in the UAE, India, or China. Ask the expats who live there.

So, not everything that can be looked up about a country is true.

Mapoui will tell you via a thousand blogs and utubes : that it is all in AFRICA.

go to Berbishi

Cappo , where do the berbishis build  creamation pyres ??

On the banks of the Correntyne river  ??

I know the ashes are thrown into the River on the understanding :

That all waterways connect and will eventually reach the Ganges..