Join efforts to clean Ganga, Kovind appeals to people
Ganga synonymous with our identity, Namami Gange showing good results, says President
VARANASI: Describing the Ganga as synonymous with the identity of the people of India, President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday lauded the government’s efforts to clean the river even while he emphasised that the task was the social and personal responsibility of all countrymen, not that of the governments alone.
The President was addressing a gathering after inaugurating a programme on “Ganga, Environment and Indian Culture” organised in Varanasi.
Quoting a couplet by Sant Kabir, the President remarked, “Sant Kabir said: Kabir mana nirmal bhaya jaise Ganga neer (The mind has become pure like Ganga water). It means, Ganga jal (Ganga water) was considered the biggest benchmark of cleanliness.
“Today, it becomes the responsibility of all of us to take Ganga once again to the same level of cleanliness, which we find in the words of Sant Kabir, Sant Ravidas and the sages of ancient times.”
“Keeping the river Ganga clean, preserving the environment and enriching our culture and heritage is not only the work of governments, but also the social and personal responsibility of all countrymen,” the President said and added that this thought needed to be adopted and assimilated nationwide.
“For cleaning the Ganga and environmental conservation, the government launched Namami Gange, the Integrated Ganga Conservation mission, in 2015. I am satisfied that this mission has begun showing good results. But we haven’t achieved the goal of complete Ganga cleaning yet.
“In addition, large capacity sewage treatment plants are being set up from Rishikesh to Gangasagar to make the Ganga clean,” he observed.
The President also said, “I believe that the Ganga and our culture have been based on each other. The cleanliness of the Mother Ganga is an important criterion for the cleanliness of our environment.
“The preservation and promotion of the Ganga, the environment and culture are the basis of the development of our country.”
It was not enough to see the Ganga just as a river as it was the lifeline of Indian culture and the conduit for spirituality and faith, he said.
The civilisation of the Ganga River Basin can be called an aquatic civilisation, he said, adding that “Ganga jal is really the water of life.”
“Therefore, water conservation in the Ganga river basin and reducing flood and erosion are both necessary.
“With both these objectives, the goal of the cleanliness of the Ganga and the protection of the environment are also connected,” he added.
“In fact, the Ganga is the identity of the people of India and this public sentiment is reflected in a popular song,” the President said.
The area of the Ganga and its tributaries is spread over 11 states and has been named the Ganga River Basin. According to an estimate, the region is inhabited by 43% of the country’s population. It is also the most densely populated area, he said.
Amazing examples of attachment to the Ganga were found in the memoirs of Bharat Ratna Shehnai maestro (the late) Bismillah Khan saheb, President Kovind said.
“During his visit to Mumbai, many music lovers requested him to settle there. Khan saheb used to say, ‘Mujhe to le jaaoge, main yahan bas bhi jaunga, lekin yahan Mumbai meain, Ganga maiya kahan se laaoge (Even if I settle down in Mumbai, how will you bring the Ganga there)’. Such was his bond with the Ganga.”
Strike balance between antiquity, modernity
Expressing happiness over transformation of Kashi, the President said the changing form had also preserved the city’s antiquity.
“However, antiquity does not mean inertia. The inertia of any country and society causes its decay and decline.
“That is why I urge the people of Banaras to strike a balance between antiquity and modernity,” he said.
“Banaras has a wonderful confluence of spirituality, literature and music. Gautam Buddha gave his first message in Sarnath, located in the same area, about 2600 years ago. Adi Shankaracharya had received the knowledge in Kashi itself that there is only one Brahma in all beings,” he remarked.
PM Modi’s efforts praised
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the MP from Varanasi, had taken the initiative to increase the cleanliness of the Ganga and the splendour of Kashi, the President said.
He added that the people of Kashi would remember that the Prime Minister launched the campaign to clean the ghats of Varanasi by cleaning the Assi Ghat. He used a spade to remove silt deposited at the ghat.
The President said he was informed that the ghats of Varanasi were now clean and tidy.
“The emphasis on cleanliness of the Ganga river, the ghats and the city of Banaras has not only given a boost to environmental protection but has made the journey to it more enjoyable for the tourists,” he said.