ODE TO A SACRED RIVER

N0 other river in India evokes as much awe or is surrounded with as much religious fervour as the mighty Ganga. The river begins its 2,525 km journey from the mouth of the Gangotri and ends up at the Gangasagar in West Bengal. The river covers 26 per cent of the country’s landmass, straddling a mammoth area of 8.6 lakh square kilometres. It flows through five states and has six other states in its basin. The Ganga and its tributaries contribute as much as 28 per cent to India’s water resources. More than 43 per cent, or 500 million people, of India’s population depends on