The Ganga Affair

When retired IIT Kanpur professor -- 76 year old G D Agarwal -- began fasting on the banks of the Bhagirathi Ganga in Uttarkashi to protest against the hydel power projects being proposed on the upper reaches of the Ganga, it brought into focus the threats the Ganga was facing. It also raised the issue of faith, with religious leaders tumbling over themselves to support Agarwal. I travelled to Rishikesh to meet Agarwal, who with his flowing white beard and piercing eyes, was already being compared by bloggers to the sage Bhagirath, whose efforts brought Ganga from heaven to earth. The rhetoric notwithstanding, Agarwal's 15 day fast helped create awareness about the need for an unhindered flow for the Ganga, besides prompting the Uttarakhand government to withdraw two of its projects, with the Central Government promising to follow suit.

Click here to read about Agarwal's battle to save the Ganga.