Nagnath Baba is a holy man in a holy city on a holy mission of the most extraordinary kind.
The 52-year-old sadhu, or renunciate, lives in a temple on the banks of the holy River Ganga in the ancient Indian city of Varanasi.
Since July 2008, Nagnath Baba has been on an “fast-unto-death” mission to highlight the river's environmental degradation. It is a mission, he says, that he has been instructed to embark on by his God, Lord Shiva.
In particular, he is demanding that the Federal and State Governments release waters diverted from the Bhagirathi river for their hydroelectric project in northern India – known as the Tehri dam project, one of the biggest dams of its kind in Asia.
The Bhagirathi is crucial because it is the Ganga's main tributary. Because of this, many people don't even make a distinction between the two.
Environmental protesters say the filling of the Tehri dam's reservoir has severely compromised the Bhagirathi's flow at certain times of the year. At these times, some stretches – up to eight kilometres long – completely dry up.
“The Ganga did not come into this world for commercial reasons,” Nagnath Baba says. “Ever since the Ganga's flow has been obstructed by the Tehri dam, our land is losing its peace and happiness.”
While Baba injects medicines and painkillers at least five times a day, even his doctors remain in awe of his indefinite fast. They say it as “a miracle” and “some kind of supernatural power which allows Baba to continue his fast for so long”.
The Ganga As Goddess
It is important to understand the relationship Hindus have with the River Ganga, because its equivalent does not exist in the western world. It is also important to understand just how important she is to Indians as a whole.
Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister, said of her: “The Ganga, especially, is the river of India, beloved of her people, round which are intertwined her memories, her hopes and fears, her songs of triumph, her victories and her defeats. She has been a symbol of India's age-long culture and civilization, ever changing, ever flowing, and yet ever the same Ganga.”
In Hindu mythology, the Ganga is worshipped as both river and goddess sent to this earth to help humans achieve salvation through the rituals of singing, praying, chanting, bathing, cleansing and purification in her waters.
She is also considered to be the most holy of final resting places. Those who are fortunate enough to be cremated on her shores and then have their ashes thrown into her waters are assured a direct path to the Supreme Bliss.
This explains why Hindus consider it a privilege, if not a necessity, to journey to Varanasi to die. It is perhaps the only place in the world where the reality of death is played out daily in an open, matter-of-fact way. Corpses are carried through the city's laneways to the burning ghats on the river's edge to be cremated. Other beings, including sadhus, cows and babies, are thrown directly into the river.
Interestingly, the Ganga is said to represent all rivers, with her waters symbolising immortal life. All other rivers in the world exist through her and she exists in all other rivers. This belief demonstrates the immense powers invested in the Ganga.
So why did the Goddess Ganga come to this world?
There are numerous versions of her journey to earth. One of the most commonly accepted is that the king Bhagirath (hence the Bhagirathi river), to lift a curse on his ancestors, paid penance to please Lord Brahma.
As a reward, Lord Brahma released the Goddess Ganga from his sacred pot in order to wash Vishnu's feet. From there, she flowed onto Shiva's matted locks. From there, part of her abundant waters were carefully and safely released onto the earth to help liberate humans.
“She is pure and the liberator of all living beings,” says Nagnath Baba of the river.
“There is no other water source in the world as sacred as the Ganga but we have forgotten the significance of her existence.”
Saving the river
While the Ganga as celestial being enjoys immortality in the eyes of her people, the effects of human development, pollution and climate change has placed an urgent question mark over her survival.
“In the present time, humanity is in great trouble and the reason is the neglect of the religion of nature,” says Baba.
“Whenever religion and nature are neglected, and the power of God is ridiculed, then humans and the earth are made to suffer and face nature's wrath. The beauty of nature and the earth is being devastated. Our interference with nature is causing this devastation.
“The whole of society has to bear the consequences of neglecting and insulting religion. If humans refuse to accept the divinity of God, they are doomed.”
While Baba's mission has gained media attention and many supporters, there are a number of other activists and organisations throughout India working to save the Ganga. Governments have also pumped extraordinary amounts of money to clean up the river, but so far with limited success.
There is a mammoth task ahead. There are about 30 cities, 70 towns and thousands of villages along the 2500-kilometres river, which starts in the Himalayan mountains and flows eastward through the northern plains of India through some of the nation's most populated areas.
Most of the population's sewage along the Ganga's banks goes directly into the river, along with animal and human remains, industrial waste and other rubbish.
Ironically, water samples taken in Varanasi, where hundreds of thousands dip in the Ganga daily, show fecal-coliform counts are 10,000% higher than recommended standards for safe river bathing.
The Ganga has been found to be one of the most endangered and rapidly-shrinking rivers in the world, according to prominent international groups such as the World Wildlife Fund and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
There are also predictions that within several decades, the holy river will be reduced to a trickle and possibly even cease to exist.