Good Essay On The Divine Ganga

I have always been an artist, ever since I can remember I loved being surrounded by colors, paint brushes and nature. When my peers use to be busy playing soccer, I use to make their sketches.
I inherited the love for art from my grandfather who was a globetrotter and a marvelous photographer. He would visit different countries as a part of his photography assignments. Once he got a chance to visit India and capture the moment of “Maha Khumbh” in Haridwar the land of the holy river “Ganga.”Maha Kumbh is the mass holy pilgrimage of the Hindus; millions take a dip in the holy river to get rid of their problems and sins.
My entire family was eager to join grandfather on his trip to India. I packed my colors and sketch books; ready to be bedazzled by the land of traditions’. The fair continues for a month and millions of people are expected to visit the place. The security arrangements were very tight. There was a special section where the foreign photographers could stay and take pictures. The combination of colors was spectacular; there were sages draped in orange clothes with their hair tied in a bun and were chanting OM. Every day we would reach the venue by four in the morning and would see sunrise amidst the most beautiful river I have ever seen. In the evening at sunset the magnificent ceremony of worshipping the Goddess of Ganges, Ganga would start. It was called “Aarti of the holy Ganges”. Fire was used an s an offering in this ceremony; thousands of “diyas” or lamps would illuminate the place and its reflection in the river was breathtaking.
The sight of flowers floating in the river along with the lamps was a treat for the budding artist in me.
Amongst all the festivities I began to see the dark side of the celebrations. The devotees would throw plastic packets and trash into the holy river after the worship was over. Millions who took bath in the river would throw soaps in it; at the end of the day the river would be polluted with deadly toxic waste. The efforts of the authorities to stop it went in vain. I was disturbed by the sight of human waste floating in the pure river. How could people get rid of their sins by polluting the Ganges?
My grandfather took pictures of the sad state of the gigantic river. People would throw their offerings in it; how could they purify themselves when they were contaminating the source of their purification? It was my first lesson of conservation and preservation of nature. On getting back home I would draw whatever I had seen. I was curious to know more about protecting our natural resources. My sketch on purification of rivers won me several awards. I took care that I did not litter any place; I realized my responsibility towards my surroundings. I made a presentation of my drawings that had my memorable experiences of the trip to India. My teachers loved the colors in the paintings; they were moved by the sight of the post festivities too.
I wish if people could understand that cleanliness is next to Godliness. Ganges is famous for its purity; but people have taken away the core of goddess Ganga by their callousness. I learnt an important lesson at a very young age and would love to visit Ganga again; to see it sparkling, pure and clean.