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Stories along the river
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Discovery Channel presents “Ganges”, a three-part series on the river that sustains and nurtures so many creatures
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A WATER WORLD The series discusses the river from various perspectives
Did you know that the Gangetic basin supports 1/10th of the world’s human population? Or that its waters are home to blind river dolphins, tree-climbing deer, the world’s largest venomous snake and the world’s smallest pig?
These are just some of the facts about the Ganga that Discovery Channel’s premiere three-part series about the river uncovers. ‘Ganges’, airing on Discovery Channel on Wednesdays at 8 p.m, traces the path of the river from its origins in the Himalayas all the way down to the wilds of the Sundarbans where it meets the sea.
Along the way, it takes a look at the mighty river from various perspectives — religious, mythological, geographical, economical, agricultural and ecological. Using gorgeous photography, the documentary gives viewers a glimpse of the economic activities the river sustains, festivals and rituals performed on its banks, the flora and fauna it supports and more.
Rare series
“‘Ganges’ is a fantastic series because it gives a holistic view of the significance of the river,” says Dr. R.K. Sinha, an expert on Gangetic ecology who has spent nearly three decades studying the bio-diversity of the river. “Such programmes are very rare — usually, only one aspect such as the Kumbh Mela is covered.”
The series is broken into three parts — ‘Daughter of the Mountains’ follows the river’s journey through the snowy peaks of the Himalayas, ‘River of Life’ (airing on October 31) describes its passage through the densely populated Gangetic plains, and ‘Waterland’ (airing on November 7) features the vast delta at the point where the Ganga enters the sea.
“A series like this can create help, educate the masses on the importance of the river and make them aware of the dire need for conservation,” says Dr. Sinha, who has been involved with the conservation of the Gangetic dolphin for a number of years.
In fact, Dr. Sinha hopes that Discovery Channel won’t stop with this series, and will do another documentary focussing purely on the biodiversity of the river and ecological conservation techniques. “To date, conservation of wildlife in India has focussed almost exclusively on forest-dwelling animals such as the tiger or the elephant,” he says. “Aquatic creatures such as dolphins, whales, aquatic birds etc. have been largely ignored and this needs to change.”
Still, there is no denying that ‘Ganges’ is a great way to begin to document just how important the river is to the human civilisations and animal populations that it supports.
DIVYA KUMAR
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