Introduction

I am a river. I like to give you an account of my life. You may laugh

to think what is the value of the autobiography of a river. You may

laugh if you like. Men write their autobiographies. They have

importance in their own way. I have importance in my own way.

Birth and early career

I was born long ago in an obscure place in a mountain. Several very

small streams of water joined together to form one bigger stream.

That is how I was born. I am that bigger stream. I am restless from

my birth. I cannot stay at one place. So I flow down the mountain. I

leap from one rock to another. I am full of life and vigor. As I flow

down, I gather strength. My current is very strong here. I carry

down with me broken rocks. At last I come down to the plains.

My career in the upper plains

Here I begin to widen in my course. People begin to make use of my

water. Here it is as pure as anything. In my upper course, people

have built up towns of pilgrimage. They have built temples on my

banks. Hundreds of people bathe in my sacred water. They worship

the deities in those temples. They regard me as very sacred. There

are also several health resorts in my upper course. People from

many parts of the country come there for a change. They walk on

my banks. They enjoy the natural beauty. They recover their lost

health and return home with a happy heart.

My career in the lower plains

I have said before that I am very restless. I am constantly on the

move downwards. Leaving the upper plains behind I flow down

through the lower plains. My water increases the fertility of the

fields on either side of my banks. Abundant crops grow there. The

country become prosperous.

Towns on my banks

People have built large towns on my banks. Some of these towns

are centres of culture. Some have commercial importance. People

carry on trade and commerce. They ply boats and steamers along

my surface. These carry many important goods for trade. People

travel from one place to another in boats and steamers. Hundreds

of people bathe in  water. They use my water for drinking and other

purposes.

Efforts to control me

During the rainy season I carry large quantities of rain-water from

the mountain. My surface rises. Sometimes I overflow the banks and

cause flood. People suffer much. But am I to blame for this ? What

can I do if huge quantities of rainwater flow down me from the

mountain? Your Government has now tried to control my furious

nature in the rainy season. In my upper course sometimes I fall

down several hundred feet from a great height. Here your

Government has built barriers across me to hold back my water. It

has built dams to store up the surplus water to irrigate the land to

help agriculture. Electricity is also generated here with the power

of my water. This electricity is cheaper. It helps industry in towns

and even in remote villages. Thus you may see how I help you.

My career in the lowest course

In this way I go on. I have no rest. “Men may come and men may go,

but I go on for ever.” Your Government has tried to control my

furious nature. But it is a very difficult task to control me always.

Sometimes I play the part of a destroyer. I wash away my banks. I

destroy towns and villages. Again I play the part of a creator. I carry

down sediments. These are deposited in some places where the

current is not strong. New land is formed there. This land is very

fertile. This is done near about the place where I join the sea.

Ports at my mouth

I flow on to join the sea. This is my goal. This portion of my course

is called my mouth. People have built ports here. Factories have

been built on my banks. This makes the country prosperous. But the

factories do one great harm. In my upper course my water is very

pure. But here the municipalities of the towns and the factories

throw away all sorts of impurities into my water. This pollutes my

water. I am not to blame for this.

Conclusion

This is my life history. There is one great difference between men

and me. I am constantly on the move to join the sea. Men are born

and they die. I have no death. I will flow eternally. I will do great

service to men. They should, therefore, remain grateful to me.

I am river. I was born a long time ago in an ambiguous region in a mountain. I am combination of several

streams. From the day I was born I was restless to move on and travel to unknown regions. Thus, I was bubbling

with life and vigour, ready to overcome any obstacle that came my way. I ferociously scurry through the narrow

creeks and bends in the mountains to begin my journey into unknown lands. I really feel very strong, invincible

and pure at this point as I move along a rough terrain with strong undercurrents. Sometimes I plunge several

hundreds of feet from a great height with great force. This is known as a waterfall. As I progress on a downward

trend carrying along broken rocks and debris, I finally reach the plains.

At this juncture of my course, I find myself in the upper plains and observe my course widening. The water that I

bring down here from the mountains is made good use of by people settled in the area. It is quite interesting to

see a good number of settlements on my banks. People make feel very important since they feel I am sacred,

holy and a source of life. Along with small townships, houses there are temples as well. The scenic beauty

around me is very beautiful and amazing. From the rough mountain terrain, I tend to become a bit slow and

slurry in the upper plains. I am the only source of pure and clean water and I feel great that I am useful to so

many people. As I move along, I collect a lot of soil, rocks and debris and become heavy. Thus I lose on speed

and slowly trudge along the plains.

Leaving the upper plains behind I reach the lower plains. The soil that I carry along with me is very fertile and

extremely good for agriculture. I flood the plains with fertile alluvial soil that increases the fertility and yield of

fields located on my banks. Several farmers are dependent on me for their livelihood and occupation. I water the

fields, which in turn helps crops to grow in abundance here. This makes the region prosper and fosters

economic growth. There is always some hustle and bustle to be seen here and the scenery is very beautiful and

enriching.

As I move across the plains, I considerably slow down and begin to take wide turns and bends. Several

townships have developed along my banks, which have commercial and economic importance. These townships

have a varied culture as well. I have become a platform for trade and commerce. People carry goods to and fro

across the river for trade. My water is also used for bathing, household chores and for drinking as well.

Sometimes during my course in the mountains and plains, especially in the monsoon seasons I carry

overwhelming volumes of water that causes floods. To control the volume of water I carry, people have built

dams. I move with great fury and force during this time, and sometimes even cause a good amount of damage

to civilization. Dams have been built to store excess water, which is to be used for agricultural purposes during

the dry season. In the upper course of my journey, i.e. in the mountains, the government has developed several

hydel power projects to generate electricity. The electricity that is generated here helps industry to grow and also

helps the people living in the area in the occupation and trade.

In this manner I continue moving along with no end until I meet the sea. In the lower course of the river, I play

the role of the creator and destroyer. Several homes and houses have been washed away by me during the

floods; but at the same time I am also a source of new life, especially agriculture. I deposit fertile soil in the

plains that helps crops to grow, which would enhance economic growth of the country. 

My goal is to continue flowing till I meet the sea. This is the last phase of my journey. Here people have built

ports and factories. This brings about a certain amount of pollution and impurities. In the upper course my water

is pure without any impurities; but in the last phase of my journey I am unable to retain my purity on account

human activity. Thus my journey is actually never comes to an end. I continue to flow eternally with an aim to be

at the service of mankind for generations to come.