Narmade Hare

What do I remember the most... What do I remember about the Narmada river. Is it the clean living stream that passes you by when crossing Hoshangabad, is it the view of the ghats when you are about the reach Dindori, is it the waterfall at Kapildhara when the river is barely there yet bubbly with new life or is the small spring that bursts into action at Amarkantak. Perhaps, all these and more. The forests that clothe her at Dindori, all the tributaries which joins her, the forests of Panchmari which sustains her... The forests form an integral part of the river system.

Just as the steep slopes of Uttarakhand defines the Ganga, the forests of Eastern Madhya Pradesh defines the Narmada. For me the memories are clear...... the adivasis everywhere, pot in the village, roaming around with locals, seeing the local banias siphoning off money from the adivasis, the festivals, the sadhus of Kapildhara, standing under the falls, walking by the river-shore, the peace that life cannot impart but the river can.

The peace that Ma Reva can extend is psychedelic to say the least...