Battle for better Ganga

Samiran da’s battle is not for himself, but for the lifeline of a bustling city. The 47-year-old has never grabbed newspaper headlines, but is frightened of reporters. One may wonder when he is on a mission to save the Ganga in Calcutta, why should he be so afraid of newspersons, especially when the latter always support the job he has been doing for the past three years with only three persons.

I met Samiran da on the evening of Dashami (October 9) at Babughat, one of the few ghats on the Ganga where small idols of long tradition are immersed with profound devotion, unlike the idols of big clubs, amid tears. The job of Samiran da and his team was simple. Ask the Puja organisers to separate flowers from the idols so that the Ganga is not polluted and also clean the river of plastic/polythene items. I also thought that there is nothing troublesome in executing the order of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation since a posse of policemen was standing guard with one sub-inspector leading them. Moreover, Calcuttans are known to be law-abiding citizens, particularly on Durga Puja days.

I was proven wrong in five minutes. Only a few Puja organisers were ready to accept that they were committing less sin in dumping flowers a few metres away from the holy river; only a couple of them could have been resisted from throwing polythene bags full of Puja paraphernalia into the middle of the river; only one or two of them controlled themselves from abusing Samiran da and his team in front of the idols they probably worshipped with fullest devotion for four days!

But this year is better, he says with a smile. “Last year, i was slapped and thrashed to the ground before the police rescued me,” Samiran da says, with the smile still on his lips. The incident did not deter him, but his determination was so strong this year that he entered into a verbal duel with a middle-aged lady and later a tall man — not at all gentle — to prevent them from throwing flowers packed in a Westside packet into the river — the source of drinking water for millions. “But i can’t press for more, as it would seem i am hurting their religious sentiment. Who wants a riot on Dashami?” he says.

What struck me more that day were the underprivileged children collecting decorative items and parts of weapons that the idols had. The children also came forward and asked the Puja organisers not to throw the stuff into the river. But the city elders and veterans of Durga Puja were hardly in a mood to listen to the pleas of the kids who are always looked down upon.

Before i made a retreat that evening, i told Samiran da not to be scared by reporters, as they also portray his good work in black and white.
©Supratim Pal