(Complete Summary)Songs of the Ganga by A. K. Mehrotra

   Ganga is a holy river for the Hindus. It flows right from top of Gangotri in the Himalayas into the northern plains upto and beyond Bangladesh and then mixes with the Bay of Bengal. During its flow it covers many places, cities and states. Many pilgrims have been setup on the banks of the river Ganga. It passes many plains, foothills, carrying with it fertile soil for crops. It washes over the mountains and flows over plain lands.

   In Hindu religion, the river Ganga is said to be the purifier of all sins committed by humans. Every year, millions of people go to take bath in the river to purify themselves of all sins. Many people collect and store "Gangajal" at their home to get rid off the impurities. Every 12 years, Maha kumbh and every 6 yrs, Ardh kumbh melas take place in holy pilgrims Haridwar, Allahabad, Nasik and Ujjain in turns. Ardh kumbh takes place only in Haridwar and Allahabad every 6th year alternatively. These are the time periods when maximum crowd from all over the world come to the pilgrims to bath in the waters of the Ganga. The recent Maha Kumbh took place in Allahabad last year i.e. 2013.
 
Summary of the poem:-

Stanza 1-

I am Ganga Snow from the mountains. The keeper of water. 

I am the plains I am the foothills I carry wishes of my streams, to the sea.

I am both man and woman.

I am paper boats for children. I am habits for fishermen. I am a cloud for shaven monks. I reflect all movements.

I am the bridge. I am the fort and the archer taking aim. I am the great dissolver of men 

I give life and I take it back. 

The river ganga is personified here as a being of greater importance and influence on people. It flows from the mountains which are said to be the keepers of water i.e. in the form of snow. It flows over hills and valleys and carries its small streams into the sea. It is depicted as both man and woman, i.e. both forms of nature.

Children play with paperboats by sailing them on the water of the river. Fishermen earn a habitat by selling the fish they catch in the river. Shaven monks come to pray on the banks of the Ganga and are intellectually enlightened by its cloud of influence. It reflects everything going around.

It is said to be the bridge between death and life. It is a fort as in protecting its army as well as an archer defending its country. The water of the river Ganga has very strong currents. If someone drowns in its water, it is almost impossible for them to come back alive. Symbolically it is also said to dissolve all the sins of a man and regenerate him hence giving him a new life when he takes bath in the waters of the Ganga according to Hindu beliefs.

Stanza 2-

I go out into the world, I am the world, I am nations, cities, people I am the pages of an unbound book.

My room is the air around me.

I am dressed in water, I am naked as water, I am clarity.

A friend comes along offers me a flag and says a government has toppled.

I’m going to catch rain, I say and spread out a net .

I am poison.

 The river flows out of the mountains into the world of people. It flows through nations, cities, people of varying diversities. It is like the pages of an unbound book, free of bondage, flowing vigorously on its own free will. The aura around it is like its room.

The water is its dress. As well it is as naked as the transparent water. It defines clarity. By clarity it means that it can give you the answer to all questions. This is religious symbolism considering all travellers in search for enlightenment visit the Ganga River at least once in their lives.

Many people come to bath in the river and wash off their impurities in the water leaving the water unclean. Even after the downfall of the British Government and the independence of India, Ganga was never made pure. It wasn't independent of the job of purifying others deeds. But Ganga is forever flowing and burgeoning. When it rains, it will rise and flood and flow all over the lands years after years. It will spread all around the country like a net. It will spread slowly just like poison spreads through a person's body after it has been consumed.

Stanza 3-

Billy goats, come down from the mountain. Without finding solitude, camels return from the desert. 

I make two lines in the sand, and say they are unbreakable walls. 

I make the four directions one, I know the secret of walking. 

I am the death of fire.

         Goats come down from the mountains to quench their thirsts and camels return from the desert for the same. Deserts do not have any source of water so all the animals travel long distances to drink water from the Ganga. However, the goats and camel can also be symbolization of men(human beings) who haven't found satisfaction in life and have come to the banks of the Ganga to find sanctuary. 

         A small stream of water can turn into a canyon over years of erosion forming structures similar to huge unbreakable walls. It can also mean the barrier created by the river between two pieces of land which cannot be broken by any means.

       The Ganga washes away four directions and makes it one meaning it flows in all directions and makes the conventional directions uncomprehending. Contrasting this statement the secret of walking states that the Ganga understands all kinds of movements. The arrogance in the last statement is balanced with the humility of this one.

        This line is self-explanatory. Water kills both natural fire and the fire of thirst. Symbolically it also assuages the fire or agony due to guilt after taking bath in the holy waters.

Stanza 4-

From smoke I learn disappearance from the ocean unprejudiced 

From birds How to find a rest-house in the storm 

From the leopard How to cover the sun with spots 

In summer I tend watermelons and in flood I stay near the postman’s house 

I am a beggar I am a clown and I am shadow less.

              The first line talks about the evaporation of sea water and romanticizes with the subject. The ocean is             unprejudiced as it does not distinguish between the waters from a river or a sea or a stream. All the water           gets mixed and flows as one.

                 

The second line describes how the river water flows in currents when there are storms.(You can further refer to geographical aspects of water bodies during storm).

                 

**This third line is somehow not clear as to what aspect of the river the poet is actually talking about.(If you find an explanation to this please provide it to me in the comments. I will be grateful for your contribution)

                In summer watermelons which grow in the waters of the Ganga are eaten by us, hinting us that in one way or other the Ganga has given water to us all. The postman’s house is usually located in the most suitable location which is easily accessible. This usually means that Ganga flows everywhere even through the most accessible of places.

                The fifth line. Here beggar, and clown are used in a very random sense suggesting that the Ganga can be anything and is everything. I am shadow less means that, the Ganga does not have an end nor do people know where it properly starts.

Incase of more clarification required please comment below or email me to - sohini.mukherjee95@yahoo.com