The River Ganges, often called "Ganga" in India, is one of the most famous and sacred rivers in the world. Flowing through the northern part of India and into Bangladesh, it has shaped the lives, culture, and history of millions of people for thousands of years. Known for its spiritual importance in Hinduism, the Ganges is more than just a river—it is a symbol of life, purity, and renewal. However, today, it also faces serious challenges like pollution and overuse. This article explores the Ganges’ journey, its role in society, and the efforts to protect it.
The Geography of the Ganges
The Ganges begins high in the Himalayas, the tallest mountain range in the world. Its source is the Gangotri Glacier in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, where it starts as a small stream called the Bhagirathi River. At an altitude of about 3,892 meters (12,769 feet), icy water melts from the glacier and begins its long journey. The Bhagirathi joins another river, the Alaknanda, at a place called Devprayag, and from there, it officially becomes the Ganges.
Traveling to India is an exciting adventure filled with vibrant culture, delicious food, and stunning sights. But one thing travelers need to watch out for is waterborne diseases. These are illnesses you can get from drinking or coming into contact with contaminated water. India, like many places, faces challenges with water safety due to pollution, poor sanitation, and uneven access to clean water. Don’t worry—this guide will explain everything in a simple way so you can stay healthy and enjoy your trip!
What Are Waterborne Diseases?
Waterborne diseases happen when water gets dirty with harmful germs like bacteria, viruses, or parasites. You can catch them by drinking unsafe water, eating food washed with it, or even swimming in contaminated places. In India, these diseases are more common because not everyone has access to clean water, especially in rural areas or during monsoons when flooding can mix sewage with drinking water.
On the night of Thursday, March 6, 2025, a terrible incident happened near Hampi in Karnataka, India. A 27-year-old Israeli tourist and a 29-year-old woman who owned a homestay were attacked while they were stargazing by a canal. They were with three other travelers—one from the United States, one from Maharashtra, and one from Odisha. The group was relaxing, listening to music, and enjoying the night sky near Sanapur Lake, close to the famous Hampi heritage site, when three men on a motorcycle approached them.
At first, the men asked the group for petrol. Then, they demanded 100 rupees (a small amount of money). When the group refused to give them the money, the men became angry. They started attacking everyone. The attackers hit the three male travelers and pushed them into the Tungabhadra Left Bank Canal. Then, they turned to the two women—the Israeli tourist and the homestay owner—and gang-raped them. After the attack, the men stole two mobile phones and 9,500 rupees from the group and ran away on their motorcycle.
The three male travelers faced different fates. The man from the United States, named Daniel, and the man from Maharashtra, named Pankaj, managed to swim out of the canal, though they were hurt. But the man from Odisha, named Bibash, was not so lucky. He went missing after being pushed into the water. The police and rescue teams searched for him, and sadly, his body was found on Saturday morning, March 8, 2025. He had drowned in the canal.
We often hear about Somalia for the wrong
reasons. The nation of Somalia
is always in the news for some reason or the other; most of the time it is for
the misdoings of the rebels or militia against its own people. Often we get
breaking news across news channels about the latest developments on Somalia such as
Somali pirates hijacking an oil tanker or an international merchant ship. However,
Somalia also called Horn of Africa, has an ancient past that is never
mentioned. It seems that even the people of Somalia too have forgotten its own
past during the terrible civil war.
Culture of Somalia
Culture of any country develops based on
the accumulations left over by every group survived in the nation. Culture of Somalia is also an accumulation of neighbouring countries
like Ethiopia, India, Persia
and Yemen.
A culture is a group entity formed by several distinct entities like language,
families, clans, religion, music, food and literature. All of these together influence
the culture of a nation. Every one of these entity might have been formed from
any of Somalia’s
neighbour. Every neighbour has influenced the culture of Somalia by
contributing to one of these entities.
Religion in Somalia
The major religion in Somalia is Islam.
Among the Islamic religion, several denominations and traditions are being followed
like the Sunni, Sufism and Shia. It was as early as the medieval age when the
Muslims came first came to Somalia.
It was when Muhammad the Prophet sought refuge in Somalia; the Islamic community was established
in the Horn of Africa. However, initially there were only a few people
following the religion, later there were many people following Islam. Several
Mosques were built across the country and hence the initiation of a great
religion started.
Language of Somalia
Language is one important factor influencing
the culture of people. People of Somalia speak the Somali language,
which has a close relationship to that of the Afar and Oromo languages. Both of
them are related to both Africa and Asia, because, Somalia
has its boundary in the Indian Ocean through which it had many traders from Asia too. Therefore, Somali is a mixture of both African
languages and Asian Languages. After a lot of changes and dialects, Somali was
finally divided into three types;
1) The standard dialect, which is followed
only by the northern regions of Somalia.
2) Change of dialect on the coastal region
led to the development termed as “Benaadir”.
3) Third change of dialect in the southern
region led to the development of “Maay”.
Each of these dialects interact with each
other easily, the dialects are representative of the region to which they
belong. Interestingly, Somali music and songs were very popular throughout the
region which has been banned by the rebels this year.
Families and Clans
Several social units and clans are involved
in the politics of Somalia.
Some of them are Isaaq, Dir, and Darod. Other clans also include Hawiye and Rahanweyn. People wear formal dresses like jeans and t-shirts. Somalia men
wear turban on their heads. After Muslim invasion, Somalia people closely followed the
Arab culture and wore the “Jellabiya”.
Such a strong culture rooted in a great
nation has shown its power in the ethics and moral of people. It’s a shame to
see a country rich in heritage decline into oblivion.
