Psychogeography of India’s Sacred Rivers

India is a crucible of mystique and contradiction. During a recent month-long visit, I found it filthy, polluted, chaotic, and crowded, yet nonetheless beautiful and enchanting. The more I learned about India, the more astounded I became by the depth of its culture and history. I had felt myself drawn to India for many years, although I’ve never been sure of the source of my attraction. Perhaps it is the promise of the mystical and the unquestioning faith of the population. Many other people with whom I’ve talked have absolutely no desire whatsoever to visit a dirty Third World country with a billion inhabitants. People who have been there often describe a love-hate relationship with the country. Yet I had known for many years that it was a place I not only wanted, but indeed had, to visit. As I expected, I found it completely overwhelming, arriving from my structured and predictable North American life to find myself swept along in the current of humanity that never stops flowing in this vast country. There seems to be no hour of the day that isn’t filled with activity, worship, commerce, travel, and family. When I arrived I truly felt that I was finally in the center of the universe, that this was the place where real and significant things happen. I was very happy.