SunGanges

SunGanges is an awe-inspiring 2019 Indian documentary that transports viewers into the heart of India's environmental struggles, primarily focused around the most sacred and historically significant rivers of India: the Ganga, Yamuna, and the invisible Saraswati. The film explores the environmental dimensions of these seared and confused rivers, serving as a distinctive blend of investigative journalism, engaging storytelling, and stunning visuals. Throughout its run time, it portrays gripping narratives centred around the complexities of water security, interweaving human stories with hard, scientific facts.

The stirring film is led by highly esteemed actor, Naseeruddin Shah, whose eloquent narration catalyses the journey of understanding these rivers and their issues. The film also brings on screen two firmly rooted environmental activists, Himanshu Thakkar and Parineeta Dandekar, thereby introducing and highlighting their efforts towards environmental conservation. Their insights bear witness to the ongoing struggle to conserve India's unique river ecosystems. They offer a profound and passionate perspective on the sad state of affairs that surround these once vibrant rivers and the looming environmental crisis at large.

The film's title, SunGanges, is a portmanteau of the Hindi words for the sun and river, and it symbolizes the seamless interconnection of solar energy with India's rivers. The narrative subtly captures the idea that the Sun, as a clean and abundant source of energy, combined with more responsible water management, could be the solution to India's environmental and energy crises. The film meticulously explores pollution issues, damming disputes, glacier melts in the Himalayas, and highlights the often overlooked but drastic anthropogenic influences, like over-extraction of groundwater and illegal sand mining, on our water bodies.

Directed by Valli Bindana, SunGanges is a much-needed clarion call to everyone from policymakers to common citizens, stressing the fact that urgent transformative action is indispensable for the survival of these lifelines of India. The documentary seamlessly blends the vast, visually striking landscapes with the intimate, personal narratives of common people. From the rapidly melting glaciers in the resilient Himalayas, to the arid and overpopulated plains of the Ganges basin, and the incredibly hostile Sundarbans delta, the film sprawls across the Indian subcontinent highlighting all its profound environmental dichotomies.

SunGanges flamboyantly captures the stunning and striking duality of the subcontinent's rivers. It brings together the sights, sounds, and stories of India's greatest water bodies with heartrending images that at once captivate and educate. The unforgotten rivers glisten with the mystical aura of age-old Indian mythology, while their modern avatars, subdued and fatigued, reveal the harsh truths of the contemporary ecological crises. In the way it starkly depicts this transformation, the film serves as an unvarnished mirror of societal apathy towards the environment.

While diving deep into the current environmental issues, the narrative offers hope. It outlines the potential of nature-based solutions driven by people's efforts, underlining effective water management techniques, traditional rainwater harvesting, and checks on rampant commercial exploitation. Moreover, the film explores the possibility of leveraging solar energy as an alternative source of power, thereby reducing the need for hydroelectric projects which threaten the ecological balance. It suggests the potential for creating a symbiotic relationship with nature rather than a parasitic one.

Viewers will be fascinated by the intellectual commentary provided by the environmental activists, Himanshu Thakkar and Parineeta Dandekar. Their inputs are interspersed with those of rural dwellers, scientists, and farmers who call these riverbanks their home. The confluence of these diverse voices underscores the interdependencies of humans and nature while revealing the widespread neglect of water resources.

SunGanges is more than a documentary; it is an experience and a discourse that traces the paradoxical relationship between the cultural veneration of the rivers and their degradation. It urges viewers to contemplate the implications of their lifestyle choices on these life-sustaining systems. Overall, SunGanges exemplifies the severity of the environmental crisis while also bringing to light viable solutions. The film's evocative imagery and compelling dialogue symbolize the intrinsic connectedness between the rivers and the sun, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable practices to conserve our timeless yet vulnerable resources.