RATIONALE: To examine and compare Indian and American culture in order to develop a better understanding of both.
CENTRAL ELEMENTS:
STUDENT OUTCOMES: Students will:
BACKGROUND NOTES/HISTORICAL CONTEXT: A major factor in Indian unity is its geography of mountains and oceans which have always protected it. Furthermore, many of these geographical features are considered sacred. The Himalayas are seen as the home of the gods and the place to go to seek wisdom. In addition, many rivers are considered sacred, especially the Ganges which originates in the Himalayas. This river passes through city after city for some 1,500 miles, provides water for some 300 million people, and is considered by true believers to be not only pure and potable but to have mystical medicinal properties which cure the sick and even the dying. Varnarsi (Benaras), dedicated to the god Shiva, marks one of the holiest spots on the Ganges and it is here that Hindus come to bathe, believing that the river's waters wash away all sins. To die here is especially auspicious since it ensures that one will be released from the endless cycle of reincarnation and be instantly united with Brahma. The west bank of the river is lined with series of stone steps called ghats. There are dozens of them and it is to the ghats that Hindus come early in the morning to bathe, brush their teeth, and make offerings (puja) to the rising sun. Hundred of little boats made of leaves, each carrying flowers and a candle, are launched by the visiters. In the darkness, just before dawn, the river is alive with these bobbing, twinkling votives.
Also at the edge of the river are the ghats where the dead are cremated. Bodies are wrapped in saffron hued cloths, carried on bamboo stretchers and dipped into the river. Then relatives buy firewood for the funeral pyre from the Chandas, a caste of Untouchables , who oversee cremation . It takes about 400 kgs of wood at a cost of about Rs1200 ($20) to do the job. Ghee (clarified butter), sandalwood and other ceremonial substances are also required and cost another Rs 200-300 ($4-$8). Next comes the crucial element, the taking of the fire from the Chanda by the chief mourner to light the pyre. Without this ritual, Hindus believe that the deceased's soul will not find rest. The burning of the body takes about three hours. An electric crematorium, also on the river's edge, is a more economical option, costing about Rs 200; but those who can afford it prefer the traditional method. Some 170-180 bodies are burned and given up to the river each week.
In spite of the fact that so many Hindu's believe in the purity of the Ganges, the river is horribly polluted, containing waterborne diseases like typhoid, amoebic dysentery, cholera and hepatitis. The government acknowledges the problem and in 1992 completed the Ganga Action Plan Phase I, which saw the installation of sewage treatment plants along the river. However, hese efforts were not sufficient and even the plants, which do exist, lie idle must of the time due to frequent power outages. When the stations are not pumping, the sewage flows into the river. Nowhere is the problem more evident that in Varnarsi. Eighty percent of the pollution here comes from sewage. " Fecal coliform levels, a common index of water pollution, are a staggering 345,000 times the acceptable levels where the Ganges runs by Varnasi" according to a recent article by Marion Lloyd in the Houston Chronicle [July 5, 1998]. The city is growing rapidly and its population will soon exceed 2 million. The sewage system, installed during the days of British control, has not been able to keep pace with the ctiy's growth. According to Lloyd "even when the pumping stations are working , some 45,000 gallons of raw sewage flow into the river daily. Black foam bubbles up along the entire four-mile stretch of bathing area where people brush their teeth and young boys fish for shrunken mussels. Charred remains of human bodies and dead cows float to the surface alongside the wooden skiffs that ferry pilgrims along the river."
Possible solutions: One of the most promising solutions is being proposed by a Hindu priest, Veer Bhadra Mishra, the hereditary leader of one of Varanasi's most important temples, who is also a professor of environmental engineering and the director of the Sankat Mochan foundation, a non-government organization dedicated to cleaning up the Ganges. His proposal, which he developed with the help of a team of California engineers, involves a system of sewage-devouring ponds that would be constructed downstream from Varnasi. The plan would also involve pipes to divert the city's sewage from the bathing areas and pumping stations to lift the sewage into the treatment ponds. While there are other proposed systems which are similar, this system appears to be the most efficient at removing fecal matter.
However, because of costs, many in the Indian governement see it as impractical and believe that more pumping stations, even though insufficient, will be the only possible choice. Unfortunately, whatever solution is finally agreed upon, it will not be implemented until 1999 at the earliest.
NUMBER OF CLASS PERIODS: one 40 minute period
STRATEGIES/ACTIVITIES:
Whole class:
Read through the Ganges page.
Define:
Writing Assignment:
EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT: Essays should be evaluated for examination of underlying cultural assumptions, thoughtful discussion, parallel structure, and mechanics.