Ganga: Re-Imagining, Rejuvenating, Re-Connecting

Ganga means different things to different people-she's the river, / the life-giver, the mother and the Goddess./ Apart from being India's longest and most revered river, Ganga and her / tributaries traverse eleven states and provide livelihood to nearly 43 per cent / Indians. Despite being so special, Ganga has been getting polluted, with / its ecology and flow endangered. Many initiatives to clean the river ended / up either being hugely inadequate or dismal failures./ The dilemma before the new team of National Mission for Clean Ganga / was not just the enormity of the task, but also having to bear the scar of / past failures. This haunting legacy stayed with them every step of the way / in their long, complex and daunting journey./ So, how do you even begin to think of re-imagining, rejuvenating and / reconnecting with Ma Ganga? From the beginning, the team adopted a / radically different and holistic approach to resolve the 'wicked problem' / while dealing with multiple stakeholders and their clash of ideas on the / road ahead. / This insider's account by two change-makers chronicles this long and complex / journey so far transcending the challenges of over abstraction of water, / pollution abatement, bringing behavioural change and making collaborative / partnerships to achieve their goals. More importantly, it brought back some / of the love and respect of the people for its Mother and Goddess. / The authors are categorical that the task is not yet over, much more needs / to be done. However, the successful journey so far, as demonstrated by the / findings of this book, is a testament to the fact that a job well begun is / not just half done, but also provides a road map for the future successes. /