The river flowed merrily down the mountain sides. Her source was somewhere in a glacier. But for millions of devotees she had come down from the heavens with great force. Lord Shiva had caught her and released her slowly with great care down the mountain sides.
She flowed into the plains and her life changed when she came into contact with humans. They worshipped her but did not think twice before polluting her. They constructed dams to use her water. She did not mind helping others but she wished humans were not so greedy. They thought it was their right to remove sand from her bed for their uses. Did they ever think about the harm they were doing ?
She had lost her freedom once she had entered the plains. But she had not given in everywhere. Humans thought twice before trying to take advantage of her. But she was very generous too. She had allowed them to build bridges across her. People living nearby needed them. She cared about others and wished they would care about her too. Now she could only move on, there was no going back. That was her life.
(194 words)
( Photo credit : C E Ayr )
