We emerged from a trip to India with layover in London upon return. The thrust of our trip was to visit Dodital, a four-day trek to the lake that is the birthplace of Ganesh. That Hindu god, the elephant head god, is revered as the destroyer of obstacles to success. And the lake is full of trout introduced by the Brits 150 years ago. With the help of villager Suman Panwar, who has physically repopulated the Assi Ganga River by hand after a flood event, and Aaron Alter, vehement environmentalist and frankly a visionary, out trip was arranged tightly.
These men are fighting for this river. Soon, a hatchery will be built on a tributary to allow for repopulation of the lower river with genetically pure trout, in the event of climate change-induced weather events. Grassroots conservation at its finest, a mission I admire.
We’d angle Dodital, the leave for Gangotri, the highest physical Ganges headwaters, where, aside pilgrims, gathered holy water that rests now in my home. We followed the Ganges south to the holy city of Rishikesh where hindus bathed in the sacred Ganges. Then to Old Delhi for a tour of mosques, spice markets and many loose electrical wires sparking in the rain.
