SACRED WATERS, POLLUTING SINS Period of the stay in India

TECO ProjectTechnological Eco-Innovations for the Quality Control and the Decontamination of Polluted Waters and Soils

TECO Mobility grantSACRED WATERS, POLLUTING SINS

Tel: +39 06 9067 2741E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.indoitalianresearch.eu

Beneficiary of the grant- GIANCARLO CAMMERINIHome Company (EU)- Dugong srl - RomeHost Institution (INDIA)- Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies - Kolkata Period of the stay in India- 14 november – 14 december, 2016




Objective of the project:

1• To plan a communication skills to spread the challenge to clean Ganga. 2• To research about the contradictions between the sacredness of Ganga river and its pollution.3• To plan a reportage in the main sacred places of Ganga river.4• To provide a base for understand the state of "National Mission for Clean Ganga”.

Photo 1

The Ganga sub‑basin drainage area is about 862,769 square km, which is around 26.2% of the total geographical area of India

Varanasi Kolkata: Jorasanko. Tagore’s museum




Activities carried out during the period of the grant:

1 - A survey in the most important sacred places of Ganga river.2- A study about the impact of the pollution in the sacred places. 3- Planning a documentation and communication campaign on the awarness about the contraddiction between sacredness and pollution

The idrographic map of Ganga river and the places visited during the period of the grant.




Activities carried out during the period of the grant:1- GANGOTRI

The source of the Ganga river, Topovan, 4500 mtjust before “Gaumukh” and Gangotri glacier

Ganga river before the Tehri dam




Activities carried out during the period of the grant:2- RISHIKESHRishikesh is considered by Hindus to be a holy city and is vegetarian by law. Meat are not served in the city. Saints and yogis have been meditating on the banks of Ganges since antiquity. However, these banks have just been polluted after the big dam of Terhi.




Activities carried out during the period of the grant:3- HARIDWARThe river Ganga, after flowing for 253 km from Gangotri, enters the indo-gangetic plains for the first time at Haridwar. Duriing the Haridwar Kumbh Mela, millions of pilgrims, devotees, and tourists congregate in Haridwar to perform ritualistic bathing on the banks of the river Ganges to wash away their sins.




Activities carried out during the period of the grant:4- VARANASIThe spiritual capital of India it is the holiest of the seven sacred cities in Hinduism and Jainism, and played an important role in the development of Buddhism. According to legend, Varanasi was founded by the god Shiva. Archaeological evidence of the earliest known settlements around Varanasi in the Ganges valley suggest that they began in the 20th century BC.This city summarize all the contradiction of India, Varanasi is the holiest place in India but also the most polluted.




Activities carried out during the period of the grant:5- CHURNY RIVERRiver Churny is located in west bengal and joins to River Bhagirathi-Hoogly, main tributary of Ganga. This river has a good quality of ecosystem, in this area there is the Ganges River Dolphins (Platanista gangetica) that prefer deep and fresh waters.




Activities carried out during the period of the grant:6- KOLKATAKolkata, the capital of west-bengal is across from the Hoogly river the main tributary of Ganga before to enter in the indian sea. This megalopolis give a importance contribution in the pollution. Kolkata is also the city of Rabindranth Tagore. In Tagore’s view, the higher aim of education was the same as that of a person’s life, that is, to achieve fulfilment and completeness. There was a lesser aim, that of providing the individual with a satisfactory means of livelihood, without which a person would not be able to satisfy his/her basic requirements and thus fail to achieve either of these two aims.




Activities carried out during the period of the grant:7- GANGASAGARSagar island is an island in the Ganga delta. This island, also known as Gangasagar is a place of Hindu pilgrimage. Every year on the day Makrar Sankranti (14 dec) hundreds of thousands of Hindus gather to take a holy dip at the confluence of river Ganges and Bay of Bengal and offer prayers (puja).




Main outcomes1• Partecipation at the TECO conference (Delhi 16-17 november).2• The power to reduce the Ganga pollution is also with the change the behavior of the citizens, properly to use the real meaning of sacredness, respecting the waters and its ecosystem.3• Planning a documentary in the main sacred places of Ganga river.4• The average level of educatation of the citizens is low and the educational campaigns project under community involvement must include.5• A training activity was carried out with the founder and president of Cintdis Dr. Debal Deb, author of many papers relating the project.6• Continuation of collaboration with Indian Company and Institutions.

Documents

SACRED WATERS, POLLUTING SINS Period of the stay in India