Narmada

||Narmade Har||
Analytical report submitted to Discover India Program Committee, FLAME for partial fulfilment
of Discover India Program six credit course.
Research Team:
Aagam Sheth
Aditya Nahar
Akshay Jain
Amit Doshi
Gopi Aravind
Kund Sapani
Nayantara MB
Nishant Shah
Siddharth Sheth
Urvi Malpani
Faculty Mentor:
Prof. Ashutosh Mishra
AUTHENTIFICATION CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the work incorporated in this report

entitled „Narmade Har‟, submitted by the undersigned
research team was carried out under my mentorship. Such
material as has been obtained from other sources has been
duly acknowledged.
Research Team
Aagam Sheth (________________________)
Aditya Nahar (________________________)
Akshay Jain (________________________)
Amit Doshi (________________________)
Gopi Aravind (________________________)
Kund Sapani (________________________)
Nayantara MB (________________________)
Nishant Shah (________________________)
Siddharth Sheth (________________________)
Urvi Malpani (________________________)
Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ashutosh Mishra (________________________)
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Acknowledgements
We take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped us through the course of this journey
towards producing this analytical report and presentation for the DIP project. We sincerely thank
the Chairman, Mr. Parag Shah and the President, Dr. Indira Parikh for granting us exposure
through this project and making it mandatory as a part of the undergraduate program at Flame.
We thank FLAME management for providing us the financial resources to meet our expenses
like travel, accommodation, etc.
We would like to express our gratitude to all the members of the DIP committee especially Prof.
Vinay Hardikar and Prof. Nandita Wagle for being a constant support and inspiration to us. Only
under their guidance, assistance and directions has our project taken on its current form.
We are especially grateful to our mentors Prof. Ashutosh Mishra and Prof. Shirisha Sathe for
their insights, criticisms and endless faith in us. They have motivated us in the most difficult
times. We thank them for every valuable advice they have provided us and we hope they
continues to be a source of inspiration to all the students who would take up this project in the
future.
Our field trip would not have been as convenient without the assistance provided by Mr. Sumit
Maheswari of Navbharat, a prominent newspaper in Madhya Pradesh. The press contacts
provided by him in the various cities that we visited helped our research to a great extent. Our
accommodation and food at Amarkantak had been very well taken care of by Kalyandas
Dharmshala. We received a great amount of help from various others including our drivers
Yashwant and Sujay who were with us throughout the journey.
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - Introduction .................................................................................................................. 7
1. Geographical Location and Significance: ............................................................................... 9
1.1 Physical:............................................................................................................................. 9
1.2 Climate: ............................................................................................................................. 9
2. History: .................................................................................................................................... 9
3. Focus of Work ....................................................................................................................... 10
3.1 Aim of the Project: .......................................................................................................... 10
3.2 Objectives: ....................................................................................................................... 10
3.3 Methodology.................................................................................................................... 10
Chapter 2 - Reference Material ..................................................................................................... 12
1. Myths and Fables: ................................................................................................................. 12
2. Cities...................................................................................................................................... 13
2.1 Amarkantak ..................................................................................................................... 13
2.2 Hoshangabad ................................................................................................................... 13
2.3 Jabalpur............................................................................................................................ 14
2.4 Omkareshwar ................................................................................................................... 15
2.5 Maheshwar....................................................................................................................... 15
3. Important religious places along the course of the river ....................................................... 15
4. Festivals:................................................................................................................................ 16
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5. Parikrama .............................................................................................................................. 16
6. Types of Narmada Parikrama ................................................................................................ 17
7. Tribes..................................................................................................................................... 18
7.1 The Baigas ....................................................................................................................... 18
7.2 The Gonds........................................................................................................................ 18
8. Occupation ............................................................................................................................ 19
Chapter 3 - Primary Data .............................................................................................................. 21
1. Rationale................................................................................................................................ 21
2. Interviews .............................................................................................................................. 21
2.1 List of Interviews ............................................................................................................. 21
2.2 Interviews ........................................................................................................................ 23
2.3 Rishis ............................................................................................................................... 40
Chapter 4 – Journeys ..................................................................................................................... 45
1. Bombay-Bhopal (via Hoshangabad) Train Journey: (The First Glimpse) ............................ 45
2. Jabalpur to Amarkantak: (29th May) by car: ......................................................................... 46
Chapter 5 - Observations & Findings ........................................................................................... 48
1. The Religion of the River Narmada: ..................................................................................... 48
2. Myth Busters ......................................................................................................................... 54
3. Exploring Human Phenomena of “Helping Others” ............................................................. 56
3.1 Method ............................................................................................................................. 57
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3.2 Normative Data................................................................................................................ 58
3.3 Discussion ........................................................................................................................ 58
4. Pro-environment behaviour ................................................................................................... 59
4.1 Institutions and people/ why they do what they do: ........................................................ 59
4.2 Beliefs .............................................................................................................................. 60
4.3 Tribes: .............................................................................................................................. 60
5. Occupations ........................................................................................................................... 61
5.1 Observations .................................................................................................................... 61
5.2 Occupations along the stretch of the river ....................................................................... 61
6. Tribes, the Children of Nature............................................................................................... 66
6.1 The Gonds........................................................................................................................ 66
6.2 The Baigas ....................................................................................................................... 68
7. Reflections ............................................................................................................................. 70
7.1 The idea of happiness ...................................................................................................... 71
Chapter 6 - Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 73
Appendix A – Helping Attitude Scale (Questionnaire) ................................................................ 76
Appendix B – Survey Data ........................................................................................................... 78
1. Question/Participant/Location-wise scores compilation ....................................................... 78
2. Pivot Table ............................................................................................................................ 79
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Table of Figures
Figure 1-1 The Narmada ................................................................................................................. 7
Figure 2-1 the Dhuandhar Waterfall ............................................................................................. 14
Figure 2-2 Shrilal Chande ............................................................................................................. 41
Figure 2-3 Group members with Kalyandas Baba ........................................................................ 43
Figure 3-1 The Narmada Kund ..................................................................................................... 48
Figure 3-2 Shiv ling at Bhedaghat ................................................................................................ 50
Figure 3-3 The 3-word cycle......................................................................................................... 52
Figure 3-4 Malas at a store ........................................................................................................... 61
Figure 3-5 THE GONDS GOING TO THE DAILY MARKET .................................................. 66
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Chapter 1 - Introduction
NARMADE HAR!
Narmada, one of oldest rivers of India, flows right through her centre. Emerging from the heavily
forested hills near Amarkantak continues its journey westward for 1312 kilometers before
meeting the Arabian Sea at Bharuch. The area through which the Narmada flows is diverse
starting from the evergreen forests of Amarkantak, the plains in Gujarat and eventually coastal
line near its confluence. Unlike the Ganga or the Yamuna, the Narmada originates not because of
the melting of snow, but because of the percolation and collection of water in the forests
Vindhya and Satpura mountain ranges. Amongst the six major Indian rivers namely the Ganga,
Yamuna, Brahmputra, Godavari, Krishna, Saraswati and the Narmada, we chose The Narmada.
Why then the Narmada? What was it that got us motivated? Why did we choose to travel along
her banks?
FIGURE 0-1 THE NARMADA
The idea of following a river was given to us by a lady whose passion in life is reading and
travelling. The more we read, the more fascinated we were. The more we spoke, the more
excited we became. What started out as a lesson in Geography, was soon developing into a sense
of adventure, restlessness for travel and a pursuit for discovery. Our priority was no longer the
destination but was the journey itself. There were many times when we doubted ourselves as a
group, questioned the idea, questioned ourselves and our beliefs.
“Maa Rewatharopaaninirmal....
Maa Rewatharopaaninirmal
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khalkhalbehtojaaye
Amarkanth se nikli O rewa

jannjannkarirayothaarisewa
sewa se sab pawemewa,
asovedpuranbatayo re”
“Maa Rewa” the above song was sung by the Indian Music Group called Indian Ocean. In its
literal translation and meaning, the song is addressed to the Maa Rewa or Maa Narmada. It says
that „the water of the river Narmada is extremely pure and flows constantly. Ever since You
originated from Amarkantak, everyone has been worshipping You without exception. Every
person who worships You, finds release from their troubles and this fact has been stated in the
Puranas.‟
Any doubt that we ever had about our journey was put to rest during our first interview with Mr.
Anil Dave (RajyaSabha MP) on the first day itself. He said “Not many people have the
opportunity to be able to experience the river; you definitely have done moral deeds in your
previous lives”
Following any river is a journey of self-exploration, discovery and enlightenment. The pre-
research done by the group indicated a strong sense of spirituality and religion intertwined with
each other. It was not understood by us initially, it was only with time and patience that we
understood, true realization comes only with experience. With this report and eventually our
presentation we don‟t wish to impress you or win you over, but hope to share our journey with
you.
In our travels, we covered a distance of over 1,400 kilometers and it was the most fulfilling
journey of our life. It was challenging to complete this journey without talking about and
mentioning the dam. Since the dam was a very sensitive topic, we decided to steer away from
further discussion regarding this.
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1. Geographical Location and Significance:
1.1 Physical:
The Narmada basin extends over an area of 98796 Sq.km. and lies between east longitudes 72 o
32' to 81o 45' and north latitudes 21o 20' to 23o 45'lying on the northern extremity of the Deccan
Plateau, the basin covers large areas in the states of M.P., Gujarat and comparatively smaller
areas in Maharashtra.
The hilly regions are well forested. The upper, middle and lower plains are broad and fertile
areas well suited for cultivation. The Narmada basin consists mainly of black soils. The coastal
plains in Gujarat are composed of alluvial clays with a layer of black soils on the surface.
1.2 Climate:
The tropic of Cancer crosses the Narmada Basin in the Upper plains area. The climate of the
basin is humid and tropical, but at some places extremes of heat and cold are often encountered.
The four most important seasons are winter, summer, the South west monsoon and post
monsoon.
Nearly 90% of this rainfall is received during the five monsoon months from June to October
about 60% is received in the two months of July & August.
The rainfall is heavy in the upper hilly area and upper plains of the basin. It gradually decreases
towards the lower plains and the lower hilly areas and again increases towards the coast and
south western portions of the basin.
2. History:
Mekulsuta, Reva, Murla, Samodhbhava, Trikuta, Vanmala, Shoukatmala, Purv-Ganga, Dakshin

Ganga, Mahajva, Nandana, Chandana, Gautami, Mahanand and the Narmada or „The Giver of
Pleasure‟. These are just a few of the many names that the river is called by and given.
There have been various versions and interpretations of how and when Narmada was born and
how it originated.
One story goes that Narmada was born from the feet of Shiv while doing tandav, but she was
born and brought up in the family, in the house of Maikal, which is a mountain range in
Amarkantak and is an origin of 3 rivers, Son, Narmada and Zubida. So the story goes that she
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grew and was ready for marriage with Son and she sent her message through Zubida so Son fell
in love with Zubida only. Narmada kept waiting and one fine day she went in the morning and
saw both of them sitting together and talking and she was upset with them and said “Now I am
not going to marry anyone” and she turned back and started moving towards west.
Son went in the direction of east and Zubida started from Amarkantak and after a journey of 40
kilometers eventually merged into Son. Because of these incidents she is a river that we call as a
kanya / avivahit. That is why people living on both sides do not go to take bath in the river
because they say – that she is unmarried (kanya) and hence people cannot enter the river to have
a bath and walk in with their feet. She is considered the Virgin River and one of the most pure.
This is just one of the many stories that inspired us to look further and deeper in the quest and
search for answers (Kalyandas Baba).
3. Focus of Work
3.1 Aim of the Project:

The aim of the project was to understand the religious and cultural importance of the river
Narmada and its relation to life at various cities/towns along the river.
3.2 Objectives:
 Studying river traditions and rituals
 Religious Significance
 Documenting various myths attached to the river
 Studying the effect of the river on the Tribes
 Study of the various occupations along the river
3.3 Methodology
As our objective was to gain an insight about the lifestyle of the people living in the Narmada
valley, our research was more inclined towards being an anthropological and social one. It was
exploratory in nature. It involved less quantitative data while stressing more on qualitative data.
We had taken the ethnographic and phenomenological approach for this research. The
ethnographic approach‟s main emphasis is to study an entire culture. The phenomenological
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approach tries to understand how the other person views the world. (In our topic, how the person
views the river)
Qualitative data includes any information that is not primarily numeric. Some of the types of
qualitative data that we have used are:
In depth Interviews – This includes individual as well as group interviews. We have tried to
have focus group discussions in the villages that we visit, on the bank of the river.
Questionnaires with both open and close ended questions were prepared.
The interviewer (we) asked general questions and one led to another. This helped us to get a very
broad idea of the topic.
More than one person undertook each interview, so while one asked questions which either
followed the pre prepared questionnaire or questions that were more informal and spontaneous,
the other can keep track of the information obtained either by stenography, audio or visual tapes.
Participant observation – In this method, all of us had to drop the role of being a researcher and
take on the role of being a participant. We started taking part in the activities etc that were
performed by the sample. Though becoming part of this kind of a setting takes time and
resistance, we tried wherever possible to get this sort of an experience.
Direct Observation – Going to the place of observation and living there in a different culture
and context, helped in getting the general feel of the environment. This is a more detached style
of observation, where the researcher is mainly watching. In this style of data collection, there is
no direct communication with the respondent. All the non-verbal cues were observed and taken
note of. We used this method the most as it was less time consuming as compared to participant
observation.
Written Data – This mainly includes the references drawn about the content from already
existing documents. This was our secondary data collected before we embarked on our study and
used as reference for our post research work.

Chapter 2 - Reference Material
1. Myths and Fables:
There are many fables about the origin of the Narmada. The river is also frequently mentioned in
the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Puranas.
1. According to one of them, Lord Shiva, the Destroyer of the Universe, meditated so hard
that he started perspiring. Shiva‟s sweat accumulated in a tank and started flowing in the
form of a river – the Narmada.
2. Another legend has it that two teardrops that fell from the eyes of Lord Brahma, the
Creator of the Universe, yielded two rivers – the Narmada and the Son (pronounced
Soan).
3. Legends also say that for Lord Shiva, the Hindu God, the river is especially sacred on
account of its origin, and it is often called Shankari, i.e., daughter of Shankar (Lord
Shiva).
4. All the pebbles in the river bed are said to take the shape of Lord Shiva‟s emblem with
the saying, "Narmada Ke Kanker utte Shankar", which means that „pebble stones of
Narmada, get a personified form of Shiva‟. These lingam shaped stones called
„Banalinga‟ and are much sought after for daily worship by the Hindus. Adi Shankara
met his guru Govinda Bhagavatpada on the banks of river Narmada.
5. Narmada is also said to have been in love with the Sonbhadra, another river flowing on
the Chota Nagpur Plateau.
The first literary reference relating to the name of the Narmada is in Raghuvamsa where it is
called – Revall (the flood). In the Matsya Purana it is said that – „all sins are purified by bathing
seven times in the Yamuna, once in the Ganges, but the simple sight of the Narmada is sufficient
to exonerate one‟s sins once and for all.‟
The Ganges is regarded as sacred only in certain areas but the Narmada is sacred everywhere it
flows, as much in a village as in a forest.
It is also mentioned in the Rewa Khand of the Skanda Purana, often called the Narmada Purana,

it says that the history of the creation of the Narmada started with a devastating flood which
occurred to end the period of Satya Yuga.
The Narmada was also renowned in the ancient world. Ptolemy, a Greek astronomer and
geographer, wrote regarding this river in the 2nd century AD – “Even the Greeks and the
Egyptians of Alexandria had heard all about the sacred river and the religious suicides of
Amarkantak: people who fasted until death, who sacrificed themselves on the banks of the
Narmada, or who drowned in its water to free themselves from the cycle of the reincarnation”.
2. Cities
2.1 Amarkantak
Majestically located in the midst of the magnificent Vindhya and Satpura ranges at an elevation
of 1065 meters, Amarkantak wraps up the beauty and charm of a typical sylvan environment.
This lovely little town is a major pilgrim centre in the entire central province and is famed as the
source of the two rivers, the Narmada and the Son.
Amarkantak is a Sanskrit word with mythological significance, which gives it the prestigious
nickname of „Theertharaja‟. The Holiness of Amarkantak is greatly associated with the holy river
Narmada. Each edifice in Amarkantak portrays diverse styles that recount the period during
which these architectural grandeurs were created. This stunning facade gently adds to the
magnificence of this legendary spot.
In Amarkantak one can feel the peace all around; the solitude one can feel by just walking
through that calm little town is astounding. There are sites which can enthral; sacred ponds,
glittering streams, snooty knolls and beautiful woods. As mentioned earlier, a typical sylvan
paradise.
2.2 Hoshangabad
Hoshangabad is situated in the central Narmada Valley and at the northern fringe of the Satpura
Plateau. It is located in the Mahakoshal region in the geographic center of India. The district
derives its name from the headquarters of Hoshangabad, founded by "Sultan Hushang Shah
Gori", the second king of Mandu (Malwa) in early 15th century. There are numerous gorges in
the rocks that surround the city with a series of lakes.

The river Narmada forms the northern boundary of the district. Across this river the district of
Raisen and Sehore are situated. The district of Betul is on the south, whereas Harda forms the
western and south-western boundaries and Narsingpur and Chhindwara districts, close to the
north-eastern and south-eastern sides of the Hoshangabad respectively.
2.3 Jabalpur
Jabalpur is a centrally located district of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the most important cities
of the state. The administrative headquarters of the state of Madhya Pradesh is located at
Jabalpur. The district lies in the 'Mahakaushal ' region of the State and derives its name from the
great 'Jabali Rishi', a renowned asetic.
FIGURE 0-1 THE DHUANDHAR WATERFALL
During medieval times, the city of Jabalpur was the capital of the erstwhile „Gond‟ rulers. It is
not only an important historical place, but is also famous for the marble rocks gorge on the
Narmada River. It is an administrative and educational centre and is the gateway to important
wildlife sanctuaries around it.

2.4 Omkareshwar
Omkareshwar is one of the major attractions for pilgrims visiting the Narmada valley. The holy
shrine here is one among the 12 enshrined „Jyotirlinga‟ shrines of Lord Shiva. Two deities are
situated here. One is the Omkareshwar which portrays the name of "OM-maker-lord" and the
other is the Amareshwar, which portrays the name describing "immortal lord" or "lord of the
immortals".
Omkareshwar lies at the meeting point of the rivers Narmada and the Kaveri. It is divided north
to south by a deep gully. Ardent followers of Lord Shiva refuse to miss this place during their
trips here.
2.5 Maheshwar
Maheshwar is a beautiful town, located approximately 90 km from the city of Indore. It is nestled
in the Vindhya ranges and lies on the north bank of the River Narmada. Maheshwara has always
been historically significant with its origins being traced back as the ancient capital of King
Kartvirajun's, which was then known as Mahishmati, placidly located on the banks of the
Narmada River.
The meaning of Maheshwar is the 'Abode of Lord Shiva' and has a special significance to
devotees of Lord Shiva. The huge fort complexes and numerous ancient temples further enhance
the grandeur of the ancient temple town of Maheshwar.
It is well known as a famous centre of handloom weaving since the 5th century AD and even
today, the city is famous for its distinctive hand-woven saris popular all over, for the exquisite
floral patterns, introduced by the Holkar Queen Ahilya Bai, now referred to as Maheshwari saris.
3. Important religious places along the course of the river
a) Amarkantak (in Sanskrit: Neck of Shiva) or Teerathraj (the King of Pilgrimages),
b) Mandla district; the river flows on three sides of this town.
c) Omkareshwar, Maheshwar, and Mahadeo temples, Nemawar Siddeshwar Mandir in the

middle reach of the river – all named after Shiva.
c) The Chausath Yogini (sixty four yoginis) temple.
d) The Bhojpur Shiva temple and Bhrigu Rishi temple in Bharuch.

The Narmada River is also worshipped as the mother goddess by Narmadeeya Brahmins.
The importance of the Narmada is affirmed by the fact that the pilgrims perform a holy
pilgrimage or a „Parikrama‟ of the river.
4. Festivals:
„Narmada Jayanti‟ is a religious festival marking the birthday of river Narmada. It is celebrated
with spectacular extravagance in Amarkantak and also in the bathing ghats of Hoshangabad. This
great festival is observed during the month of February. The celebrations at Amarkantak
continue through the day. At Hoshangabad, the devotees float traditional oil lamps into the
waters of the Narmada, from the sprawling bathing ghats.
5. Parikrama
Narmada is the only river in the world which is circumambulated in her entire length of 1312
Km. This circumambulation, is called Narmada Parikrama. It is a special kind of river pilgrimage
popular in Central India. The age-old tradition of Narmada Parikrama involves walking
alongside the river Narmada from her origin at Amarkantak to the sea, crossing over to the other
side, and then walking back to its origin. The total journey in a properly done Parikrama involves
a riverside walking of at least 2624 Km in a period of 3 years, 3 months and 13 days.
Narmada is the perpetual flow of religious traditions and spiritual consciousness in the heart of
India. This great river, historically much older than even the great Ganges, is a hub of Indian
culture and rituals. A devotee who undertakes a Parikrama is called a „Parikramawasi‟ or
„Parkammawasi‟ in local dialects. More often than not, small groups of Parkammawasis can be
seen carrying their belongings with them while travelling along Narmada. Narmada Parikrama is
also a cultural and traditional manifestation of devotion to Narmada. Parikrama is a not a picnic
or recreation, it is an adventurous spiritual journey around the sacred river through hills, dense
forests, gorges, ravines, rocky patches, caves, plateaus and plains. It is a religious and
adventurous trek involving visits to temples, ghats, shrines and villages. It is a form of tapasya
(penance) to please the „mother‟ Narmada who takes care and looks after the hardships and
needs of all those who undertake the Parikrama. Narmada is not just a river to Parkammawasis.
She is a living deity to them with whom they interact and communicate spiritually.

It is not difficult to understand why thousands of people undertake this painstaking journey
around Narmada every year. It was believed in ancient Hindu traditions that walking around
sources of positive energy would charge one with the same positive energy. Therefore the ritual
of doing a Parikrama or Pradakshina – walking around in a clockwise circle around temples,
deities, holy mountains, holy lakes, sacred groves, saints and gurus etc. was devised and made an
integral part of their culture. Many rivers are worshiped in India as deities but tradition of a
Parikrama or complete circumambulation around a river is prescribed only for the Narmada.
Narmada Parikrama is believed to grant boons to grihastahs(residents), siddhis to sanyasis, peace
to troubled souls, worldly possessions to common people and happiness to all. „Narm-da' literally
means one that provides happiness and joy.
6. Types of Narmada Parikrama
Several variants of Narmada Parikrama have developed over the years.
 Mundmal Parikrama
 Jalahari Parikrama
 Hanumat Parikrama
 Dandwat Parikrama
 Markandeya Parikrama

 Vayu Parikrama
 Narmada Jal Yatra (Narmada Voyage)
 Panchkoshi Parikrama
7. Tribes
India has entered the 21st century; there have been spacecrafts launched, but there are people who
haven‟t even seen a railway yet. Their life is a struggle in contrast to the luxurious life of modern
urban India. Numerous tribes have inhabited this land since time immemorial, and the largest
density is in Madhya Pradesh.
The tribal population of Madhya Pradesh is the true representatives of the state. Tribal culture of
Madhya Pradesh is marked by the composite detritus of the Dravidian and Scythians culture. The
Sahariya, Gonds, Bhils, Baigas, Oraons, Korkens, and Kols are the major tribes of Madhya
Pradesh. The Abhujmarias, Korwas, Murias are other important tribes of the state. Clear
distinctions can be seen in the different tribes. Culture, hereditary and lifestyle are not the only
reason for this acumen, but linguist, economic structure and social structure too, play a vital role
in bridging the gap between these tribes. Their remoteness from the outside world has caused
these tribes to remain undeveloped.
According to the Indian census, the Gonds and Baigas are most significant tribes in the state. In
comparison to the other tribes, Gonds are well settled and economically better than any other
communities of the area.
7.1 The Baigas
The Baiga populous live in Mandla, Dindori, Balaghat, Sarguja and Bilaspar districts and the
hilly zones of Amarkantak. This area spans from eastern Satpuras till the Maikal hills covered
with dense Sal trees. The habitats of all the Baigas is on the banks of the river or by the side of
nullah, wells and ponds.
7.2 The Gonds

On the banks of Narmada, one can find the settlements of the Gond tribe, the largest tribe in
central India. Poetry has been a passion for this tribe since time immemorial. Being the
descendants of the rulers of the 14th century they have contributed at large to the heritage of the

state. The onset of the 18th century however saw the besprinkling of the tribe. Today, their
primary occupation is agriculture. They have a knack of making bamboo and cane products and
metal crafts, which form an important place in the traditional handicrafts. The official language
of the Gond tribe is Gondi, which is similar to Tamil and other Dravidian languages. The sub-
tribe of this community is the Bastar community that has created a benchmark for itself in
making traditional jewellery and ornaments for the tribes. Madai is their traditional dance.
Understanding the lifestyle, rituals, myths, architecture of these tribes should provide insights
into a culture that is so protected yet so rich.
8. Occupation
The preliminary research for understanding occupations along a river was quite a difficult task.
Apart from the usual occupations of fishing and boating, we also got a lot of information about
tour guides, tourism and sand mining. The Narmada valley is brimming with both foreign and
domestic tourists who come to pay respects to Narmada Ma. This is identified as an opportunity
for Tour Guides and Holy Men to earn an income by providing historical information, myths and
folk tales in an unprecedented entertaining manner about the Narmada. The occupation is
considered to be one of pride and honour which stems out from the relationship between the
Narmada and the people. This job is passed on from generation to generation and few people
have the privilege to become a Tour Guide. Holy men and persons who have been residing next
to the river all their lives and are devoted believers of her; perform rituals for the tourists who
come to worship the Narmada for a nominal fee or are offered alms which could be monetary or
non-monetary in form of Dakshina (offerings out of religious respects).
Tourism is a major industry in the valley. Most of the cities and towns we visited, tourism was a
dominant factor because of the sheer number of people that come there every year to worship the
river. This gives rises to many occupations such as retail shops which sell either souvenirs or
items of religious importance and significance. These shops are often sold out during the melas
(festivals).
The banks of the river are rich in minerals and sand. When the water levels are low, large
deposits of sand are found. Sand mining is one of the best and most exploitative businesses.
Many contracts are given out by the government and private organizations to acquire this natural

resource besides the illegal mining that takes place due to the lack of vigilance which provides a
lucrative earning opportunity. This leads to a large area of the river bed being destroyed.
The Narmada is a perennial river that aides the agrarian economy of the region. The crops that
are commonly grown are jowar, bajra and rice since they are most suitable to be grown in the
region too. The farming in the region along the river is not done on a large scale and most of the
farming is usually subsistence farming. The farmers get all the water that they need from the
river, but are often subject to floods and overflowing of the river.

Chapter 3 - Primary Data
The primary data collected is in the form of videos, interviews, photographs, audio and visual
recordings. The different towns, temples, towers, people, village and life were recorded in over
nine hours of video interviews, two hours of audio recordings and a thousand pictures. We have
attempted to include the most relevant of those interviews in this section.
1. Rationale
The sample of our interviews ranged from Members of the Parliament to local authorities, from
authors to Rishis to the common man. The reason behind this carefully selected sample was
simple; we wanted a truly diverse perspective on everything we wished to explore. We chose to
interview the members of parliament because they would portray a very political perspective, the
local authorities to get a much focussed local perspective. The author we chose to meet was
because he would negate any biases that we would have formed and the common man, because
he is the most important part of any project undertaken in India.
2. Interviews
2.1 List of Interviews
Government officials Locals Rishi's Other Scholar
Mr. Anil Dave - MP Ashutosh Mishra Ittalgirri Mr.Sumeet - Director Nav

Bharat
Mr. Vijay Singh - MLA NitinAvasti „mata‟elinGosawmi Dr.Vegad
Pt. GirijaShanker Sharma Ankush Mishra Shiv Charan Das Dr.Chaurasia

- MLA Yadav
Pralad Patel SohrabSoni Ramaji Baba Sarpanch
MLA Amarkantak KartikNamdev Ramdev Baba - Head PrasanaDubey

Priest

Sarpanch ShrilalChande Sitaram baba Dr. Uma Shankar Chobey
Villagers Blind man at the main Kalyandas baba

temple
Mr LakhanRai Priest at the main

temple
Watermelon Seller Mohan mahara
Villagers
Ramesh guide
Kid Diver
Married Woman
Gambling Kid
Diver
Interview of marble
artifacfs
Fossil guide
Narmada Gramin Bank
Gond Tribe Woman
Rikshaw guy - Abdul
Boatman at rangrajghat
ShrilalChande
Manmohan Singh –
MPF

FIGURE 0-1 GROUP MEMBERS INTERVIEWING BAIGAS
2.2 Interviews
2.2.1 Anil Madhav Dave
Member of Parliament, RajyaSabha.
Themes: Parikrama, religion, and the environment.
Student: Sir, you have written a book of your travel along the river in a raft, why did you decide
to travel in a boat, what was the reason?
Dave: I used to fly a Cessna aircraft, so first I took the flight in a Cessna 173 and took an entire
round of the Narmada from Amarkantak to Bharuch. The first journey I had was just to explore,
see and feel what river is and what should happen, how to understand it and what it means. After
that I travelled in a raft and now I have started on foot as the Narmada is the only river in the
world which has parikrama (path) and there is only one path/ route, it is not a path by car or
airplane or raft. If you want to go on the path / parikrama then go on foot.
I would request all of you also to walk along the river for a couple of days (everyone laughs) and
at least sleep with Narmada for 2 days. Sleep with mother Narmada. Have two three mornings
and two three evenings sitting at the bank of Narmada. Then you will develop chemistry between
yourself and river Narmada. It is completely relative. It can happen with me and not happen with
you. It can happen with you and not happen with you (pointing at a couple of students). You

yourself have to feel it. Feel that. That is satisfying. Otherwise it is just copy, cut and paste.
Anyone can do it. If you really want to discover Narmada walk along with it, walk on foot, don‟t
worry, you will end up doing two less things, but you won‟t end up hungry, someone or the other
will come and give you food. And forget the lion even a tiger won‟t come to hurt you. There is
nothing to be scared of because river Narmada herself is present to protect you. It‟s a living
body. She is living, if you are in the right state of mind she might even talk to you. And it is said
that whoever does the journey gets direction in their life. So, this is said in mythology, I have not
got it but it must be giving because so many people say it.
During my journey in the raft at many points I used to feel that I am in some other planet. You
can feel that because there are no electricity polls, no mobile signal, and no mechanical sound. If
you switch off the engine of your raft there is no sound. There is complete silence. There is just
water, mountains, forests and you and the birds. You cannot even see another human being. So
for some time you start getting scared. This is the specialty and beauty of river Narmada, that is
why one should feel and understand it and you must have for sure done some good thing in your
life, if not this then some previous life, otherwise you would not have been involved in this
subject. You would have done something else either in Kerala or somewhere in the Himalayas
but if you are here, that you are going to discover the river Narmada it means that it is destiny,
there is something, or someone wants to give you something.
Student: Sir, the people who live on the banks of Narmada and those who do not; have you seen
any difference?
Dave: There is a difference. If I come to you in a metro city you will not offer me dinner or
anything but if you walk along the river Narmada on foot (pad yatra) you are not going to sleep
without food. This is the difference. Someone will come to you and ask „Have you eaten
something?‟ „Are you a traveller?‟ „Will you eat our handmade food?‟ If you say no we won‟t
then he will give you flour, pulses (Dal) and will say sit here and make it - that is the difference.
When I was travelling by raft, I have written in my travels that we were not getting a route, it
was a very rocky area and we had to go to Shahadganj and would not be able to reach; there we
saw a boat (Dhongi), in which there was a man and wife, their sleeping arrangements, there was
a sigadi and when we took our raft close to them, do you know the first sentence &
communication which we had? The first sentence he said was „Baatikhalosaab‟ (have some roti

sir). And we said no we need to find our way, but this you will find only there that before saying
hello they think that this is a traveller he will be hungry so give him some water and roti. And in
his boat there was one stove, one bed and few vessels and that‟s all, all that was his property.
This is the river‟s culture and it is very important/ necessary to understand this culture. You may
be high profile, page 3, a Politician, very stylish, with very advanced systems, which even I use
but I am far behind in being a human being like that society and that fisherman. Because he is
much better than I am because for me to tell someone please have some roti, I will have to think
3 -4 times but he did not even think once. And this is India. Otherwise someone from outside
will say, my daughter is coming, we have not made lunch but it is ok because she will pack a
burger for herself and come. This is the cultural difference that you asked me about- what
difference is there? But will also be there in many other places in India, but a person living along
the banks of Narmada has something called as „sadavrat‟, everyman in every village uses that
„sadavrat‟ –„Sadavrat dena hai na mia‟ (we will have to give you sadavrat) even a farmer with
only 2 acre land will keep aside little wheat and dal from his share for the travellers. He will
definitely give a part from his share, 2 handfuls of Dal and few cups of flour and say there you
can make some dal and roti and you can get up in the morning and continue on your journey.
This is the river‟s culture. This river attracts everyone, even a boy living in Kerala who after
growing up feels that he should go to Unkaleshwar, Guru Shankaracharya from Kerala came all
the way from there to study on foot. I have seen that this river attracts a lot of intellectuals. This
is the basic difference, if your thoughts are good then Narmada will attract you not if your
thoughts are bad then you do things like drinking on the banks of Narmada. I am not saying no to
drinks. I am saying no to drinking and swimming.
Student: There are a lot of tribal‟s living along the banks of Narmada, have you had any
interactions with them?
Dave: This is the only river around which 80 – 90% tribes from the mountains live. There are
maximum numbers of tribes on both its side. And every tribe looks at the river with a different
angle. Some say it‟s a small baby, some say she is a young lady, some say no she is an old lady
„bhudi mahila‟ , they call her „bhudi mai‟ , some say she is mother of million sons and daughters,
she is a mother „Ma‟.
Student: What happens in the river festival?

Dave: In the river festival those who are working on the conservation of river Narmada or any
other river, they come together, this time we had the representation of more than 30 rivers out of
that 4 were from abroad and we had a representation of 19 foreign citizens from almost 8
countries and from India we had a representation of almost 700 and something. They have a
cultural program, whole day we have a seminar. We live on the bank of the river Narmada near
Hoshangabaad. So this we do there, this was the 2nd one, and you are invited for the 3rd one.
Student: So you actually stay on the banks of the river?
Dave: Not only do we stay there but we also make the conference hall in such a way that whole
day one can see Narmada, it is transparent from 3 sides because it is said that is it of great
importance to have a look at Narmada. To see Narmada, that is enough, like in Ganga, it is
important to take a bath, the same way just to look at Narmada is of importance.
Student: They say that once they have had the parikrama it has quite a big impact on their life,
like their lives suddenly become positive, is it psychological or is it actual, because a lot of
people have said that once the parikrama is over they feel a positive impact.
Dave: I think it is very common with not only the parikrama but also with the rest of the world..
If you go to the mountains, if you go to the forest, if you go near the sea shore, if you go and
remain close to nature you automatically become positive. It is the natural way of happening. So,
when you keep on walking along the banks of the river for months together naturally it is going
to bring a change to your life because it is the way of life in society which makes you think
negatively.
Dave: Now if you keep a plate on the gas and put butter what will happen?
What is the impact of Narmada on the people who are living around her? What about the people,
it is their life, what is the impact of the mother on the child. It is interrelated and 100 %
dependent. I think that Narmada as what I saw and felt is more important. Because the
civilization we are talking about, they are there only, people who live in Himalaya will have an
impact there or Himalayas will have an impact on that person, he is born there and he is going to
die there, therefore it is his life and not an impact. There is an impact from the visiting professor,
which impact a father cannot have. A father is a father, it is the visiting professor who has an
impact because he comes, teaches for 2 hours and goes, and then we can see did he have a good

impact or a bad impact. I feel you should also look at how Narmada is related to the
environment, river conservation, water conservation and global warming. If you connect all this
it will be a good idea and in that how and what the people living around Narmada are doing for
her conservation. Because the river to which you pray, you put your entire garbage in that itself,
so basically you are polluting. On the banks of Ganga all those people who keep saying „Ma‟ are
the people who pollute it the most. People living around Narmada pollute it the most. This is the
picture.
The basic thing is this that the villages around Narmada and you notice, the tribes don‟t pollute
the river, the people of Jabalpur do, Bhopal, people from Indore go to Narmada for picnics, leave
bottles and wrappers. Once I told a person when I was travelling, he was having a chewing gum
which he threw in the water, I asked them if they knew that, the chewing gum which went into
the water, the fish which eats it will die, because the fish cant bite it will get stuck. But that child
who was there with me from Indore said, "I am sorry I made a mistake after today I won‟t do it
again." But if you take any tribal there and ask them to spit in the river they won‟t.
2.2.2 Vijay Singh
Member of Legislative Assembly
Theme: Government, Occupations.
Student: Sir what are the measures that the Nagarpalika has taken to ensure the protection of the
River Narmada?
MLA: The Nagarpalika has decided to divert the waste water from the city to a holding pond
where it will be filtered and treated and then released into the river. This will prevent pollution
of the river. Polythene, this country‟s biggest problem is the primary reason for the pollution of
rivers. I firmly believe that till the use of polythene is not stopped, pollution in the rivers cannot
be controlled. We have taken measures to control this, but we need the support of the public.
Student: Sir, the people living on the riverbanks, the adivasis; their lives are dependent on the
River Narmada as well?
MLA: See, all the adjoining farming sectors are dependent on the River Narmada. This directly
reaps benefits for the adivasis and the other people. The water level of the Narmada is around
150 feet so there is plenty of water for the people living on the banks and for the community too.

There are lots of rivers which are drying up and trees are being felled. And all of us are not
aware of the fact that the high temperatures which we are experiencing right now is due to
deforestation. The Government has started a project called „Hairyali Chutki‟ along the banks of
the River Narmada. In every sector at a distance of 1 or 2 kilometres, organizations will plant
trees. This is being done to ensure that there is no shortage of water. When the trees grow, their
roots hold the soil and help retain water in the soil. And when there is excess water, the trees
drain it out to the river.
Student: Sir, I would like to know what all are the occupations in Hoshangabaad which are
connected to the river?
MLA: The people of Hoshangabaad try very hard to keep the river clean. Organizations help
clean up the plastic bags and such organizations are school based, social service groups, the
Nagarpalika and so on.
Student: The water for whole village of Hoshangabaad is supplied by the River Narmada itself?
MLA: Not directly. However, the river helps keep the water level high and thus using bore wells
we use this water. The water levels are high here due to the river.
Student: In Hoshangabaad, how many people are dependent on the River Narmada for their daily
bread and butter and for their business?
MLA: Well, there will be hundreds and thousands of people, especially from the Machli
community, whose occupation is fishing. But there are certain areas where fishing is prohibited.
Due to the fishes, the pollution is kept under check as well. So, there are thousands of people
who benefit from the river. There are orchards on the bank of the river as well. The river
generates employment for lacks of people. When you will go and see, on the banks of the river
there are „wadis‟ where people plant fruits and vegetables generating more employment.
Student: What are the future plans for the River Narmada?
MLA: Right now, the general population of the city does not receive water from the River
Narmada. However, there is a project underway where in the water from the River Narmada will
be filtered and supplied to the whole city to reduce the dependency on bore wells. Due to the
excessive use of bore wells, the water table has gone down in some parts. With this project, the
bore wells will not be over used and the work on the filtration plants is already on.

2.2.3 Ramdev Baba
Head Priest of Sethani Ghat Temple
Theme: Religion, dam and environment.
Student: What are the rituals performed and what are the beliefs of the people with respect to the
River Narmada?
Priest: We have 18 „Purans‟. One of them is the Skandh Puran. There is a mention of River
Narmada in Agni Puran, Pal Puran and so on. But in Skandh Puran, there is a whole chapter
called Reva Khand. In this chapter it is mentioned how the river was born and what were the
blessings given. There are about 3000 shlokas where this is described. Narmada is the daughter
of Shiv. She resides at the Amarkantak Mountain. Now on the north banks of the river are the
Vindhyachal Mountains and on the south banks are the Satpuras Mountains. It flows between
these two ranges. Amarkantak is the birth place of the river. Now, Ganga and Yamuna are fed by
melting snow. If you visit the birth place of the River Narmada, you will see only a small stream.
Then the stream disappears. After a kilometre and a half, we come to Narmada Kund, where the
stream appears again. Then after another 6 kilometres, it falls over the mountain. Also, the River
Narmada flows during the Pralay Kal when other rivers like the Ganga and Yamuna stopped
flowing. This is written in the Puranas only. Now, I will give you some scientific information as
well. Around 25 years ago, a geological survey was done of the River Narmada when Mrs. Indira
Gandhi was the Prime Minister of India. This was done because the World Bank was funding a
dam project on the River. The survey report I have read. There they have written the Narmada
Valley is the oldest valley in the world. The Puranas say that as well. That is why the scientists
said that if these big dams are built on the River Narmada, it can lead to dangerous consequences
because of earthquakes. So, River Narmada was born from Shiva. When Shiva was meditating at
Amarkantak Mountain, on behest of the other gods when his Third Eye opened and a tear fell.
This gave rise to a beautiful woman. Then He gave her many blessings. All the rocks in the river
will be „Shiv lings‟. In Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, a lot of temples have Shiv lings from
the Narmada River. One of the blessings given to River Narmada is that she will have greater
importance than even the River Ganges or Yamuna. She is unmarried. All the rest are married.
Like the vehicle of the God Yamuna is the tortoise, the vehicle of God Narmada is the crocodile.

There are many references in the Puranas. I will tell you one more thing which I have
experienced in my life.
2.2.4 Girija Shankar Sharma
Member of Legislative Assembly, Hoshangabad
Theme: Government, Occupation
Student: Hoshangabaad is a big city. We have seen many ghats here. So I would like the impact
of these ghats on the cultural identity of the city. Is Hoshangabaad synonymous with these ghats?
MLA: These ghats are over 100 years old. Now Hoshangabaad has had its fair share of floods.
But the architecture of these ghats is still good. In 1926, 1964, 1999 we had heavy floods when
the city was inundated with water. In spite of these, the ghats are still standing. It is a marvel of
engineering. If you see the ghats built on the other big rivers, within 5 to 10 years you will see
cracks and breaks in the walls. But it is more important to note that when these ghats were built,
the inspiration behind it was the Deputy Commissioner who was here during the British Raj. It
was his idea. Devotees have been coming to Hoshangabaad for decades. Even 120 years ago
there used to be a lot of devotees who used to gather here during Amavasya and Sankranti. This
prompted the British Government and the Deputy Commissioner to build these ghats. This
clearly shows the respect and the love we have for the rivers in India. Now, if we love the river
we will respect it. If we respect it we will keep it clean. This will ensure the purity of the river.
But now-a-days industrial sewage and sewage from the city are all dumped into the river. First
we had respect for the river, so the river used to be clean. Earlier there used to be few people on
the banks of the river, but now there are cities which are located all along the banks. But the
respect for the river remains. But now the respect for the river is shown just by doing a puja,
taking a dip in the river and that‟s the end of it. People have forgotten, what comes before a puja
and after it. First we have to remember this.
Student: You spoke of industrial pollutants released into the river. Are there any initiatives or
efforts taken by the Government to curb this?
MLA: Now, our Government has started public awareness campaigns. There is the National
River Conservative Plan under which the cities situated on the banks of the River Narmada, there
will be sewage treatment and waste water treatment plans developed. This treated water can be

used again. These plans are in the pipeline. Now for industrial effluents, our Government has set
up a Pollution Control Board. But, it has not been very effective. Here in Hoshangabaad there
aren‟t many industries. The rest of the industries which are situated elsewhere, release industrial
effluents into the river through nullahs and small channels. But we do not have an effective
control over it. The machinery here is totally corrupt and thus we cannot control the pollution.
But still, the Government is very aware of the pollution problem.
Student: What about River Conservation? A lot of deforestation has occurred in Madhya
Pradesh. What about this?
MLA: Yes, this has been discussed. Now, we have taken up the concept of Hairyali Chutki. This
means that large scale planting of trees will be carried out on the river banks. Right from
Amarkantak all the way down. This is a part of the plan. This is beneficial for the health of the
river. The roots of the trees hold the soil together, thus holding water. This prevents soil erosion.
Trees help hold back rain water as well. It maintains the rainfall in the region. This is why it is
important.
Student: Do you think the Government alone can do this?
MLA: No, the Government alone cannot do this. That‟s why we have started awareness
campaigns to spread the awareness of this among the people. We are even having a River
Festival on the banks of the River Narmada. This is done basically to ensure greater interaction
among the think tank on the River Narmada.
Student: According to you around Hoshangabaad, are there any serene beautiful villages. The
ones which the general public do not visit?
MLA: There are many villages on the river bank. But these are in the interiors. There is nothing
much to see here. What you really want to see I think is the real culture of the villages here. But
now people from the cities and the villages have inter mingled a lot. There is a diffusion of
culture and behaviour now. As you see in big cities, the same is happening here too unless you
want to see the tribal villagers who have maintained their culture distinctly.
Student: Sir, what is the effect of the River Narmada on the occupation of the people of
Hoshangabaad?

MLA: Well, for all those people who come to the ghats to offer gifts to the River Narmada, the
manufacturing of the agarbattis, the sweets, the prashad is dependent on the river itself. Indirect
employment is generated in this way. Besides this there isn‟t much economic activity in
Hoshangabaad. There is one small unit called Security Paper Mills. But that is running into
losses for a long time now. We have to import more paper than it produces. There are no more
industries as such here.
Student: Is sand mining done here in Hoshangabaad? We have heard it is carried out on the River
Narmada.
MLA: Yes that is a big industry. The river has 2 banks. The one at Hoshangabaad, sand mining
is carried out. Also, there is another place called Tawa, close by where it is carried out. The
industry is worth Rs. 100 crores. The major bulk comes from Hoshangabaad.
Shri Amrit Lal Vegad
Author and Parikramawasi
Theme: Parikrama, experience and art.
Student: People say that just to see the river is to be blessed by it. I would like to know how
many times you have circumnavigated the river?
Author: I have done it once completely and the second time I did it halfway. But during the
second time I also visited the tributaries of the river. There was a „Markande Rishi‟ who when
circumnavigated the Narmada, did not ignore a single tributary. If the tributary came in the way
of his travels, he went around that river too. This took him 14 years to complete. Today, if
anyone does the same travel it is called the Markande Parikrama. There we do not cross a single
river, we go around it completely; we do not miss out on a single ghat.
Student: How many people undertake this Parikrama? The whole 14 years?
Author: I have met only 1 person who had completed 13 years out of his 14 years of travel
around the river. I met him in Hoshangabaad at PataiGhat. The next day was AkshayTritiya and
hence there were 25 communal weddings which were going to be held. The whole cost was
borne by the ashram. The ceremonies were going on and on that day I met that person

Student: The River Narmada is a beautiful river. Can you tell us any one place or any one ghat
which is the most beautiful which you like a lot?
Author: The most beautiful are the Marble Rocks on the River. When during the monsoons the
river is in full flow, the view is majestic. After that the River becomes very still and is very wide.
Here we get to see both her violent mood near the Marble Rocks and her placid mood later on.
And this we get to see very close to each other. The Marble Rocks make it even more beautiful.
Another place was on the border of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat called Sushpat. There are sheer
cliffs through which the river flows. There is not a soul in sight. There are not even big trees. If
you go alone, you are likely to be looted by the Adivasis.
Student: Sir, what is the real story behind the Parikrama? How did it start?
Author: According to Hindu mythology, the first Parikrama was done by Markande Rishi. This is
mythology not an established fact. Even I do not know when and how this started. But according
to me, it is not more than 250 years old. The Gauri Shankar Maharaj has his final resting place
near Hoshangabaad. He and his disciples really promoted this. They used to go on the parikrama
with an entire entourage of camels and horses and over 100 people. They encouraged this. But
historical documents do not make a mention of the parikrama. That‟s why I feel it‟s around only
250 years old. But now thousands of people participate. Kalidas had a beautiful thought keeping
the rain in mind; the Meghdoot. Every one appreciated it. Another poet had a beautiful thought
of another topic. Now after the Narmada leaves Amarkantak, after a couple of kilometres
originates the Son River. Now Son flows towards the north and the Narmada flows towards the
south very close to each other. So the poet says that the Son River is considered to be a male.
There are 3 male rivers, the Brahma Putra, The Son Bhadra and the Sindhu. So the poet spins a
tale of how the 2 rivers, the Son and the Narmada, used to love each other since childhood, they
were going to get married. But eventually, Narmada was heartbroken and she started to flow
towards the south. And Son went towards the north. She is a virgin and hence she is pure. That is
why her Parikrama is done. This thought influenced the people so much that thousands of people
started following it.
Student: Why did you decide to do the Parikrama of the river?
Author: I had decided to travel from Jabalpur to Mandla on foot. I did not decide to go on the
Parikrama. The distance from Jabalpur to Mandla is 100 kilometers and when we went on the

voyage, the dam was not even built. Only its foundations were dug. We actually entered the
foundation of the dam and then proceeded ahead. That is 1977. I had decided only to go all the
way to Mandla following the river bank closely. Now, if you go by bus it takes 3 hours. We took
15 days on foot. We enjoyed the natural surroundings of the river and we moved on slowly. It
was very tranquil. And this parikrama which I undertook was not religious in nature. I have
mentioned in my book it was cultural in nature. It was done to understand the people, the art and
the daily lives of the people here. I made various sketches out of which I prepared this collage.
We enjoyed that so much that the next year in 1978, we went from Mandla to Amarkantak. Since
the journey till Mandla earlier was so enjoyable, we decided to press on and go ahead. And in
doing so, we walked all around and reached back to Jabalpur. So this parikrama was undertaken
to understand art, the people, the culture and for my own mental happiness. There was no
religious motive to this parikrama.
Student: Tell us something about the culture of the River Narmada and why is it so different
from the other rivers?
Author: The number of settlements found on the River Narmada is not found anywhere else.
There are so many indigenous tribes like the Gonds and the Baigas. This is because these tribals
prefer to stay in the forests. So we got the chance to see them. Between the 2 parikramas, 25
years had passed. So what difference did I see in 25 years? I saw that the tribal paintings on their
walls have disappeared. The folk songs and the folk dance which we could see have all but
disappeared. Their outfits are no longer traditional. So, these tribal are losing their identity. They
are losing their culture. But realize that the culture is connected to the very soul where as the
physical identity is connected to the body. This physical presence makes sure you are physically
comfortable. All the creature comforts, luxuries, medicines and so on are only for the physical
self. To ensure that you‟re physical self is hale and hearty. But for the soul, culture is important.
It is sad but it is true that modernism is slowly pushing the traditional cultures of such tribal
societies into the background and it is being destroyed. This is the change I have seen. It is truly
sad to see an entire culture being destroyed due to the onslaught of modern thoughts and
practices. At Amarkantak, during Diwali, lady had drawn rangoli in beautiful patterns in the
traditional way. Now I get to see modern patterns which do not even have a color scheme. I have
even sketched these patterns. Buhundel is a tributary of the River Narmada. It is not a broad
river, but it is very deep. So we could not enter it and cross it. There was a small boat in which

only 1 person could come and so one by one all 6 of us were transported across the river. Then
came the turn of our luggage and the boat person commented that we are taking so much luggage
along with us, but where is the real luggage? Where is your musical instrument? What he meant
is that, in all our modern glitz and glamour we have lost touch with our traditional songs and
dances and our art. This really touched our hearts. In the same way, why have you all come to
me? You did not see my house and then decided to come to me. There was something very deep
which you wanted to ask me and therefore you are here. But very few people truly are in touch
with their inner self. They restrict themselves to their physical self. People have forgotten that we
have an inner soul as well. This is called materialism which is rampant now. What comes from
outside is information and what comes from within is knowledge. All your universities can only
give you information, what comes from within is knowledge. But remember, information is not
everything. Knowledge is completely different which you will learn as and when you grow up.
Student: Now when it comes between Ganga and the Narmada, you definitely like the Narmada
more. Is there any reason for this? What is the difference?
Author: It is human nature to always have the river flowing closest to his home as his favorite. It
can be the smallest of the rivers flowing through his village. Now since we stay on the banks of
the Narmada River, it is our favourite. Now if we were staying on the banks of the Ganges, it
would be our favourite. If we were staying on the banks of the Tapi River, it would be our
favourite. One advantage which we have got is that only for the Narmada River is the parikrama
undertaken. This is an important benefit I received. And I did this parikrama in parts.
Student: Of all the rivers in the world, why the River Narmada?
Person: It is the only river in the world that has a parikrama. That is why it is unique
Guest: Of all the countries in the world, why did she choose India?
Person: A person called Suhas Limaye from Pune came here after the parikrama. And I asked
him how his experience was. He said that the forests at Nagarkot, there are 2 paths. One will lead
you to Omkareshwar in a day‟s time. The other road will take a couple of days. Now this path is
no longer there. It is submerged. He told me that he just kept walking without a sense of time
since he did not have a watch. He was lost in the jungle. So he started chanting the hymns of the
River Narmada. After a while a person dressed in the holy robes came along and started walking

with him. After another 10-15 miles, he said, “Climb on that rock and you will see the River.”
By the time he climbed on the rock, the other person had all but disappeared. I became so
emotional that tears escaped my eyes. I could not see anything in front of me, he said. A lot of
people later told him that this phenomenon happens frequently where the River Spirit guides the
people through the forest. Suhas was a Regional Manager in a Bank and he has written a book.
There is always the case when the travellers are lost and there are 2 paths in front, someone or
the other comes along to guide the person.
2.2.5 Dr.Chaurasiya
An eminent figure working for the Baiga community.
Theme: Tribes
Dr.Chaurasia: It is very beautiful. There was a dense cover of forests there. 30 years ago, they
used to see us and run away in fright. After the British Era, no one has worked with this
community. In this state, all the other communities have developed besides the Baiga. The
reason behind this is that the people from the Baiga community do not let outsiders near
themselves. They have a different world.
Student: What did you learn about them at such a close distance?
Dr.Chaurasia: They are very innocent. The biggest thing is that they would like to be the way
they are.
Student: What is their primary occupation?
Dr.Chaurasia: Fishing is one. There is no reason for them to have an occupation. They get what
they want from the forest. The clothes they wear are made by another tribal community. Every
woman has a couple of sarees and the men wear loin cloths. The only thing they need is salt, for
which they come to the market. Everything else, their crops etc. they sell if they want to. Even
their style of agriculture is different. They just spread the seeds on a patch of land and different
crops grow. Corn, Maize and so on for example. They used to clear the forest and use fire to
clear it. The reason is that they will not use the plough on Mother Earth. It is akin to injuring her.
They believe that they are the first men on the Earth; the Baigas. If you look at the different tribal
communities, then the Baigas are doctors. So the work of a Baiga is centred on health, for the
Gor it is agriculture and for the Palika is to make clothing. It is handmade cloth.

Student: After all the urbanization, do you think the Baiga tribe will still exist?
Dr.Chaurasia: For their progress there are steps being taken. But they themselves do not
understand progress. Crores of rupees have been spent on them. But I have a feeling that the
Government themselves do not want them to progress. Their number one evil is alcohol. The
Government has given them the license to manufacture alcohol. Every house is making alcohol.
To help them progress you have to help them overcome alcohol. Anyone visiting them greets
them with a drink. They do not understand good or bad.
Student: On the internet I have read an article in which it was mentioned that the Baigas were
the first to paint the aliens.
Dr.Chaurasia: There is nothing like that. They do not have any art of any kind. No paintings as
such.
Student: Sir, what is their population?
Dr.Chaurasia: Around a lakh and a half.
Student: Do they have a barter system of economy or they use normal currency?
Dr.Chaurasia: They use money. Earlier they used to have the barter system.
Student: So they are not greedy for money. They only have to buy salt and they grow their own
vegetables.
Dr.Chaurasia: They do not keep money with them. They have no need. There is one person, a
moneylender in the village with whom they keep the money. They take it from them when they
want.
Student: Do they have a particular philosophy of life?
Dr.Chaurasia: They treat the tiger as their brother. They treat him as a member of the family.
They keep water outside the village for the tigers.
Student: The Baigas have a lot of tattoos.
Dr.Chaurasia: Yes the baigas have a lot of tattoos.
Student: Do a lot of people come to meet you with respect to the tribes?

Dr.Chaurasia: Yes a lot of people come. Even Rahul Gandhi had come. V Shantaram had come.
AmolPalekar, PrakashJha, AshutoshRana all of them have come.
Student: Deforestation is happening on a large scale now. Does it have any effect on these
people?
Dr.Chaurasia: To cut these trees, they employ Baigas only.
Student: Why don‟t the medicines come out to the public?
Dr.Chaurasia: That‟s because they hardly interact with them.
Student: Do they want to meet or not?
Dr.Chaurasia: They will not give you the ingredients for their medicines. But they will give you
the medicine. Once I had to go to Delhi and my wife had an asthma problem. I had to take a
party to Delhi and I told them that I cannot come as my wife has a bad attack of asthma. They
said we will give a medicine to cure her asthma and till date she hasn‟t had a relapse of the same.
2.2.6 Ex-Sarpanch of Mandla
Theme: Mandla district, tribes and science.
Student: Do you think the nature of the people along the banks of the river is good because of the
water of the river? Like the way people help the ones who are on the parikrama of the River
Narmada?
Sarpanch: See, this is the only river in India, whose parikrama is undertaken. In the olden times
there was excess snow in northern India and travelling to Badrinath and Kedarnath and such
places was very difficult. In those times in the center of India, Amarkantak was the one place
where people used to come in religious fervour to pay their respects and used to undertake the
parikrama lasting 3 years. These people used to not even take a bath in the river. They used to
collect water in a bucket and take a bath on the shores. This is been happening for centuries.
People have gained tremendous benefits by doing this parikrama. In South India, till the time a
person does not experience the River Narmada, he was not considered to be a saint.
AdiShankaracharya who stayed in Shingeri only got the title of Shankaracharya after he was
blessed by the River Narmada. Even Dyaneshwar and all great saints have prayed and
experienced the River Narmada, after which they got their due respect.

Student: You mentioned that lightning strike from the skies gave birth to the River Narmada;
whereas some people say it was born from the sweat of Lord Shiva.
Sarpanch: See, in the Purans various stories are written. In the Mahabharata, it is written that
Lord Shiva on his own came down to Amarkantak to give birth to the river. The Baiga people
here follow the footsteps of Lord Shiva even today. They wear only one loin cloth around
themselves and spend their lives. It is said that every pebble in the river is like a Shiv Ling. Even
today, the tribal population prefers to stay in the forests around the river. They have few needs
and wants. They live of the forest and they hunt. They grow few crops and spend their lives.
They still live primitive lives.
Student: Can you tell us something about the parikramavasis and their connection with the river?
Sarpanch: They treat the river like a Goddess and like their mother. They consider the water of
the river pure and thus they stay along the river banks for this very reason.
Student: We have visited 5 or 6 places and we have noticed that wherever there is Shiv temple,
there is another one dedicated to Goddess Durga as well.
Sarpanch: If you see traditionally in India, we have had 2 kinds of devotees; one who used to
worship Lord Vishnu and the other Lord Shiva. In the south, the people used to worship Lord
Shiva and the people from North India used to worship the Lord Vishnu. This gave rise to the
Dravidian and the Aryan races in India. Lord Ram was a devotee of Lord Vishnu. He used to
worship the sun. The people south of Narmada used to worship Lord Shankar and Adi
Shankaracharya has tried to make the devotees of Lord Shiva in the south meet the devotees of
Lord Vishnu in the north. That is why Lord Ram went to Rameshwar to establish Lord Shiva and
said that, the devotees of Lord Shiva are no less than my devotees. In the same way Adi
Shankaracharya has tried to bring these two groups together and that has been the biggest
achievement of his life. He established a temple where the idols of Durga, Ganesh, Shiva and
Vishnu were present in one temple. He said that worship the God, which you want and leave the
rest. He carried out this work in the 9th century itself. Manganmeshwar, who was a resident of
Bihar, was a learned scholar and he was devotee of Kali and of Vishnu. He used to believe in the
practice of service to others. He said that he had faith in devotion. He was one of India‟s most
learned men. Adi Shankaracharya thus started the temple with five Gods residing in it. He also
preached the concept of a single religion which had all the Gods and established the four dhams;

at Badrinath, Rameshwaram, and Dwarka and at JagannathPuri. He preached from these 4
dhams. He struggled to unite the country as one.
Student: Why do the people worship the river? Is it because it flows in the east-west direction?
Or is it because they depend on it for their livelihood? Is there any other reason?
Sarpanch: See in northern India, the Ganges Plains which are formed are recent. Earlier in
Southern India the Satpuras and the Vidhyachal were known together as the Vindhyachal and
there were settlements here. These settlements predate the settlements on the Ganges plains.
There are 3 names to the River Ganges. Till Haridwar, it is called Alaknanda. After Haridwar till
Patna, it is known as The Ganges and after Patna it is called Padmaja. At Patna, the Son River
meets the Ganges and at the point of confluence, it is wider than the Ganges. We have been
taught in Geography that the Son River meets the Ganges. In reality, it is the Ganges that meets
the Son River. The Son River has been in existence before the River Ganges. This is the reason
why Bhagirath tried a lot as his reign was around Ayodhya, he was the ruler of Suryavansh and
he saw that the water locked away in the ice is of no use. He thus channeled the melting water
and thus the Ganges met the Son River at Patna. It has been said that Maharaja Sagar tried and so
did Bhagirath. The era of Maharaja Sagar was before the time if Bhagirath by around a couple of
generations. It is said that the River Ganges was brought down from the heavens to flow on the
earth. Bhagirath tried the same thing. Haridwar literally is the Gate of Heaven and Bhagirath
tried to bring the Ganges from those gates to his kingdom. Narmada is a very old river. A lot of
sanyasis used to come here especially in the Vidhyachal range near the River Narmada where
they used to rest. The olden saints like Govind Bhagwat, Adi Shankaracharya‟s teacher have
their final resting places on the banks of the River Narmada. The Kukarna Math near Dindori is
his resting place. A lot of saints have meditated on the river banks. Entire cultures have started
here right here on the banks of the river.
2.3 Rishis
2.3.1 Shrilal Chande
Age: 74 years, Birth Place: Bhopal
1. Why have you come to Hoshangabad?

I come to visit the Narmada during Amavasya and Purnima for 15 days.
2. Did you have any external motivation towards

the river Narmada?
Yes, my father participated and completed the

Parikrama. He has attained „mukti‟ and this
inspires me to follow suit.
3. Why do you prefer Narmada over other rivers? FIGURE 0-2 SHRILAL CHANDE
Let me tell you this, listen carefully. You may think this as a fable or a myth but I have
experienced it and therefore I can tell you that the Narmada grants many wishes. We all
call her our mother because she is the only river that is not married.
4. What do you feel about people cleansing themselves in the river?
Narmada is „maya‟ – when you dip yourself in Magic, you just need to close your eyes
and dip five times. There is no need of soap or any other external material. You must also
close your mouth so as not to spit into the river. You must also ensure that you do not
light lamps in the river. It is a major cause of river pollution.
5. Have you ever done the Parikrama?
Yes, in 2009 I walked 200kms from KeravGhat to Harda and from Harda – Surat –
Ankleshwar, I took a train and finally from Ankleshwar to Pedra I was on foot again. It
was a life changing experience. Everyone must, in their lifetime take part in a parikrama.
6. What does the river mean to you?
The river is what you believe it to be, what you perceive it as. For me, it is divinity.
2.3.2 „Mata‟ Elin Gosawmi
Age: 87, Birth Place: Gwalior
1. What can you tell us about the Narmada?

It is written in the old „Granthas‟ that it is „Pavitra.‟ I am a huge follower of the Vedas
and old religious texts. It has therefore generated my interest towards this river in
particular.
It is said and I have noticed that whoever stays next to the Narmada never goes unfed.
Narmada „mata‟ always takes care of them. The rivers will forever give you food, shelter
and clothing.
2. Have you ever seen the Narmada „mata‟?
Yes, the „mata‟ always comes to me in a white sari and gives me food. Also, if someone
loses their way during the course of the Parikrama, the „mata‟ guides them. Once, I was
in a cave during heavy rains. I realized after sometime that several snakes were also at
vicinity, however none of them harmed me and I slept in peace. It was just my confidence
in the Narmada „mata‟ that led me to continue to stay with the snakes that day.
3. Do you believe that the Narmada grants wishes?
Oh yes! All you have to do in close your eyes, hope and jump into the water. But, it is
important to jump into the water.
4. What does the Narmada mean to you?
It is God; whichever you may call it, in its purest form.
5. Which is the best form of Parikrama according to you?
I think it is important to go on foot, as you can travel with the beautiful curves of the
river. The riverside is absolutely breath taking. Just be aware of the sun.
2.3.3 Bhagwan Prasad Dev
Age – 64
 Namaste Sir. We are researching about the Narmada. Can you tell us something about the
river out of your years of experience?
I retired some years ago and since then I have been literally living by the river. My wife
died some years ago and the river has been my support since them. Even before, she used

to be a life giver but after that unfortunate event, I have got solace and peace by her
banks.
 Do you also bathe in the river?
Yes, in the morning I bathe and in the evening I just come and sit and look at the river. I
also chant sometimes. However I don‟t perform any poojas here on the banks.
 Is there any reason for that?
(Smiles) Everybody has their businesses to keep.
It is a very good thing that you‟ll are doing. I urge you‟ll do it with all your heart and
soul. These are the kind of things that need to be given importance to.
 Anything about the pollution that is now plaguing the river?
This pollution should be controlled. Or it is going to take away the beauty and the
richness of the river. It will be a great loss.
2.3.4 Shri Kalyandas baba
Head of Kalyan Ashram, Amarkantak
Theme: Religion
Kalyanjee: The narmada river has pauranik importance. In our Indian culture, three rivers have
an important place. Ganga, Yamuna and Sarawati. Like we consider the river Ganga as an
upasnarupa, Lord Shiva upasna is Ganga. In the form of Karma it is Yamunaji and in the form
of knowledge it is Saraswatiji. So in this way, the
sacrifice and meditation of Shiva has been
considered in the form of the River Narmada.
In the skand-purana, there are 10,000 shlokas

where they mention the greatness and fame of the
river Narmada. Apart from the Skand-puran,
Padampuran, Mahabharata and in Valmiki‟s
Ramanyan, there is mention of the river Narmada.
Assuming that the Skand-puran is right, when the FIGURE 0-3GROUP MEMBERS WITH
KALYANDAS BABA

Gods were churning the ocean of milk, (SagarManthan) first came out kalput (poison). It takes
the person towards death, by killing all desires.
Madhya Pradesh, is the centre of India. Shankarjee was flying over the Maikal Mountain ranges
and suddenly the burning sensation in his throat became less. He saw both Lords and Demons in
meditation there. The lords had left their life of happiness behind and were pursuing spiritual
ideas and the demons had become non-violent. People had left their identities here, and were all
praying. Shiva was surprised so he got down from the Sky and set up his Samadhi over there.
According to the Puranas, Lord Shiva stayed like that for 5,000 years and over time, the sweat
that was a result of this Samadhi taken up by Lord Shiva, is today called the Narmada.
This was the academic importance of the River.
Student: What is the effect of river on the people around it and those who are staying on the
banks?
Kalyanjee: This River is considered like the mother. It runs through Maharashtra, Gujarat and
Madhya Pradesh and is truly the giver of the life. People ask for forgiveness and enlightenment
on this river. In terms of behaviour, there is never a single drought on the river Narmada. This
river is one of the few remaining un-polluted rivers of India (on a comparative basis). This
reason can be explained with simple common sense. The rivers in the north Ganga and Yamuna
are hardly recognizable due to the severe amount of pollution because of the industries and
towns around it. The rivers in the south are also in a similar condition. Owing to the fact that the
Narmada has smaller towns along its banks so far, it has remained relatively less polluted.

Chapter 4 – Journeys
The journeys below are extracts and views of a student‟s perspective written in a very informal
format as they are personal notes and understandings about the Narmada and the work that was
carried on:
1. Bombay-Bhopal (via Hoshangabad) Train Journey: (The First Glimpse)
Our journey started from CST formerly known as Victoria Terminus in Mumbai. This might not
be symbolic for most people, but us as a group it was. We were undertaking a journey to a river
that was older than the Ganga and that had a very distinctive identity like Victoria Terminus,
now re-christened as CST.
The journey began on a high note and the entire group was excited and even thrilled with the
idea and prospect of having being able to travel with a river. There was a sense of restlessness
that was prevalent amongst us in the train, a restlessness that would only end with our first
glimpse of the Narmada. We were told that Narmada needed to be experienced and it is only then
that true learning would take place.
We were travelling by the Punjab Mail and had some prior inclination that our first glimpse
would be just before Hoshangabad. The time was around 8 a.m. and a few us who were awake

decided to get off at the next train station. We opened the door of the train we were welcomed
with a burst of hot humid air. There was something up ahead that caught our eyes when we
leaned out of the window, it was a big bridge. Our hearts were racing and throbbing; it would be
the first time we would see the river.
The river was not as satiated and enormous as we had assumed and thought it would be, because
of the season that we were visiting the river but nonetheless we could assume the size of the river
by looking at the various water marks on the banks of the rivers.
The river being empty had its consequences and advantages. The consequence was that this
would severely hamper the scenic beauty of the Narmada, and that this would not be an ideal
river. The advantage was that it jolted us back to reality and a harsh May Summer. It helped us
because our sky high expectations were right back to where they ought to have been.
We went back to our berths, not disappointed, not rejoicing but thinking about the river, and the
experiences that it would have to offer. We did not know where we were heading, what we
wished to be done or for that matter, if we would feel anything for the river. What we did have
was our faith and belief in our idea. It was this idea and belief that triggered the group to be more
focused on our project. We believe that as a group, it was the first sighting of the river that truly
bought us closer together.
2. Jabalpur to Amarkantak: (29th May) by car:
We woke up in the morning with the plan of visiting Gwari ghat, which was on the outskirts of
Jabalpur. We left at around 10:00 a.m. in the morning from our hotel at Jabalpur expecting a long
and tiring day ahead. We were planning on reaching Amarkantak before nightfall because of the
uncertainty of the road that lay ahead and travelling by night should always be avoidable.
Gwari ghat is considered one of the most beautiful areas and places of Jabalpur. This ghat has
one of the best locations and is visited frequently by tourists. Jabalpur is one area along the river
where there are factories along the river and it is a more commercial area that other parts of
Madhya Pradesh.

The ghat was like most other ones that we had seen both in Hoshangabad and on our way to
Jabalpur. After taking our photos and conducting a few interviews, we decided to leave for
Amarkantak. On our way the urge and love for Pizzas overcame and we stopped at a recently
opened Domino‟s store and had an extremely heavy lunch. Lunch became an informal group
meeting and we as a group discussed the future plans and discussed the places where we would
stop on our way to Amarkantak.
The journey to Amarkantak which ordinarily would take 3 hours to complete from Jabalpur, took
us 7 hours. The reason was simple. We stopped at all the places that came along the road that
were either directly or indirectly related to the Narmada. We stopped at a fossil park along the
road to Amarkantak and then eventually at Dr.Chaurasia‟s house who is considered as a leading
expert and negotiator with the Baiga tribe. We were invited into his office where we spoke for
about an hour and where we discussed the Baiga tribe their culture, their lifestyle and the impact
of the various social-cultural factors on them.
With a promise of taking us to the Baiga village, we left the Doctor‟s house and continued
onward with our journey towards Amarkantak. It was proving to be the popular adage where the
journey was more important than our destination. On the way we came across a village market
and stopped at the Narmada Grameen Bank. The Bank‟s name tells us how the effect of the river
extends even beyond activities directly or in-directly associated with the river.
Our drive from the village market till Amarkantak was uninterrupted as it was dark and there was
very poor visibility on the road. The journey ended when we reached Amarkantak and rested at
the Kalyan Ashram at Amarkantak.

Chapter 5 - Observations & Findings
The Narmada is the dynamic force that gives Madhya Pradesh its identity. Through our journey
across the central eastern part of the state, we have realized that the river has to a great extent,
given the people a rich cultural heritage, historical background and a proud livelihood. The
analysis has been divided into sections – The Religious Aspect, Occupations and Life of the
tribes. Our approach has been to track these segments of culture induced by a river.
1. The Religion of the River Narmada:
Life‟s rhythm is dictated by water and Hindus hold rivers in great reverence. India not only
nurtures the resources that nature has bestowed upon her but also worships them for the
prosperity they bring in their wake. Rivers are one such gift which is considered highly sacred
throughout the country. This is mainly because these mighty rivers have perennially been a
source of livelihood to millions of people living in areas lying along their courses. People see in
them a manifestation of divine female power.
FIGURE 0-1 THE NARMADA KUND

It is believed that life is constituted of five elements, Prithvi or Earth, Agni or Fire, Vayu or wind
Jal or water and Byom or Space without which life cannot be sustained. The Naramada is
worshipped because it is the direct perception of God to man. The importance of the river and its
role in supporting various life forms is realized by many and therefore the river is worshipped. It
is believed that the river can clean the body, mind and soul.
From our observations, we have noticed that the philosophy and the behaviour of the people here
are inter-linked. The river‟s culture as noticed today is a result of the beliefs that have been
around for generations, but again, culture is not a total reality and is in constant evolution.
Culture is always subject to change, be it near the river Narmada or someplace else.
The feeling that is prevalent around the river gives rise to an air of self-satisfaction for the people
who reside there as well as for visitors. It was interesting to observe and note that these people
show behaviour that is is self-rewarding and self-sustainable. Most human behaviour is said to
revolve around the following three aspects:
1. Value: The why, how and to what degree humans should value things, whether the thing
is a person, object or anything else.
2. Motivation :
 Intrinsic: This refers to the motivation that is driven by an interest or enjoyment in

the task itself and exists within the individual rather than relying on any external
pressure.
 Extrinsic: This comes from outside of the individual. Common extrinsic

motivations are rewards like money, grades, coercion and threat of punishment.
3. Capabilities: The ability to perform human actions.
It was noticed that the people living around the River Narmada have instilled within them
specific qualities that are prevalent only to this region such as selflessness. When on a
„Parikrama‟, the „Parikramwasis‟ start their journey without any prior thoughts about food, safety
or shelter. This is because it is a common belief which is reassured by repetitive behaviour that
people around the River Narmada are vary of the needs of the visitors and do everything in their
power to cater to those needs.

It is the value of the people residing to be helpful and selfless to the Parikramvasis. This value
has both intrinsic and extrinsic sources of motivation. Intrinsic, so as to uphold an individual‟s
personal beliefs about their own values and extrinsic in a way such that, the feedback from the
Parikramvasis to the world about the Narmada is positive in all senses. (The positive feeling
around the river, the goodness of the people, the serenity one endures during the process of the
Parikrama.)
FIGURE 0-2 SHIV LING AT BHEDAGHAT
These intrinsic and extrinsic sources of motivation help uphold the values of the people of the
river which determines the environment and therein its culture.
This created culture which is constantly in the process of evolution has an impact on the psyche
of the Parikramvasis. This is the value of the people of the Narmada, to serve its visitors in all
their glory. The motivation for living up to this value comes from the positive feedback from the
„Parikramwasis‟ about the residents of the river being giving, extremely self-less and helpful.
This causes the Parikramwasis to return to the river many a times. It is noticed that they tend to
become more positive as opposed to their behaviour before the Parikrama. This positivity in turn
could be an explanation for the Parikramvasis „doing well‟ in their lives after the Parikrama as
compared to their life before the Parikrama.
Mr. Anil Dave:

“Anyone can do it. If you really want to discover Narmada walk along with it, walk on foot, don‟t
worry, you will end up doing two less things, but you won‟t end up hungry someone or the other
will come and give you food. And forget the lion even a tiger won‟t come to hurt you”
Many explanations were given to us by various people regarding the „positive‟ feeling that is
experienced around the river. We were told that it was not only Narmada where these feelings
are felt but also other places around the world that are close to nature. Whether to the mountains,
forests or the sea shore, if one goes and remains close to nature, one automatically becomes
positive. It was noticed that the people along the river believed that a society is one that brings in
several kinds of ill feelings and contributes to negative thinking due to comparison. So, when
one leaves society and lives with nature for a long period of time, the outlook of an individual
towards life changes.
All this reinforced positivity from around the river, about people being helpful and the river
itself granting wishes for Parikramwasis encourages them in a sub-conscious way to work harder
towards their goals. The extra hard work that is put in by them itself gives rise to satisfactory
results.
However, it was not possible for us to gather information about the time period of the positivity
and the good-feeling as a result of the Parikrama.
It is seen that this process is a self-sustained and satisfactory cycle influenced by no external
factors such as money. No money is needed to complete the Parikrama, food and shelter is
provided for by the „river and people residing in its proximity.‟
The cycle is completely monitored and carried forward by the mutually rewarding and mutually
fulfilling factors of the human dynamics of positivity, satisfactory results and reinforcement of
beliefs.

Value
Capabilities Motivation
FIGURE 0-3 THE 3-WORD CYCLE
The kind of joy and happiness a tedious, strenuous walk for 3 years continuously gives is
something that cannot be expressed in words but only felt. This is what we were repeatedly told.
For the people who have undertaken the challenge of the parikrama, the river is a religion by
itself. They believe that she is the giver of strength and that she is a protector.
The feeling of oneness towards the river can come only with experiencing her miracles. Being
able to touch and feel God is a feeling that can only come with nature worship.
We were told that one look at the river has the power to leave one happy, thoughtful and at
peace. The beauty emanated by the different forms the river takes in each person‟s mind is
enough to trigger one‟s imagination.
There are people who have done the parikrama only to admire the beauty of the river, to study
the dynamic rock forms in the course of the river, to indulge in the opportunity offered by the
river to practice and hone creativity and artistic skills. There are also those people who do the
parikrama in style – they are loud and vocal about their deed, they meet people at every stop,
give talks of togetherness and praise the river, create that feeling of harmony and leave an
impression such that their name will not be forgotten.
The Narmada valley is dangerous. The forests are extensive and dense. There are areas and paths
in the course of the parikrama where there are no inhabitants, there are wild animals and trees,
stretches with nothing but the water ahead. And yet, in the times when he/she feels helpless and
lost, there is somebody who saves them of whichever difficulty they are in. This is the positivity

(people and environment) that is often talked about by people who have completed the
Parikrama.
If a person walks for 3 years believing that he is around positivity, believing that he is able to
complete the parikrama because he deserves it, it is quite obvious that his/her self-esteem, self-
worth, self-concept will grow immensely. If all needs of being needed, appreciated, wanted,
belonged are satisfied by the belief that the river is shelter, the river is home, the river is god in
itself, there is little that can stop a person from reaching the state of self-actualization.
Away from the worldly concept of progress, inequality, status, classes – during the parikrama
every individual is said to be the same. Every person comes there to take back something from
the river. They are all tied by that bond of inadequacy, the bond of extraction. There is no show
of wealth, none of prestige. Every person is bounded by the fear of the forests and by the grace
of the river. Maybe, this is the reason for people‟s change in behaviour after a parikrama. Maybe
being in touch with humility causes them to see people and situations with a new perspective as
nature teaches us to learn by ourselves. Just like the trees that stand alone, do their duty,
sometimes wither and sometimes blossom, the rivers teach us to embrace what we have. Just like
the river, that has been flowing for centuries together and is still giving, we too must learn to
share. The purpose of this parikrama is to get in touch with all these feelings of humanity – of
rediscovering the simplicity that man was originally born and bestowed with – when man was
closest to the force that created him.
The experience of touching something and being touched by something closely varies for each
person. It was noticed that the spirituality of the Parikramvasis can just be expressed through just
the twinkle in one‟s eye and the glow on one‟s face.

2. Myth Busters
Religion expects its followers to have belief in myths. A myth is a “traditional or legendary
story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of
fact or a natural explanation, especially one that is concerned with deities or demigods and
explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature(Dictionary).Myths are stories shared by a
group, that shape the group's cultural identity. Similarly, the Narmada valley too has many such
myths ranging from the existence of the river to the miracles experienced in its proximity. The
tribes are an integral part of this valley and also believe in several fascinating mythical stories.
Many have cited scientific data and logical reasoning to support these myths and therefore
believe in their authenticity and validity. The Sarpanch of the Gond tribe in Mandla reasoned that
myths are an easier and better-suited way to explain these complex scientific occurrences and
rightly so.
Also, some of these myths have been written in the Puranas, sacred scriptures of the Hindu
religion. These myths are explained in the form of simple stories.
If one is able to look beyond these as just being mere stories or gross delusions and if one were
to dwell deeper, then one would be able to see that there is some truth and relevance in each
myth.
1) Myth: The Narmada valley is the oldest valley in the world and the Narmada is the oldest
river. It is said, “Narmada will be there till the end of time and was there at creation. It is
said that the Narmada was flowing before this world began and will continue to do so
even after the world has ended”. All of this is mentioned in the „Skandh Puran‟,
reinforcing the belief in the minds of the people about the Narmada‟s sacred nature.
Scientific Reason: Narmada valley was a part of the Gondwanaland which is the name
given to the southern supercontinent. Tectonic shifts caused it to split away from the
northern supercontinent of Laurasia around 500 million years ago. Gondwana further
split into many more parts, which comprise of most of the continents in the southern
hemisphere including the Indian sub-continent and Australia. During this split the
Vindhyachal mountain range of the Narmada valley and the Sterling Range of Western

Australia underwent two identical Lower Paleozoic deformation events. This suggests a
possible continuation of the Indian Narmada-Son lineament into South Western
Australia. There is land called as Gondwana in Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh as
well as in South Western Australia. This may in some sense prove that the Narmada
valley existed long before the formation of the earth as we know it.
2) Myth: It is said that the river Narmada is a virgin river and therefore, has two brothers,
always by her side standing guard. It is also believed that the brothers are so strong and
that they will support Narmada and make sure that she will never die.
Scientific reason: This has a specific reason because Narmada flows in between two
mountain ranges of Vindhyachal and Satpuras. They are called the brothers of the river
who protect her from the origin till she submerges into the Arabian Sea. Even during
heavy rainfall or flooding, the mountain ranges on both the sides will always counter the
effects of these natural phenomenons.
3) Myth: The people of the Narmada valley have greater faith in the river Narmada than in
the holy Ganges, which is considered throughout India as the river which cleanses the
soul. It is said that one dip in the Ganges can absolve you of your sins but one look at the
Narmada is enough. It is also said that the Ganges (Ganga) takes the form of a black cow
every year and comes to the banks of the Narmada to cleanse herself of all the sins she
has collected.
Scientific Reason: The Ganges meets the Narmada at NandakeshwarTirth,

approximately 40 kilometres ahead of Mandla district. During the summer season when
the heat is at its worst, the water level of the river rises by a foot. This is well
documented. The main reason was that on the course of the River Narmada, there are 2
big faults. One is at the Bargi Dam and the other is at Son River. During the summers,
due to the melting snow. The waters of the Ganges rises and due to that it used to flow
into the Narmada. This can be considered as some sort of cleansing for the Ganges.
4) Myth: There is a shloka in the Math Puran which says that if any tree on the banks of the
River Narmada falls under a special circumstance then it attains freedom from the circle
of life.

Scientific Reason: Normally when a piece of wood is buried in the ground it rots. But
when it falls into or is buried near the Narmada, it turns into a fossil. There are many
fossils found around the banks of Narmada because the river is full of minerals that help
in the conversion process. Myths and folktales have been used as explanations for the
concept of fossils not only in the Narmada valley but throughout the planet.
5) Myth: The water of the River Narmada is the purest water. It is said that you can drink
the water from anywhere and it will always be safe.
Scientific Reason: People have stored the waters of the 3 major holy rivers of India, The
Ganga, The Yamuna and The Narmada in containers for over 70 years. Only the water of
River Narmada was not contaminated. A comparative study was carried out on the waters
from the major rivers and it too concluded that water from the Narmada is purer than the
other rivers. This is because the river is surrounded by mountain ranges all along its path
and hence the soil from these mountains dissolves certain minerals into the water which
in a sense filters the water and keeps it clean. Besides the Ganges and the Yamuna, the
more popular rivers, have softer water and are used for heavy industrial purposes. The
wastage from these industries is polluting these rivers to a great extent, so much so that
the water has become black in certain patches, leaving the Narmada with the title of the
purest major river in India
3. Exploring Human Phenomena of “Helping Others”
“We were on a Jal Yatra on the Narmada and were lost in a very rocky area; there we saw a
boat, in which there was a man and wife their sleeping arrangements. We took our yacht close to
them…Do you know the first sentence & communication which we had?
„Baatikhalosaab‟ (have some roti, sir).
This you will find only there that before saying hello they think that this is a traveller he will be
hungry so give him some water and roti. And in his boat there was one stove, one bed and few
vessels and that were all his earthly possessions.”
-Anil Madhav Dave, MP
Every time we encountered the topic of Parikramawasis either in our pre-research or in

interviews, people living by the Narmada who provided them with food and sometimes shelter

were brought up. Farmers practiced „sadavrat‟ i.e., they kept aside some of their produce for
travellers; complete strangers to whom they gave with no expectation of returns. This intrigued
us; how does there exist, in this modern age where one does not care for more than one and one‟s
immediate family, such altruism?
We were curious to explore this human phenomenon that was much talked about. We decided to
conduct a small study to help us better understand the phenomena of helping; whether it was
indeed the Narmada that imbibed qualities of helping in people living by it. For this we used the
Helping Attitudes Scale (HAS) on two samples; one living by the river and the other living away
from it. The purpose behind selecting a place far away from the Narmada was two-fold; one, for
comparative reasons and two, so we would have a place where its people are not in contact with
parikramavasis and not expected to be helpful. Also, we chose the HAS over the Self-report
Altruism (SRA) scale because the HAS provided us with the option of measuring “beliefs,
feelings, and behaviours related to helping” (Nikell) and not just altruism.
It must be stated at the outset, that the study was designed to help us understand the phenomena
as objectively as possible and check whether our feelings were facts. It is not a study of
helpfulness; it is to merely observe the exclusivity of this helping nature by seeing whether it
exists away from it. We used the questionnaire as a tool to explore and not to assess or study or
judge.
Inferences that can be generalized require controlled groups, test-retests for reliability,
administration and correlation of HAS with Social Desirability Scale (SDS) on test subjects, and
many others that are beyond the scope of an observational tool. As the objective was to make
observations and not inferences and our test conditions ensured the same. We used a test, one
that has passed evaluations for psychometric reliability and validity measures, to ensure at least
face validity of our observations (Nikell).
3.1 Method
A self-report questionnaire designed to measure beliefs, feelings, and behaviours related to
helping was administered to thirty six participants. Eighteen people living in the town of Mandla,
by the Narmada, and eighteen people living in Bhopal, a city away from the Narmada, were
approached personally.

This data was then entered onto an Excel worksheet to generate the scores. The sheet with
calculations and pivot tables are attached as exhibits in Appendix C.
3.2 Normative Data

The average score of those living by the Narmada on the HAS was 69.50 with a Standard
Deviation of 4.90. Scores for this group ranged from 60-78. The average score for those living
away from the Narmada was 74.5 with a Standard Deviation of 4.694. Scores for those living
ranged from 68-85.
No significant sex differences were found for those living by the Narmada. Males were observed
to be more helpful than females in those living away from the Narmada.
3.3 Discussion
Our data baffled us; we had not expected those living away from the Narmada to score higher.
After some discussion, we reasoned that a number of biases that we did not account for when we
designed this study could have resulted in this predicament. A better educational and social
background for those in the city induces a need to be more socially desirable and this might have
resulted in a self-report bias, thus increasing their scores. Another possible explanation for this is
that the “phenomena of helping” is a necessitated river culture of the Narmada. That the
Narmada is sacred to those living by it is a fact. And when a faith requires certain practices,
followers all but follow. That they must be generous with food and shelter is a form of
helpfulness that is probably demanded of them, by now almost unconsciously, by the practices
and faith of their forefathers.
With regard to limitations, there is tremendous scope for improvement of this study. Partial or
complete elimination of biases such as the investigator bias – may have occurred when
instructing participants in Hindi - the self-report bias (social desirability scale), a controlled
group, bigger samples from more than the two locations this study limited itself to and a version
of the questionnaire adapted for rural India; the current questionnaire was designed in Canada.
Also, the fact that people in a city are more aware of concepts of charity and volunteering may
have been a bias against people living by the Narmada in taking this test.
While these limitations of design make this study a mere observational tool, the learning
outcomes from it have been more than satisfactory. Looking at the study with face validity, we
observe that those living by the Narmada are not more helpful than those living away from it i.e.,

this behaviour is not exclusive to those living by it. That the river culture necessitates helpfulness
in the form of generosity with food and shelter from those living by it remains a strong
possibility.
4. Pro-environment behaviour
River conservation is a much talked about phenomenon in today‟s times. The Narmada is
popular for the dam project. However, there is another part of cleanliness and pollution that plays
an important part in the conservation process. We found that this practice is rampant amongst the
people there. There were gutters in many villages and towns that emptied themselves directly
into the river. Of these, we could count no less that 6 gutters in the district of Mandla itself.
4.1 Institutions and people/ why they do what they do:

As Shri Anil Madhav Dave said „We have 2 slogans- increase the water levels in the river and
better the quality of the water. Narmada is not a river that gets water from the melted snow.
Hence, the mechanism that the rain water goes into the mountains through trees, therefore do no
cut trees, don‟t do unnecessary mining & blasting, because by doing extra blasting the natural
inner structure gets destroyed and don‟t pollute.‟
The Narmada Samagra which is pioneered by Shri Dave along with stalwarts from other fields,
organizes a river conservation festival every 3 years where more than 17 states and 8 countries
have participated and contribute for devising models that can help to benefit and sustain the
ecological health of the rivers.
The motivation to work towards the goal of conservation comes from the awareness that the river
is a giver of life and it is inevitable for the survival of the human race. This mass movement has
gained momentum in the past 3 years and the presence of the Narmada Samagra as an
organization working for this cause, is a well-known fact amongst many of the people that we
met.
Dr. Uma Shankar Choube, a forest ranger and a major contributor to the river‟s culture in
Hoshangabad district voluntarily at the age of 80 sweeps the steps of the ghat. His motivation
stems from his experience of being given a new life because of the blessings of the river. He has
without support, made possible the construction of new ghat in Hoshangabad, out of which one
is especially for women. He believes that people who bathe in the river are the major reasons for

the pollution of the river. The act of one influences another and it continues as an unstoppable
chain reaction.
Some local people bathe in the river for long hours of the day as their occupation demands this.
What is to be done then?
There is a place on the border of Gujarat where bathing in the river and leaving diyas in the river
is prohibited. Studying the impact of this decision on the belief of the people will be an
interesting study by itself.
4.2 Beliefs
While a majority believes that dipping into the river Narmada is essential to get rid of one‟s sins,
there are few who believe that looking at the Narmada from afar and praying is enough too. The
MLA of Hoshangabad mentioned that it is important to instil in the minds of the people that
seeing the river is enough for cleansing sins and giving peace. Dipping into the river is not
essential. It was observed through interviews that even though people knew that dipping in the
river, using soap and material that were used during prayers were harmful to the river; they still
continued to indulge in such activities to satiate their religious beliefs which for them were more
essential than being considerate of the environment.
4.3 Tribes:
The tribes near living near the vicinity of the river respect it in all its glory, for not only is it a
source of life but also supports various life forms and livelihoods. Tribes live in oneness with
nature and are therefore automatically pro-environment. Nature is their religion, their culture.
While we spoke to them, we observed that they lived in houses which catered to their basic
needs, while growing plantations such as banana and mango. Their activities involved very little
harm to the environment. If they cut down trees for sandalwood, they also made sure they
planted many others. Their knowledge for turning the rays of the sun to solar power tells us that
though they seem primitive, they aren‟t.
Is what all these people do really helping in raising awareness and changing behaviour of the
people? The institutions are gaining momentum and people‟s efforts are being recognized but it
is very difficult to alter the beliefs that they have followed for years together. This is the biggest
challenge that the environmentalists are facing today as there is no substitute for this.

5. Occupations
5.1 Observations
The cities and villages we visited were robust with economic activities along the banks of the
river and at the ghats. The nature of these activities was more inclined to the buying and selling
of goods that are required for religious purposes and to attract the many tourists that visit these
banks of the river. And hence, naturally, these occupations caught our eye too. The Narmada
being synonymous with „Giver of Pleasure‟ has been the reason of the economic progress,
dependence and livelihood for many thousands of people living in the villages or those living in
urban areas.
5.2 Occupations along the stretch of the river
FIGURE 0-4MALAS AT A STORE
Vendors – This category includes shops and stalls that are mainly along the ghats, outside a
tourist centric place and near temples. Mainly, these shops included religiously significant
products that can be used as offering to the river. (eg – the items included in the pooja thaali -

like diyas, flowers, incense sticks, chains and some sweets.) Some shops however, were more
tourist centric and sold pictures of the River in various sizes and profiles. There were a lot of
souvenir items also like chains, artefacts sculpted in marble, prayer and arati books and
postcards. Also, there were vendors selling food products, soft drinks and fruits extending
throughout the periphery of the area around which most tourists and local people gathered. The
names of many of the shops and restaurants had relation to the river, for example we came across
more than seven restaurants that were called „Maa Narmada‟.
Tourism – Especially the marble rocks at Jabalpur, the Dhuandhar waterfalls, Sethani ghat at
Hoshangabad, Mai ki Bagiya and the main temple at Amarkantak, the Narmada temple at the
ghat in Mandla thrived on excessive footfall of tourists and parikramawasis. These sites have
been widely spoken about and illustrated in books and have a wide showing on the internet.
There are lodges, motels, hotels and ashrams that are constructed to accommodate this large
footfall. Certain areas also have an abundance of „tour guides‟ in order to explain to the tourists
the historical, cultural and mythical significance of these areas. These tour guides estimate a
footfall of more than 5000 every day except in the four months of the monsoon. However, at the
Marble Rocks, the tour guides and boatmen could be only from those families that have already
graced the profession for more than ten years.
Divers and Other Stunts – The River induces many people to jump in it, perform certain stunts
and catch the eye of the public. The Narmada has been widely written about as a calm river and
the people who live there are aware of her moods, currents and tides. These are the people, many
of whom have learnt to swim in the river itself, have now taken to becoming divers or jumpers
for entertainment purposes. Some divers who collected coins that the tourists threw in the river
did this to earn their livelihood and some as a leisure activity. In Hoshangabad, the divers were
of a higher age group as compared to the marble rocks at Jabalpur. At both places, on an average
they earned at least Rs. 150 per day. The stunt men, who jump from the top of the marble cliff or
plunge right into the waterfall, do not quote a sum of money directly, but expect to be paid Rs. 5
– Rs. 20 per stunt performed.
The divers also play substitute for the life guards along the ghats and have saved many a lives in
the course of time. As they spend most of their day in the river, they also try to keep a control on
the litter and waste that is dumped inside the river.

We observed that children from the age of 10yrs to 14 yrs, at the Marble Rocks in Jabalpur, after
diving and jumping for one quarter of the day (till 1300 hrs), were seen indulging in gambling
activities with the money that they had collected, but not in a very open, free manner.
Fishing – A large population of the people living along the Narmada Banks indulge in fishing
activities as the basin is rich in flora and fauna. Due to the mineral rich water, the quality of fish
is good. There are crocodiles found in the river also. Along with this they also use their fish net
to gather any waste that comes in their way. The waste from the pooja‟s undertaken by the saints
are cleared considerably especially from the ghats in this fashion.
Agriculture – We found that the draw-down farming is the most popular part in agricultural
activities. This form of agriculture is for those farmers who know that the river shrinks and
truncated in size due to the summer season. The months when the river bed is exposed, it is very
well suited for fast growing crops like watermelons. They thrive on moisture and hence are ideal
during this time.
We encountered distress among the people with respect to agriculture getting affected due to the
construction of the dams as the water level has risen to make the river unpredictable and difficult
for these farmers to gauge. But, we did not probe into the aspect of the dam mentioned
previously.
Hand pumps have also been installed by the government at various places and are assisting the
living style of these people and many other villagers.
Traditional Occupations of the Tribes – The tribals we came across said that though fishing is
an important occupation for the tribes, especially the Gonds, there is no such reason for them to
have an occupation. They get what they want from the forest. The clothes they wear are made by
another tribal community. Every woman has a couple of sarees and the men wear loin cloths.
The only need they have, for which they come to the market is salt. Everything else, their crops
etc. they sell if they want to. Even their style of agriculture is different. They just spread the
seeds on a patch of land and different crops grow for eg Corn, Maize and others.
Baigas - They used to clear the forest and use fire to clear it. The reason is that they will not use
the plough on Mother Earth. For them it is akin to injuring her. They believe that they are the
first men on the Earth; the Baigas. If we look at the different tribal communities, then the Baigas

are doctors. In the court of Ravan, there was a doctor called Sushain, he was a Baiga as well. So
the work of a Baiga is centered on health
Begging - Many people take advantage of the belief that people who come to pay their tribute to
the Narmada, will in turn indulge in charity either through money or food. On days like
Amavasya large scores of people gather and sit on the steps of the ghaats. When interviewed
some of these people said that they go from ghaat to ghaat and beg. There is no real profession
that they practice other than this.
Priests - Common to many other places as well, even the priests at the various locales along the
river are praying and doing pooja‟s to support themselves and their monetary needs. The priests
ask for any sum of their choice depending on their need, the person(s) doing the pooja, and his
mood.
Sand Mining – Sand from the river bed of the Narmada is mined extensively and further used
for industrialization. In the summer season, large parts of the river are dry and the bed is
exposed.
Distribution of the occupations -
Towards the source of the river, where there is a majority of religious places and temples, most
people there are either self-employed and catering to the need of the religious travellers or are a
part of ashrams, temples etc.
The condition in Jabalpur was however much different as compared to Amarkantak. Jabalpur is
one of the bigger towns of Madhya Pradesh and is just off the banks of the Narmada. When we
interviewed the people about their occupations and jobs, very few of them were linked to the
river. The only jobs that were linked to the Narmada were that of the tourist guides at the Marble
rocks and that of the Boatmen at the same place. The marble rocks are located a little away from
the city and are a world famous tourist site. There are divers, sculptors and guides who have been
in the occupation for 4-5 generations. The shops that were on the banks of the marble rocks and
were selling sculptures and souvenirs to tourists have also been in the same trade again for a few
generations.

At Mandla, the occupation of sand mining was done more than any occupation that has a
religious backing or background, in spite of it being a city that is surrounded by the river by three
sides. This town has more tribal areas than any other.
At Hoshangabad, the occupations revolved around religiously significant one‟s like vendors
outside the ghats, beggars, priests, divers. It is not an industrial centric town. As the MLA of
Hoshangabad mentioned, sand mining is a big industry there worth Rs. 100 crores. There aren‟t
other small industries in Hoshangabad except a small paper mill.
Reflections
It is seen from the data collected that there are three categories of occupations that people
broadly fall into –
 Occupations dependent on the river due to religious practices
 Occupations dependent on the river but not linked to the religious practices.
 Occupations not dependent on the river or the religious practices.
The most interesting part of the various occupations along the river is that, any occupation that is
linked to the river has utmost respect even today. Along with respect there is also an appreciable
amount of esteem in the social status that is linked to riverside occupations.
Gambling and other branches of these activities is a commonly prevalent phenomenon amongst
the masses – urban and rural. Different reasons trigger this in different dynamics of people. The
availability of the resource created this avenue for the children along the Narmada. Similarly, the
presence of the river has generated livelihood for the people living around it and their belief
makes them loyal to their services even today. We can infer that if the belief was not as
inviolable then these occupations may have languished and conventional industries, trade and
commerce would flourish largely.
Example
An example can be taken of the city of Pune through which two rivers – the Mulariver and the
Mutha river flow. On the banks of these rivers, there are no vendors, divers or tourist guides. All
rivers do not induce these occupations but it is largely the faith that is attached to the river
Narmada that is resulting in revenue generation for the state of Madhya Pradesh. These

occupations are highly territorial and may result in displacement and lack of other skills if the
religious practices are curtailed.
We might come across occupations that have a firm basis in the „belief‟ that is associated with its
ideology. But, only after studying this closely in Madhya Pradesh we realized that we still are
unable to gauge the magnanimity of the commercial nature of today‟s fast paced, ever evolving
lifestyle and world.
6. Tribes, the Children of Nature.
Studying the dependence of the tribes on the river, especially as Madhya Pradesh is festooned
with both in abundance, almost giving the state its character, was a vital part of our research. The
areas we visited and the observations made while crossing from town to town, has given us
insights and made us experience for a little while, the life of a tribal. The following observations
are from the Gondi village of Khamda near Hoshangabad and the Baiga village of Panchgaon
near Dindori.
6.1 The Gonds

These are the basic observations about a typical ‘Gondi’ on a typical day.
FIGURE 0-5 THE GONDS GOING TO THE DAILY MARKET

Dressing – The men usually wear a dhoti. This is a piece of thin, long white cloth that is drawn
from between both legs and tied at the waist. Women wear a half saree, usually of cotton with a
tight fitting, short blouse. There was no real emphasis that they attached to „colours‟. Most of the
men wore white dhotis.
Architecture and Houses – A typical Gond settlement consists of small huts or hamlets that are
made of mud and have thatched roofs. They arrange a khat (a small cot) outside the house and
use mats for sitting comfortably and relaxing. They have a small living room, a bedroom, a
kitchen and most houses have a verandah. They enjoy spending the evenings as well as the hot
afternoons in the verandah. The layout of the house is not pre decided and the walls are
constructed in a random fashion. After this, they allocate rooms according to which size suits the
purpose better. The doors are small as compared to the height of the Gond‟s. There are no
windows and hence the inside of the house gets extremely dark. A special room is segregated
and assigned to the women during menstruation.
Religion – The Gond people do not believe that they are Hindu. They also have Ramayana as
one of their epics and the characters and story is similar to the one written by Sant Valmiki.
However, the language in which it is written is different. They worship „Bahadeo‟ that is Lord
Shankar.
Marriage –The Gond‟s choose their own partners, preferably outside of their clan. Widow re-
marriage is allowed to the brother of the deceased. Dowry system is prevalent but it is of the type
that the father of the son has to pay a price to the bride. They too walk around a post seven times
and this is the most significant part of their marriage. Divorces are allowed and sometimes
encouraged. They may elope but after time passes are expected to take the consent of the village
council.
Death – When there is a death in the community, the body is usually cremated. The entire night
following the person‟s death, all the villagers spend time singing songs and playing music. Music
is an integral part of their lives.
These are some of the observations that we made. The men were open and friendly and exhibited
a readiness to talk. The women were comparatively shyer and did not give answers even after
much persuading and pleading.

6.2 The Baigas
1. Appearance – Due to long hours in the Sun and outdoors, the skin of the Baigas is dark. The
men and women get their hair cut once in a life time. If a Baiga is asked why he does not clip
his hair, his instant response with immense pride is that it is a Baiga tradition. This tribe
wears very few clothes. The men usually wear a „fatka‟ to cover their private parts. This
„fatka‟ is very similar to the loin cloth used for the dhoti of the Gonds. Women wear a sari
which covers their body but their blouses are short and chest hugging. It is evident from this
that their style of clothing is simple and hassle free. Some of the Baigas tie a cloth around
their head which looks similar to a turban.
2. Dwellings - Baigas create their hamlets on the hilly portion of the forests. A village consists
of around 8 to 10 houses. However modern ways have brought a lot of changes in their lives.
The Baigas construct their own huts with a unique mixture of mud where wet mud is mixed
with dry grass. Men and women contribute equally in this activity. There are no windows in
the house just like the Gondi houses.
3. Men and Women - At the break of dawn all the Baiga men and women immediately start
with their work. Women manage the household along with helping the men almost equally.
Women join hands equally during social activities too.
4. Daily Activities - Cows and buffaloes are their main animals and their main activities are
poultry and pig rearing. They also collect honey from the bee hives. They live in harmony
and give things without expecting cash or anything in kind in return. They use leaves which
are smooth and sticky to clean the vessels. These leaves are dried and stored carefully. They
clear the forest for agriculture by cutting and burning down the trees.
5. Tattoo Culture - There are different tattoos for different parts of the body and these tattoos
are also inked at different times of their lives. „Chati Godai‟ means tattooing on the chest
which can be done any time after marriage. The tattoos extend from the elbows to the finger
tips. It takes 20 to 25 years for the completion of all the tattoos prescribed. In the whole
process of stretching the identity of their tribes on their bodies, the most attractive items are
the 10 to 12 long pointed needles which pierce the skin. The process involves the use of a
prominent grape of this area. It gives out carbon which is collected when the seeds are burnt.

This is collected in small boxes. And after liquidation it is ready to be used as the ink to draw
the pictures with a thin bamboo stick. After the outlining, the inking starts.
TheGodhna (the tattoos) prepares the girl of the pains of becoming a mother. This pain gives
her the strength to face all the different challenges in her life. Second, it is their clan identity.
And thirdly they consider Godhna to be the only earthly impression to accompany them in
the life after death.
6. Family – The Baiga tribe respects the rules laid down by a man as prestigious. House hold
decisions, decisions regarding justice and other societal issues are all taken only with the
consent of the man. Disrespect to a woman is considered as disrespectful to the entire set of
Baigas.
7. Religion -The Ramayana is completely different. In their story Rama, Sita, Lakshman and
Bhim are all together in the same story.
8. Marriage - The Baiga women are promiscuous in nature. A Baiga can marry more than one
person. He will run away with his suitor from the village and he will only inform his friends
about this. In the mean while the friends will create uproar and tell the other villagers where
they are to be found. Then the girl and boy return and put forth their wish for marriage.
If he is already married and he is smitten by a girl or vice versa, the girl will directly enter the
boy‟s house. The first wife will beat up this new girl and she has to take the beating. The
husbands will not say a thing. This is their test. This is their custom
6.2.1 Other significant facts about the Baigas
Every tribe looks at the river with a different angle. Some say it‟s a small baby child, some say
she is a young lady, some say „bhudi mahila‟ or „BhudhiMaai‟ (old woman), some say she is a
mother „Ma‟.
The parikramawasis say that there has been a considerable change in the visibility of these tribes
as years ago they got to see a lot of the tribal dances and their arts. They stayed in their homes.
But now city influences are slowly killing the traditional ways. The good effect of this is that
now there are Primary Schools at such places and children are receiving education. Electricity
too has reached all these places and hand pumps are available. This is a stark progress from the

time when staying in dharamshalas which are usually constructed at a height compelled the
people to go back and forth, up and down just to fill water.
All their festivals are connected with nature. For example a good harvest is a cause to celebrate.
We celebrate Dusshera. The meaning behind this word is that after the monsoon, there is
greenery everywhere in all the 10 directions making it a reason to be happy and sing
„Dombulias‟ (songs)
They do not keep money with them as they do not see the need to do so. There is one person, a
moneylender in the village with whom all the money is kept. They take it from him as and when
required.
They treat the tiger as their brother. They treat him as a member of the family. They keep water
outside the village for the tigers.
The Baigas treat their own people. They do not go to a doctor. They have family planning
measures as well. They have medicines for birth control and infertility. They will not give an
outsider the ingredients for their medicines. But they will give him/her the medicine.
These tribal communities live in and around the forest. They prefer staying in the hills and
forests and distancing themselves from the mainstream society. They have their own language,
culture and traditions. They have their own problems too.
The Baiga is very simple. They have a lot of love and respect for others. But if you harm them
or cause trouble for them then they are merciless. They are very protective of their own people.
Unfortunately, they are used as labourers now. They are employed to fell the trees that they
actually worship.
7. Reflections
From the people we met who have worked closely with the tribes and after seeing the settlements
of these tribes, it has become clear that for these people true happiness is in simplicity
The Gond village had other villages nearby whereas the Baiga village was all by itself with
houses far apart from one another. There is more exposure and awareness of scientific
inventions, technology among the Gond, the system of money and businesses amongst these
people. Their language keeps them from mingling with modern folk, who they shy away from,

clearly indicating the desire to protect themselves. This is one of the main things that the Baigas
too have in common. However, the Baigas live in remote forest areas thus making it difficult to
interact with them or even see them in remotely crowded spaces. After death of a member, they
leave the house and make another one. They are wanderers, living like the forest is their
untouched world.
7.1 The idea of happiness

Their lifestyle is opposite of Aristotle‟s eudaemonist principle that talks about happiness because
of leading a meaningful life. They are more hedonistic in their approach in a way that seeking
pleasure is innate for them. They do not desire anything from the world outside, in spite of being
aware of some of the goods available there. Had they not been displaced due to the deforestation
and urbanization, they would have continued to survive in perfect harmony with nature. As
Dr.Chaurasiya said the materialistic world influences negatively. Our inner voice tells us to give
(soul) while our body compels us to take. Thus, these tribes are closer to themselves in this way.
The Baiga does not share his knowledge of medicine with a common man even though it could
fetch him an exorbitant sum of money. In this field, however, the government can intervene and
enrich the lifestyles of the Baigas while providing the rest of the country with an enriching
solution. The powder devised by the Baiga for asthama, a commonly occurring respiratory
illness, was tried by one of our members. It subsided to an extent greater than ever after
consuming this powder.
These tribals have now become accustomed to the inflow of tourists and others and they have
been so elevated that they demand money, alcohol and other materialistic things even for quick
snap of a photograph.
The Baiga is allowed to produce alcohol in his house. The ruling party has encouraged this
practice. Is this protection in the name of development? The parties in power are spreading their
wings to incorporate the votes of these tame, uneducated, ill informed, ignorant tribals. They
have made the tribal people realize that they are worth a lot to the society outside by tempting
them monetarily and materialistically. The simplicity and humility of these children of nature is
being taken away by us lesser mortals trying our failing hand at apparently achieving oneness
and equality.

While we look for meaning, growth and purpose in life, believing that happiness and sadness
complement one another, these tribals live contently with barely anything.
Through the interviews and observations, we found that there was no real mention of the river‟s
importance apart from the use of the river in their daily life. They considered the Narmada to be
as significant and as much an essential, everyday part of their lives as the forests or even lesser
than the forests.
But of the 5 rivers flowing in this region, only Narmada is considered as the „maa‟. The tribes
believe that their mother and father are both nature. This could indicate several possibilities – the
river is as much a habit and taken for granted as other things. As long as the need for their
occupation and consumption is met with, in some way or another they are satisfied.

Chapter 6 - Conclusion
Rivers have always been the foundation around which some of the greatest, most historically rich
civilizations have flourished. Rivers have been the epicenter of India‟s throbbing, pulsating,
ancient civilization also. The Narmada, cutting across the center of India amalgamates style,
colour, devotion, romance, prosperity, culture, knowledge, belief, solitude, wonder, along with
the priceless, irreplaceable spiritual heritage that is inherent in the people of India.
The river is a mini cosmos in itself. She has immortalized herself in the form of a mother deity
who has engendered mythology, rituals, dance, songs, history and spirituality. The Narmada and
the people living at her banks and in her vicinity, distinctly display in their devotion and
attachment, their history and pride, their spirit and outlook a positivity that emerges from the
energy of the river. Indians have worshipped the sacred rivers crisscrossing through the part of
the country that they reside in – either at the sprawling plains or watering the misty mountain and
plush forests.
The diverse human communities that come together for the parikrama, experience absorbing and
subtle differences in meaning, attitude and belief because of the undertaking of this ritual. They
come back in ways, almost reinventing themselves. These parikramawasis live with humility and
simplicity, sacrificing the pleasures of the material world for long stretches of time. This leads us
to understanding the „Vairagya‟ (surrender) quality of the Narmada that she transfers to the
parikramawasi‟s also.
The appearance and the character of the Narmada have so much of a remarkable influence on the
Indian psyche, that it manifests its impact even in songs, movies, plays, history and identity of
the local people. The common people living in the villages and the tribes wandering in the deep
forests find themselves coming together for the festivals and occasions that grace the river. In
their daily lives, there is mention of the river as if it is a part of them. It is the factor that binds
these diverse people together, allowing them to stay in harmony. People from all over the
country and abroad undertake this parikrama and reap benefits from the „Giver Of Pleasure‟.
This quality speaks of the pride and security that the river brings for her people, letting them

share and giving them an opportunity to explore professionally and socially, to reap the
maximum benefits of her presence.
The tribal belt that extends in the Narmada basin is in transition due to urbanization. But these
tribes are trying hard to protect their culture and have become more open towards the
commoners who are interested in knowing them. Their rituals and traditions are different from
what is considered „permissible‟ and „acceptable‟ in the Hindu culture. They are self-sustained
but are now learning to survive the odds. The commoners have in a way „corrupted‟ their
peaceful, secluded lifestyle.
From the different parameters like occupations, urbanization, industrialization, historical

background and sociology, the common linking factor that emerged strongly throughout our
project was that of spirituality. All the living and non-living things of the Narmada valley have a
spiritual explanation and value.
Whether or not one offers anything to Narmada Maa, she blesses with a serene, kind, scintillating
look that is good enough to confuse him/her which is the real world - the Narmada banks
espousing mythological magic or the modern world where we are trying to dam the most ancient
river of the world.
Along the way we also learned to cope with the „Navtapah‟ (the hottest nine days of the year in
Madhya Pradesh – the hotter it is the better the rainfall) with loin cloths on our heads like the
tribal people, grappling with the nuances of a new territory, failing to comprehend some of the
issues that human kind still faces, walking through tribal villages taking with us modern dressing
and educated thoughts, toying with the idea of doing the parikrama and questioning the very
myth of Indian spirituality.
----------------
Stay in touch – www.DiscoverNarmada.info
----------------

Appendix A – Helping Attitude Scale
(Questionnaire)
Your Sex (check one): ____ Male ____ Female Form 20
What is your age?: ____
INSTRUCTIONS: This instrument is designed to measure your feelings, beliefs and behaviors
concerning your interactions with others. It is not a test, so there are no right or wrong
answers. Please answer the questions as honestly as possible. Using the scale below, indicate
your level of agreement or disagreement in the space which is next to each statement.
1 2 3 4 5
Strongly Disagree Disagree Undecided Agree Strongly Agree
___ 1. Helping others is usually a waste of time.
___ 2. When given the opportunity, I enjoy aiding others who are in need.
___ 3. If possible, I would return lost money to the rightful owner.
___ 4. Helping friends and family is one of the great joys in life.
___ 5. I would avoid aiding someone in a medical emergency if I could.
___ 6. It feels wonderful to assist others in need.
___ 7. Volunteering to help someone is very rewarding.
___ 8. I dislike giving directions to strangers who are lost.
___ 9. Doing volunteer work makes me feel happy.
___10. I donate time or money to charities every month.
___11. Unless they are part of my family, helping the elderly isn‟t my responsibility.
___12. Children should be taught about the importance of helping others.

___13. I plan to donate my organs when I die with the hope that they will help someone else
live.
___14. I try to offer my help with any activities my community or school groups are carrying
out.
___15. I feel at peace with myself when I have helped others.
___16. If the person in front of me at a tapri was a few paise short, I would pay the difference.
___17. I feel proud when I know that my generosity has benefited a needy person.
___18. Helping people does more harm than good because they come to rely on others and not
themselves.
___19. I rarely contribute money to a worthy cause.
___20. Giving aid to the poor is the right thing to do.

Appendix B – Survey Data
1. Question/Participant/Location-wise scores compilation
Participant Sex Location 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Total

A M 1 3 5 2 5 3 3 5 2 3 4 2 5 2 4 4 2 5 5 3 4 71
B M 1 2 4 2 3 5 3 4 4 4 5 3 4 5 5 4 5 2 2 4 4 74
C M 1 4 3 4 4 3 2 5 4 4 2 2 5 4 2 5 4 4 4 5 4 74
D M 1 4 2 5 4 5 2 5 2 5 4 3 5 4 4 2 3 3 3 3 2 70
E M 1 5 3 2 2 2 3 4 3 5 3 2 5 3 5 2 4 4 3 2 5 67
F M 1 2 4 5 3 5 2 5 5 2 3 3 3 3 4 3 4 5 2 4 4 71
G M 1 5 5 2 3 3 2 5 4 2 2 2 2 3 4 4 2 2 5 3 4 64
H M 1 4 3 4 4 4 3 2 2 5 4 5 3 3 5 2 2 2 2 3 3 65
I M 1 5 3 5 3 4 4 5 3 2 3 3 2 3 5 3 3 3 5 2 3 69
J M 1 2 4 3 5 3 4 3 3 3 3 5 3 4 3 2 3 5 4 3 2 67
K M 1 2 5 5 5 3 3 3 2 3 3 4 2 4 5 4 3 2 3 2 3 66
L M 1 4 2 3 2 5 2 4 3 5 5 5 3 2 4 3 4 4 3 5 5 73
M M 1 4 3 3 5 2 5 5 3 4 4 4 2 5 3 5 2 4 2 5 3 73
N M 1 2 4 2 4 2 3 2 3 2 4 2 3 3 4 3 5 2 5 2 5 62
O M 1 4 4 3 4 5 2 3 5 4 5 4 5 5 3 3 5 3 2 3 4 76
P F 1 4 2 5 5 3 3 4 5 5 3 4 2 3 5 3 3 3 2 2 5 71
Q F 1 5 3 3 4 2 2 4 2 3 2 2 2 5 2 3 3 4 2 5 2 60
R F 1 5 4 5 3 5 2 5 5 5 2 4 5 3 5 2 5 3 2 5 3 78
S M 2 5 3 3 2 3 5 3 4 3 4 3 5 5 5 3 2 5 3 2 5 73
T M 2 4 5 4 3 4 4 4 5 2 3 4 5 5 5 3 2 5 3 3 3 76
U M 2 3 4 5 4 4 5 4 4 5 4 4 5 4 4 3 4 4 5 5 5 85
V M 2 4 3 2 3 5 4 3 5 4 3 4 5 2 3 2 4 3 3 3 3 68
W M 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 5 3 4 4 3 3 4 3 3 4 2 3 4 4 69
X M 2 5 3 4 3 5 4 4 3 4 2 3 5 5 5 4 5 5 2 5 4 80
Y M 2 4 3 5 5 3 5 4 3 4 3 3 3 5 4 3 3 5 3 3 4 75
Z M 2 4 2 3 4 4 5 5 4 5 5 5 3 4 3 4 5 2 3 4 2 76
AA M 2 3 4 3 5 3 4 5 5 4 3 3 4 3 4 4 3 2 3 4 4 73
AB M 2 5 5 4 3 5 4 3 4 3 3 4 4 5 3 3 5 5 5 4 5 82
AC F 2 5 5 5 2 5 2 5 2 5 2 5 4 5 2 3 5 4 2 3 3 74
AD F 2 3 4 5 5 3 5 5 2 4 3 5 3 3 3 2 4 4 4 5 3 75
AE F 2 5 2 5 2 2 5 5 4 4 4 2 2 3 2 5 5 5 2 4 3 71
AF F 2 5 3 2 3 2 4 2 5 4 5 4 5 3 4 2 2 4 2 4 3 68
AG F 2 2 2 4 4 2 5 5 4 4 3 5 4 3 2 4 3 2 5 3 4 70
AH F 2 3 5 3 3 3 4 5 4 4 2 5 3 3 2 5 3 4 3 5 3 72
AI F 2 4 5 5 4 4 5 5 2 4 4 3 2 4 4 3 4 5 4 2 5 78
AJ F 2 4 5 5 2 3 3 3 5 3 3 4 4 5 4 5 4 3 4 3 4 76
Location 1 - Mandla
Location 2 – Bhopal

2. Pivot Table
Location Female Male Grand Total
Mandla (1) 69.67 69.46 69.5
Bhopal (2) 73 75.7 74.5
Grand Total 72.09090909 71.96 72
Appendix C – Questionnaire for Pro-Environmental

Exploration
Q) Do you take bath in river Narmada?
1) Yes 2) No
Q) Do you use soap/shampoo while bathing in the river Narmada?
1) Yes 2) No
Q) While doing „puja‟ do you leave back any kind of offering like flowers, etc in the river?
1) Yes 2) No
Q) Before having a dip in the river, do you have bath at home?
1) Yes 2) No
Q) Do you pollute the in Narmada in spite of having faith in the river?
1) Yes 2) No

Questions\ People Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5
1 1 1 1 0 1 1 – Yes
2 0 0 1 1 0 0 – No
3 0 0 0 1 0
4 0 0 1 1 0
5 1 1 1 0 1
6 1 1 1 0 1
7 1 1 1 0 1
8 1 1 1 0 1
9 1 1 1 1 1
10 0 0 1 1 0
11 1 1 1 0 1
12 1 1 1 0 1
13 1 1 1 0 1
14 0 0 1 1 0
15 0 0 0 1 0
16 0 0 1 1 0
17 1 0 1 0 0
18 1 1 1 0 0
19 1 1 1 0 1
20 1 1 1 0 1

21 1 1 1 0 1
22 1 1 1 0 1
23 0 0 1 1 0
24 1 1 0 0 1
25 1 1 1 1 1
TOTAL 17 16 22 10 15

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What is the aim of the project?

What is the aim of the project?

What are the main geographical features of the Narmada river?

What are the main geographical features of the Narmada river?

||Narmade Har||

This is to certify that the work incorporated in this report

Aditya Nahar (________________________)

Akshay Jain (________________________)

Amit Doshi (________________________)

Gopi Aravind (________________________)

Kund Sapani (________________________)

Nishant Shah (________________________)

Siddharth Sheth (________________________)

Urvi Malpani (________________________)

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Ashutosh Mishra (________________________)

FLAME DIP Narmada 1

FLAME DIP Narmada 2

1. Geographical Location and Significance: ............................................................................... 9

1.2 Climate: ............................................................................................................................. 9

3. Focus of Work ....................................................................................................................... 10

3.1 Aim of the Project: .......................................................................................................... 10

3.2 Objectives: ....................................................................................................................... 10

Chapter 2 - Reference Material ..................................................................................................... 12

1. Myths and Fables: ................................................................................................................. 12

2.1 Amarkantak ..................................................................................................................... 13

2.2 Hoshangabad ................................................................................................................... 13

2.4 Omkareshwar ................................................................................................................... 15

3. Important religious places along the course of the river ....................................................... 15

FLAME DIP Narmada 3

6. Types of Narmada Parikrama ................................................................................................ 17

7.1 The Baigas ....................................................................................................................... 18

7.2 The Gonds........................................................................................................................ 18

Chapter 3 - Primary Data .............................................................................................................. 21

2.1 List of Interviews ............................................................................................................. 21

2.2 Interviews ........................................................................................................................ 23

2.3 Rishis ............................................................................................................................... 40

Chapter 4 – Journeys ..................................................................................................................... 45

1. Bombay-Bhopal (via Hoshangabad) Train Journey: (The First Glimpse) ............................ 45

2. Jabalpur to Amarkantak: (29th May) by car: ......................................................................... 46

Chapter 5 - Observations & Findings ........................................................................................... 48

1. The Religion of the River Narmada: ..................................................................................... 48

2. Myth Busters ......................................................................................................................... 54

3. Exploring Human Phenomena of “Helping Others” ............................................................. 56

3.1 Method ............................................................................................................................. 57

FLAME DIP Narmada 4

3.3 Discussion ........................................................................................................................ 58

4. Pro-environment behaviour ................................................................................................... 59

4.2 Beliefs .............................................................................................................................. 60

4.3 Tribes: .............................................................................................................................. 60

5.1 Observations .................................................................................................................... 61

5.2 Occupations along the stretch of the river ....................................................................... 61

6. Tribes, the Children of Nature............................................................................................... 66

6.1 The Gonds........................................................................................................................ 66

6.2 The Baigas ....................................................................................................................... 68

7.1 The idea of happiness ...................................................................................................... 71

Chapter 6 - Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 73

Appendix A – Helping Attitude Scale (Questionnaire) ................................................................ 76

Appendix B – Survey Data ........................................................................................................... 78

1. Question/Participant/Location-wise scores compilation ....................................................... 78