Book notice: Speaking Rivers by Vipul Singh

Book notice: Speaking Rivers by Vipul Singh 

Vipul Singh, Speaking Rivers: Environmental History of a Mid-Ganga Flood Country, 1540-1885 (Primus).

Raziuddin Aquil 

My colleague Dr Vipul Singh has recently published his book on a theme of considerable significance to the question of disastrous consequences of tampering with river systems, as part of completely irrational and ill-advised policies of colonial and post-colonial regimes. Medieval and early modern rulers as well as traditional communities of people - peasants and tribes - understood the value of maintaining an ecological balance, evolving prudent ways to live with natural bounties.

Political regimes since the nineteenth century have resorted to mindless aggrandisement of natural resources - denuding forests as well as disturbing river systems and their free flow. The middle Ganga basin’s ecology and its vicious cycle of flood and drought is a case in point, with big embankments and dam-projects guzzling up huge amount of funds in the name of disaster relief and canal construction, even as politicians continue to pay lip service to rivers as mother goddesses. 

Many civilisations have been built around great rivers and they were also eventually consumed by the same rivers. People in the basin understand this, but those in power do not. Vipul Singh's book is a timely reminder of the need to envision more sustainable development initiatives than indulging in utterly whimsical projects to tamper with the natural order of things.

The importance of the book further lies in the fact that it offers a historical perspective on this crucial issue from the much-neglected region of Bihar. For all we know, environmental degradation and economic backwardness are inextricably linked to each other in the history of Bihar during these past couple of centuries. 

The gesture of remembering Pati-da (Dr Biswamoy Pati) in dedication to the book is also touching.