Long long ago, in an era gone by,

She roamed the lands so wild,

Untamed, impetuous and born free,

Carving her own path and way.

She left in her wake

Turbulent waves, foaming cascades,

Rapids and waterfalls.

Sometimes she roared,

At times she rippled and gurgled,

Dancing on the rocks, spray up in the air,

As the breeze rustled through her hair.

Then she was calm and serene,

As she meandered her way on the flatlands.

She is the mother, the fulfiller of dreams.

Loops, meanders and ox bow lakes,

And flood plains rejuvenated with silt so fertile,

She has always given more than she takes.

She no longer exists!

Her power and mightiness enchained

Her flow choked with poison,

While her soul cries out in anguish and pain –

Listen ye humans, let me take birth,

Let me bloom, let me live,

Let there be happiness and mirth.

Rally for rivers, save them from vanishing,

Plant trees along the banks,

Bring in the rain to the river valleys,

So that she flows once again.

Awaken, ye countrymen of India,

Be not a silent witness to her pain.

Hear her plea,

Give her freedom and wings to fly

So that she may dance forward in glee.