Reflection by Madhuri Mandava, Paani Earth Foundation
Children playing by a stream that once flowed into the Vrishabhavathi, near present-day PES College • c. 1970s
Thanks to my dear neighbour, I have this beautiful memory of a stream that joined the Vrishabhavathi around 60 years ago.
Children played in the stream, right next to where PES College on Outer Ring Road stands today.
The stream is still there, but now covered and flowing as a drain.
Can an image like this help us remember what our rivers once were and what they could be again? Can we, as citizens, ask more questions, push for action and be part of bringing life back to the river?
But why should we care?
Restoring our rivers is not only about the river itself. If we can protect and restore our local water systems, we can reduce the pressure to bring water from increasingly far away and draw groundwater from deeper and deeper below us.
A cleaner Vrishabhavathi also matters downstream. Its waters flow through the Byramangala region where they are used for agriculture. What we send into the river can therefore affect the water, soil, groundwater and ultimately the food that is grown there.
Perhaps this old photograph can help us imagine a different future for the river. And remind us that we all have a part to play in getting there.
