An Autobiography of a River

Born in the lap of the Himlayas, I have been flowing

towards the sea for ages, through hills and valleys
and planes by earning love and good wishes of all
whom I meet on my long way.
I am a river, a dancing maid, who knows not how to
tarry for a while. When I was given this eternal flow I
remember not, and when it will end is a mystery to
me. This much I know that I was given my birth to
serve the earth with her animate or inanimate
creations. My life is a dedicated one, meant to purify
the filth of the earth.
I wash and carry away the polluted articles, such as
the smelly corpses of men and beasts, the wastages
of oils and chemicals of the mills, and the excretory
refuse of the towns and villages-all sorts of dirty
accumulations from my both the banks.
Still with a gay heart, I run and jump and sing my
murmuring song, as I pass through the green paddy
fields, dense forests or thickly populated
inhabitations. The sky overhead protects me with its
endless roof; the sun gives me his brightest rays,
while the moon plays with me the game of tides : ebb
and flow; the passing clouds shower their secret
treasures on my hidden heart to make me happy.
I give shelter to the fishes and the aquatic animals; I
give company to the innocent boatmen; I enjoy the
music of the birds flying in the blue sky above, or
settling on the flowing water-hyacinths on my broad
bed.
I welcome the soft rays of the setting sun that creates
a beautiful glare on my little ripples, when the wind
blows slowly. With sun rays I look different at day, and

with moon rays mystic at night. I live and will live to

continue my eternal journey with my ever youthful
heart.