Ganga Kinare mera gaon ho

Ganges River, India - 2nd 3rd April 2005
By Vishal K Srivastava

Standing there on the bank of Ganges you can hear the 'gentle' roar ahead till you go a little further and it transforms into a thunderous one.

You can see the water foam, swirl, make whirlpools and rise to form sheer walls. The waves crash into each other in their pristine fury as if they are trying to drown each other.

But you can never even come close to imagining the power of the river. Yup, for a starter, imagine being a pair of Levi's in a washing machine set at top speed!

White water rafting on the Ganges was 'pioneered' by a few adventurous Canadians way back in the early eighties. (A few of the rapids are named after them!)

It's a fully fledged industry now. Around seventeen camps were operational on the entire stretch from Rudraprayag to Rishikesh this season, though most of them are concentrated up to a place called Kaudiyala, 40 kms from Rishikesh.

I and a few friends did about 36 kms of rafting in two days. We started from Shivpuri 1st day and Marine drive 2nd day. The excitement built up as we climbed aboard in calm water. We were taught to respond to 'all forward', 'right back', 'lean forward', not to panic if we fall over or capsize and the rest of the 'boring' safety routines.

Floating into the froth you can truly appreciate your senses tuned to the slightest sound from your guide, the slightest movement of the raft, and the numbness of bone chilling water sprayed on your skin.

The best seat on the raft? Undoubtedly the guys who lean forward and meet the water head on!

Then we let the Ganges take over. First day we did some milder grade I or II rapids, a few names that I can recall were, 'Crossfire', 'Black Money', 'Return to Sender' (or centre ?), 'Golf Course' and a cracker of a rapid where you can body surf.

Then came the 'Roller Coaster', cousin of 'The Wall' with the same terrorising tendencies. Grade IV plus and very very mean.

On second day we did some more rapids like 3 blind mice which we hit most excitingly and all the ones which we did on first day.

We climbed a wave crest and were held there for a trifle longer than required, enough to make everyone scream out of sheer adrenalin-laced thrill. Once past this monster, it is an easy going till Rishikesh, with a couple more rapids where you can body surf too.

The rafting season on the Ganges is from November to mid April. In summers the water level rises and the rapids become dangerous for rafting for mere mortals like me and all but few camps pack up. Though that should not deter the pros who dig for raging rivers!

I would suggest staying in a camp on the bank of the river. There are plenty to choose from. Most of the operators will provide you with pickup from Delhi and back, food, bedding and equipment while you stay on their camp.

It is also possible to sign up with them for the rafting trip only. Of course, you will have to arrange for your stay and food separately. Expect to pay anywhere in the range of 1300 - 2000 Rs per night depending on the facilities and extra frills that each campsite provides. A stand alone run of 12 kms on the river should cost around 400 Rs per person.

Most of the good camp operators have websites, so do a little bit of dry surfing on the net before the real wet thing!