Posted on 01/28/2025 7:00:33 PM PST by BenLurkin
I didn’t say anything about Indian-Americans.
“I’ve seen pix of the Ganges... The stench must be unbearable”
It is a big river, with a lot of water flushing through. There is a lot of agricultural runoff, and there is an Hindu cultural norm of “Burial” of the deceased in the Ganges River.
I have visited a couple of times, actually including during a Kumbha Mela. The river did not smell when I was there. The Kumbha Mela that I saw was in Haridwar (it rotates between a few sites). Haridwar is far in the North where the Ganges is just starting its run across the flatter ground, and is still running fast and cold out of the Himalayas.
The location this year is Prayagraj (formerly known as Allahbad), which is several hundred miles futher downriver. I have also sailed on the Ganges around Varanasi, which is about 100 miles further down the river from Allahbad (and considered the most auspicious place along the river to “bury’ the deceased, typically after cremation).
In Varanasi, the Ganges is slower moving, and there is a bit of flotsam debris, but it still did not have a bad odor when I was there. I swam in it at both locations, with no ill effects.
There is a very long run after that, before making it to the Sea. I would expect that by the time it gets far downstream (well beyond where the Kumbha Melas are held) the pollution would be significantly more intense, with high levels of coliform bacteria (fecal contamination) and diseases like cholera.
A lot of pharmaceuticals come from India, especially OTC generics.
That sounds like a load of BS.
They will never learn.
Kindly do the needful
They should have bathed in the California lakes. At least they would not drown.
If only we’d have issued more H1B visas, the crowd would have not been so large...
“our church did a mission trip to India ten years ago. The pictures/videos they took were almost beyond belief. Absolute filth everywhere”
India can be a real culture shock for Western visitors - perhaps the most shocking on Earth. Defecating in public spaces is like the national sport, trash is typically just piled on the roadside until someone finally throws a match onto the pile, and foodborne illness is rampant. Lepers can be seen begging in public.
Different parts of the country are quite different though. You can see all kinds of things, incuding billionaires in Bombay, with their Personal skyscrapers topped with helipads.
We spent a total of about 11 weeks wandering around India.
There are plusses and minuses as in all societies.
India is a very historical country with incredible historic sites. India is a very religious society. There are incredible religious temples, festivals and history. The people of India are very interesting in their culture and habits.
One thing about India is that one moment you are experiencing unbelievable beauty...the next you see something that disgusts you.
For those who only go to nice resorts so as to avoid anything or persons that they may not like...do not go.
If you want to be stimulated in all ways...go to India.
I just tried to bring up old photos of the pollution in India rivers. All my links no longer work for some reason.
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