THE RIVER BRAHMAPUTRA…………THE LIFE LINE AND THE SPIRITUAL IDENTITY OF NORTH EAST INDIA

SUNSET OVER THE RIVER BRAHMAPUTRA........
..

Once one reaches Gauhati, whether be it in the morning or afternoon or any other time, a visit to the banks of Brahmaputra should be a part of one’s iteniery.

Gauhati is the capital city of Assam and is situated on the banks of the mighty river Brahmaputra. The Brahmaputra is the only river in India which is revered and thought of as a male. Rest all other rivers in India is revered and thought of as a female.

 In Sanskrit, the word river is connoted as “Nadi” , a female worthy of worship and reverence. Similarly, in Sanskrit, The Brahmaputra is connoted as “Nad”, a male river and revered accordingly. Once when you see the river, will one understand that the river is not a mean river . It is one of the nine largest rivers of the world. River Nile of Egypt and the Amazon river of the Amazon rain forest are the only other two of this category.

 This is also one of the longest rivers in the world. It starts from the Mansarovar lake in China occupied Tibet, traverses through  India  towards the west through Arunachal Pradesh and Assam and enters Bangladesh, where it is known as Jomuna and thereafter it merges with the river Padma and then empties into the bay of Bengal at the deltas of Bangladesh as Mehgna

I, not only saw the river from its banks but also was very lucky to go on a  cruise. Popularly known as the Brahmaputra river cruise. I took the cruise from the cruise company called Al Fresco which is located on the banks of the river itself. They have their online portal too. The best cruise is the one hour cruise which starts at 1700 hrs and ends at 1800 hrs but one has to be at the boarding gate by 1630.

 Must say that Al Fresco cruise is the best cruise company from many others that are there on the banks of the river. The Boat and the service on board is amazing considering about 200 people on board and to serve each one of them at their seat and then collect the payments is by no mean, an easy task.

The boat is also majestic. It’s a three storey boat the top deck is an open deck with tables and chairs and one can order snacks and coffee and tea which will be served at the table. The central deck has live music podium with a dance floor and a bar. One gets a very beautiful view of the majestic Brahmaputra from the deck particularly of the sunset behind the hills and the reflection of the setting sun on the shimmering waters of Brahmaputra. It is a sight to behold.