Romance of the magnifique Godavari

The might of a river peaks at its confluence with the sea. A rainy day at Antarvedi in East Godavari district proves this. When it rains at Antarvedi, the sky bends down to meet the sea; the sea opens its arms to the river; the river embraces the earth as it meets its destination.

A cosmic drama unfolds in front of our eyes where elements talk to each other, argue and then merge in quiet harmony. One stands in awe of the Godavari that inexorably gets drawn into the sea. Starting backwards from Antarvedi, a journey up the river shows the many hues and contours of Godavari – from the mighty to the mature, the vibrant to the mellow and from nascent to subdued.

The reasons for a river's allure for man are still unclear. However, people have found remarkable ways of relating to a river – the most prominent way being an attribution of humanness, a character to the river. Rivers are all feminine and the sea always masculine, thus depicting a sublime union between elements. Typically, rivers are mothers, providers, life-givers, which is again a reflection of our ethos of venerating nature and its bounties.

Curiously though, Godavari is a river that spawns not just reverence but also a sense of romance among those who have come in contact with it. Godavari is a river magnifique, a water body that flows with a mystical grace, a canvas of myriad moods. Much like a woman, poets say. This romance is what keeps the river apart from the many that irrigate this land and make it a subject for poets to revel in.

The romance of Godavari is ancient. As ancient as the one between Rama and Sita. Valmiki’s ‘Ramayana’ has repeated references to Godavari, on whose banks in Dandakaranya did Rama and Sita spend their best times together. When Sita goes missing, Rama cries out in despair and asks Godavari about Sita’s whereabouts, Valmiki says in Aranya Kanda. It is said that Godavari was a confidant to the couple in the forest, and a source of solace to Lakshmana, who spent vigilant nights outside the kuteer of Rama and Sita. In his loneliness, Lakshmana saw Urmila in Godavari, describes a poet. Another poet declares that Rama and Sita found Godavari a more intimate friend than Ganga closer to their hometown.

In Bhavabhuti’s ‘Uttara Rama Charitra’, rivers Murala and Tamasi talk to Godavari asking the river to provide succour to Rama who is aggrieved by separation from Sita. “Do you, therefore, O exalted Godavari…every time dear Rama sinks under his grief, do you O Godavari his senses revive, gently, gently fanning him," ask the rivers.

In classical Telugu literature, Nannaya Sarvabhouma in his ‘Mahabharata’ and Srinatha Mahakavi in ‘Kashi Khandam’ mentioned Godavari with awe and affection. The river is woven into the tales and legends of the land, with emotional overtones. Even ‘Bhakta Ramadasu Keertanas’ have mention of Goutami.

Kavi Samrat Vishwanatha Satyanarayana’s Kinnerasani is a character that has an association with Godavari. Kinnerasani, the woman who turned into a river has “surf as smiles…the waves as her gentle curves and fish as her eyes.” Kinnerasani joins Godavari, the “kind-hearted elder sister who sheds tears for the wronged woman, hugs Kinnerasani to her and takes her to the sea.”

Another legendary character from Telugu literature is Nanduri Subba Rao’s Yenki…the beautiful village girl whose romance with the Nayudu Bava happens on the banks of Godavari. Yenki Paatalu themselves, written in the dialect of Godavari district are no less gentle than a boat ride on the river.

The river is a poem, a chant of peace. The river is a woman; it is the long tresses of the forest queen. It is sensuous, mysterious and profound. And river Godavari, enriching the land that it traverses, also made fertile the imaginations of innumerable poets along its course. It carries within the tears of a thousand heartbroken lovers and the memories of a million moments spent on its banks, sharing whispered secrets to the perpetual flow. Legends and stories, tales and poems, anecdotes and fables, imagination and wonder...this river will continue to inspire and provoke all these. And the romance of Godavari will go on.

Usha Turaga-Revelli