River sutra

Yamuna from a particular Delhi vantage point

- Mayank Austen Soofi

The water is opaque and blackish, moving sluggishly. A man slowly emerges from under it. His whole body stays submerged in the water, except for the head. He looks up, and waves at the gazer standing by the bridge.

The bridge is upon the Yamuna. The sacred river originates from the snowbound altitude of the Himalayas, falls into the plains, flows through Haryana, and then is obliged to traverse 20 very dismal kilometers through Delhi, where more than 20 drains eject their refuse into it.