December 14, 2018 is the 94th birth anniversary of the great actor and director Raj Kapoor who was a living legend-the grand showman of our film industry. I would like to dwell upon the connection that he had with the Uttarakhand region. It began when he conceived the idea of the journey of the Ganga as it travels from its origin at Gaumukh in Uttarakhand down the hills towards the plains and finally reaches the Bay of Bengal. When he was thinking about this story, his connection was established forever with this Himalayan region. The State of Uttarakhand did not exist in those years. However, his film Ram Teri Ganga Maili is a beautiful record of the pristine beauty of this hill region, its purity and its spiritual dimension.

The innocence of hill folk is also brought out very well in this film of 1985 which remains an ode to the beauty and purity of the Himalayas and the Ganga and also a dirge for the pollution that defiles the Ganga as it begins to descend into the cities. The heroine, Mandakini, was a perfect choice for the character Ganga who is a resident of the Himalayas. She looks truly ethereal in the film and powerfully symbolises the Ganga river. The hero comes to Gangotri from Calcutta and is called Naren or Narendra (the name of Swami Vivekananda).  This name has obviously been given to him deliberately as he is different from his family and their friends. He has a strong spiritual quality that pulls him to the mighty mountains and makes him feel so much at home there, just like Swami Vivekananda did). The idea of the film was so exquisite that its implementation by Raj Kapoor could not have been any less. The girl travels down the hills and is exploited by corrupt members of society at every step, leading her into becoming a dancing girl, almost a prostitute. She is caught in the clutches of the people who wish to keep her away from her husband (Naren). Her innocence is destroyed and she goes through tragic suffering that is highlighted by the theme song sung by Lata Mangeshkar –“Ram Teri Ganga Maili ho Gayi, paapiyon ke paap dhote dhote.” The message is clear-the river Ganga, when at its source, is pristine, pure and divine. As it enters the corrupt cities, it gets completely impure. This was thirty three years ago when he made this film. Today, things are no better. They may be quite worse. A powerful love story–Ram Teri Ganga Maili- tells us of the plight of the holy Ganges in a manner which could only belong to the visionary director and film maker-Raj Kapoor. His aesthetic sense was very strong.

Many years ago, actor Tom Alter (who plays Ganga’s brother in the film) shared with his friends in the Doon valley that he had once questioned Raj Kapoor why he had used the name of Ram instead of Shiva as it is with Lord Shiva that the Ganga is associated. Kapoor’s reply was that he had used the name “Ram” in the larger sense of God. He was informing God that his Ganga was now polluted.

The natural splendour of Uttarakhand has never been shown so beautifully and vividly in any film before that or even after that. Kapoor’s eye for beauty, his aesthetic vision, his romantic outlook all ensured that this amazingly splendid Himalayan region should be forever captured on celluloid in a way that would be greatly appreciated by the new generations.

The song “Husn Pahadon Ka, kya kehna ke baarhon mahiney, yahaan mausam jaadon ka” (sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Suresh Wadkar) expresses the essence of the splendour and seasons of this hill area. The ethos of the Garhwal Himalayas is conveyed delicately and subtly by Raj Kapoor.

It is Raj Kapoor’s unique quality that he can mingle romance with a social message. He did this in many of his films, including Awaara, Shri 420, Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai and Prem Rog.

Ram Teri Ganga Maili ended on a hopeful and optimistic note. However, when we watch the film today, it increases our alarm and concern regarding the condition of the Ganga, even in Uttarakhand which is its home.

The film also inspires us to dedicate ourselves towards the purification and preservation of this great spiritual heritage called Ganga. If it has to be saved from remaining “maili” a lot of rethinking is needed both by the Government and the residents of this hill State.

This is what the film is all about. It should not just be seen as a love story.