Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Sunday attended the Annual Day of a Delhi School, themed around “Ganga — Ek Aviral Dhara”. Addressing the students, the LG said the Ganga occupies a unique place in India’s civilisational history, finding expression in the country’s scriptures, poetry, music, art and spiritual traditions. Along its banks, he noted, centres of learning, pilgrimage and cultural exchange have flourished, and the river has sustained communities, supported livelihoods and shaped settlements from the Himalayas to the plains.
The LG pointed out that the Ganga is not confined to history, mythology or spiritual traditions, and that it also reminds us of our responsibility towards the natural world. Respect for Maa Ganga, he said, must therefore go hand in hand with conserving rivers, using water responsibly and protecting the natural systems that sustain life. Recalling the Prime Minister’s message that keeping Mother Ganga clean is a big responsibility of all, he said it brings together reverence for the river and duty towards future generations.
Turning to Delhi, the LG told the students that the Ganga may seem far away, but is closer than they think. The Yamuna, whose basin makes up about 40 per cent of the Ganga basin, meets her at the Sangam in Prayagraj. Yet the Yamuna’s 22-kilometre stretch in Delhi, less than two per cent of its length, accounts for about 76 per cent of its pollution. An Aviral and Nirmal Ganga is therefore possible only with an Aviral and Nirmal Yamuna, he said.
He asked every student to contribute in simple ways, by never throwing plastic or puja material into the river and by encouraging their families and friends to do the same. A cleaner Yamuna in Delhi, he said, means a cleaner Ganga for the whole nation.
Congratulating the school on completing 77 years since its establishment in 1949, the LG commended its teachers and staff for their contribution to education.
He noted that as the flagship school of the DPS Society, it has contributed to an educational tradition that emphasises academic learning, discipline and the holistic development of young people.