Waterlines, the Penguin Book of River Writings

Rivers pulse through the heart of India. The stories, essays and poetry in Waterlines reflect the presence of rivers in our lives: from film music to metaphysics, we turn to rivers to imagine and express our desires. As rivers shape our worlds and we shape theirs, landscapes and lives melt into one. This anthology celebrates this shared creation and also sheds light on the turbulence around rivers today. Waterlines combines classic works with the best of contemporary writing. Here is Rabindranath Tagore s brilliant tale of a young widow s passion. Agyeya recounts his aunt s courageous battle against the Beas. Cobras and otters and other river creatures meet crocodile-man Ron Whitaker. Arundhati Roy and Advaita Mallabarman offer river stories with dark currents. Mukul Sharma traces the travails of Biharis living in the shifting diara lands. Nita Kumar s lyrical account of the pleasures of Banaras ghats includes bhang-induced latrine . Anand Pandian presents early twentieth century Tamil verse honouring Pennycuick, the British engineer who dammed the Periyar. Ruchir Joshi pays homage to the Hooghly and Howrah Bridge. A.K. Ramanujan and A.K. Mehrotra, the Ganga, the Narmada, the Kaveri they are all here. With its unexpected bends and delightful views, Waterlines is a tribute to rivers that you will enjoy dipping into.