Between Devotion and Destruction: Changing River Imagery in Contemporary Indian English Poetry

Abstract: Rivers have always been revered as sacred and motherly figures in Indian culture and mythology, symbolizing purity, spiritual transcendence, and a life-sustaining force. Indian poets too have acclaimed rivers for their benevolence and nurturing nature. However, a shift is specifically evident in contemporary Indian poetry where rivers are represented as unpredictably destructive and agents of cultural and ecological degradation. The present research paper examines the depictions of rivers in the selected poems with negative connotations and attempts to pinpoint possible reasons behind such representations. Keki N. Daruwalla’s “The Ghaghra in Spate” captures the fury of the Ghaghra river in flood, while A. K. Ramanujan’s “A River” contrasts past and present perspectives on the river’s destruction while critiquing poets’ indifference to suffering. Zoya Zaidi’s “Ganga My Ganga” laments the pollution and degradation of the once-holy river, reflecting ecological concerns. In contrast, Paniker’s “Hoogly” exhibits the river as a witness to history and a force of destruction. Thus, the researcher aims to highlight how these poets use river imagery to address social, environmental, and existential anxieties as agents of catastrophe