A Baba’s Fight for the River of His Dreams

Baba Nagnath Yogeshwar wants more water from the Tehri Dam for the Ganga. He has not eaten for over 500 days.

Baba Nagnath Yogeshwar, a devotee of the Ganga, is on a mission to save the river. When his repeated appeals to the Uttar Pradesh government went unheeded, he followed the beaten track and decided to go on a hunger strike. With a handful of disciples for support, Baba Yogeshwar embarked on his mission on 19 July 2008. He did not expect the fast to last even a fortnight.

Five hundred and twenty three days later, Baba Yogeshwar, clad in saffron, is still at it. He had demanded the release of extra water from the Tehri Dam to increase the height and flow of the Ganga as it winds through Varanasi. But there has been no assurance of the same from the UP government. Baba Yogeshwar claims to survive only on water and sunshine. When he grows very weak, his disciples, who have grown manifold, take him to the civil hospital for a shot of intravenous fluids.

Yet, the fast has taken a toll on Baba Yogeshwar. His body has been reduced to mere skin and bones. The hair is dirty and matted and the once trim beard now touches his stomach. Though leaders like Rajnath Singh, Govindacharya and Pravin Togadia have met Baba Yogeshwar, there has been no move to concede to his demands.

“Till my demands are not fulfilled, I will not eat,” Baba Yogeshwar tells Open from his hospital bed. “It is the duty of the four Shankararcharyas to keep the Ganga alive. It is our dharma. Kashi (Varanasi) will be dead if the Ganga does not flow.”

Each day into the fast, a new legend about the Baba is born. Stories about his past life abound, though no one really knows the truth about it. According to some, he was a king in his previous birth while some others believe that he is a descendant of Sage Vishwamitra, the creator of the Gayatri Mantra.

Sadly though, as the legends take shape, few remember the real reasons for the Baba’s fast.

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