FIT Institutional Repository

New Delhi, the capital of India, is ranked as one of the most polluted cities in the world. The city is also home to a passing river, the Yamuna, one of the two most sacred rivers in Vedic literature for thousands of years. Besides being the doorway to deep spirituality, the rivers Yamuna and the Ganges have also played a significant role in modern India's political history, religious culture, and economy. Although the river originates from the glacier 20,000 feet above sea level and travels a total length of 855 miles, these images focus on Ghat 24, one of the 32 contiguous historic stairways on the Yamuna river in Delhi. These images provide a glimpse of daily life, includinga significant crematorium, a modern highway, a cantilevered subway system, and TikTok creators on this severely polluted river. They also give us a glimpse of human contradictions of deep spirituality and environmental indifference towards a river celebrated since ancient times. Unfortunately, the mega city is now the primary source of pollution in the river Yamuna.