bhaskar saikia

Born in the shadow of the Pamirs, where the great mountain ranges of the world converge, a river begins its journey. It carves its way through the formidable Himalayas, moving from the land once ruled by Qin Shi Huang to the ancient realms of the Indus. The Brahmaputra—son of Brahma—flows with an unmatched majesty, nurturing civilizations and shaping nations across the tides of eternity. It has been a silent witness to history, carrying the weight of time within its ceaseless currents.

As the Yarlung Tsangpo, it slices through the deepest canyon on Earth, a chasm that rivals even the famed Grand Canyon. Descending into Arunachal Pradesh, it transforms into the mighty Siang, cascading through rugged landscapes before entering Assam, where its waters breathe life into the land of Asama. Eventually, it surrenders itself to the vast embrace of the Sundarbans, merging into the world’s largest delta. There is little this river has not seen, little it has not touched.

Its power humbles the world. Standing before it, I find myself insignificant. And yet, I chose to follow its path, tracing its course through valleys and plains, through names etched in legend—Gelling, Tuting, Pangin, Pasighat. I journeyed where the river dictated, through Majuli, Tezpur, and Pragjyotishpura. But unlike the Brahmaputra, I could not go on forever. Midway, I faltered. Midway, I turned back.

But the river does not stop. It flows on, an unbroken journey with neither a beginning nor an end—forever moving, forever eternal.

In its journey, I see my own—one of striving, of embracing the unknown, and ultimately, of understanding my limits. And so, this is not just a tribute to the Brahmaputra; it is a meditation on the human experience—our aspirations, our struggles, and the realization that some paths are infinite, meant to be witnessed but never fully traversed.

Here, I etch my ode to the Great River.

O’ Son of Brahma

Born under the shadow of the Pamirs,
Crossing the mighty Himalayas—
From the land of Qin Shi Huang
To the land of the Indus—
O’ son of Brahma,
You flow majestically,
Fostering civilizations and nations
Across the tides of eternity
Until the end of another eternity.

Carving the deepest canyon as Yarlung,
Cascading through the Land of the Rising Sun as Siang,
Nurturing the land of Asama,
And melting into the largest delta on Earth,
Your waters have seen it all,
Your waters have done it all.

You have humbled the world with your might.
What am I before the might of the world?
Yet, I followed your path, like beauty and beast.
Alas! I gave up midway, after barely beginning—
Gelling, Tuting, Pangin, and Pasighat;
Majuli, Tezpur, and Pragjyotishpura.
No longer could I follow your path.
Yet, you keep flowing,
Like a journey
Without a beginning, nor an end