In Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, the story of the Tamsa River is as old as faith itself. Mentioned in the Ramayana and deeply revered in local traditions, the river has long been more than a water body; it is a lifeline of memory, belief, and sustenance. But over time, progress and neglect turned it into a shadow of its past. It was silted, suffocated with weeds, and choked with garbage and plastic.
That is when Ravindra Kumar, an IAS officer of the 2011 Uttar Pradesh cadre and the current District Magistrate of Azamgarh, decided that the river’s story deserved a new chapter.
“The river is more than water. It carries people’s faith, it carries their history. Reviving it meant reviving a part of Azamgarh’s soul,” Kumar shared in an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds.
FROM ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER TO PEOPLE’S MOVEMENT
In July 2025, Kumar launched a month-long rejuvenation campaign for the Tamsa, starting from the sacred Chandreshwar Dham. What began as a government program soon transformed into a community movement.
The Panchayati Raj Department cleared years of accumulated waste and weeds. The Irrigation Department undertook de-silting to restore the natural flow. Village pradhans, local volunteers, and civil society groups joined in, turning the effort into collective ownership.
“The moment the community stepped in, it stopped being an official project and became everyone’s mission,” Mr Kumar reflects.
RESTORING SACRED SPACES
The campaign went beyond cleaning the river. At Chandrama Rishi Ashram, infrastructure was simultaneously restored. Drinking water units, public washrooms, and visitor pathways were created to make the ghats more accessible to devotees and tourists.
The transformation was both visual and emotional. The ghats came alive again with havans, fairs, and rituals. Water quality improved, aquatic life returned, and mornings at the riverbanks began filling with walkers, schoolchildren, and pilgrims.
To mark this change, International Yoga Day on June 21, 2025, was celebrated on the rejuvenated ghats of Chandrama Rishi Ashram, symbolizing not just ecological revival but also cultural renewal.
A DISTRICT-WIDE MISSION
Ravindra Kumar knew this could not remain a one-time clean-up. Under his guidance, the effort expanded into a district-wide mission. On 29th July 2025, a massive workshop at Harivansh Kala Kendra brought together gram pradhans, secretaries, block officials, employment officers, technical assistants, experts, and volunteers. The message was clear: ownership of the river belonged to everyone.
Schools, gram panchayats, and citizens were called upon to adopt and maintain local water bodies. Tree plantations became a priority: 65,000 saplings have already been planted along the riverbanks, with plans for more. Thirty village-level workshops are now running across the district to sustain awareness and action.
CULTURAL ROOTS AND ECOLOGICAL GAINS
The rejuvenation has begun to restore the spiritual glory of religious sites like Chandreshwar Dham, Narmadeshwar Dham, Narmadeshwar Mahadev, and Dronacharya Ashram. These sites, once fading, are now witnessing a revival of both pilgrimage and local tourism.
“Over time, this sacred river fell victim to the very progress it once supported. By bringing people together, we are giving back both heritage and ecology to future generations,” he told Indian Masterminds.
A RIVER FINDS ITS VOICE AGAIN
The success has drawn appreciation even from the highest levels of the state, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath praising the initiative.
But perhaps the most powerful recognition comes from the people of Azamgarh themselves, who now see their mornings and evenings along the riverbanks differently. Children engage in cleanliness drives, devotees gather at the ghats, and villagers see the river not as abandoned but as reclaimed.
The Tamsa, once silent and forgotten, now flows with renewed energy, carrying faith, memory, and life once again.
