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Images from the documentary Go Ganges!, which we'll be screening here on Thursday, November 29, 2012, between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET. The film follows two friends as they travel down India’s 1,557-mile holy river by cycle-rickshaw, rowboat, and any means necessary.
“We’re floating on a river of poo,” observes filmmaker J.J. Kelley. With more than 1/3 of India’s population of 1.2 billion relying on the Ganges for water, it has also become one of the world’s most polluted rivers.
Dave Costello/Dudes On Media
The headwaters of the Ganges in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, India, flows out of the terminus of the Gangotri Glacier—the largest in the Himalayas—at a place called Gomukh (literal translation: “Cow face” or “the cow’s mouth”) at about 13,000 feet.
Dave Costello/Dudes On Media
The 20-square-mile reservoir formed by the Tehri Dam near the Ganges' headwaters holds water from the world’s most populated river basin.
Dave Costello/Dudes On Media
The river runs through the foothills of the Himalayas.
Dave Costello/Dudes On Media
The team’s handmade boat, which they bought in Kanpur for $100, came complete with bamboo oars, and, according to the team’s cameraman, Dave Costello, “leaked remarkably well."
Dave Costello/Dudes On Media
Despite being one of the world’s most polluted rivers, millions of Indians rely on it every day for drinking water, irrigation, and even fishing.
Dave Costello/Dudes On Media
Making camp: Each night, the team camped without a tent, stove, or other modern camping gear. “We wanted to travel and experience the river as the locals do,” said filmmaker Josh Thomas.
Dave Costello/Dudes On Media
Sunrise on the Ganges: J.J. Kelley and Josh Thomas halfway through their 1,557-mile source to sea down India’s National River.
Dave Costello/Dudes On Media
The filmmakers row into the ancient and holy Hindu city of Varanasi (Benares).
Dave Costello/Dudes On Media
In the city of Haridwar Hindu worshipers come to pay their respects to the Ganges, which they believe is a Goddess that can wash away their sins and deliver deceased loved ones to Nirvana.
Dave Costello/Dudes On Media
Filmmaker J.J. Kelley roadside with the team’s cycle-rickshaw, which they used to peddle over 310 miles along the river, from Haridwar to Kanpur.
Dave Costello/Dudes On Media
Josh Thomas preparing to take his first shift of the day on the cycle-rickshaw. The three-man team switched off peddling duties each hour for nine hours a day.
Dave Costello/Dudes On Media
After cameraman Dave Costello came down with a severe case of amoebic dysentery, the team opted to buy an old Vespa scooter to help expedite the final leg of their journey to the Bay of Bengal.
Dave Costello/Dudes On Media
Sunset through the grass at the mouth of the Ganges: After 45 days and 1,557-miles, Kelley, Thomas, and Costello made it to the Indian Ocean with over 80 hours of raw footage.
Watch the full film on Thursday, November 19, 2012, between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET
