The Ebb and Flow of Riverine Pursuits

This chapter describes how the river opened up ecological spaces for humans, plants, and animals to survive in. The river itself, its banks, floodplains, and grasslands were home and habitat to an array of life forms. Domesticated animals grazed on the floodplain; folklore involving the swamps, high grass savanna, and short grasslands indicate the presence of vast pastures. Monsoons and floods shaped lives and livelihood patterns in specific ways. The chapter further narrates how the river—full of water, mud, silt, and powerful currents, and blessed by a long spell of monsoon and a vastly expansive floodplain ecology—was home to a range of complex yet interlinked artisanal activities.