The boatman had no phone. No TV. No newspaper. But he knew exactly when the water would rise. I asked him how. “The fish tell me,” he said.
Etawah is a small city in Uttar Pradesh. Not famous for much. Some history. Some politics. A river.
When I opened “etawah news” before my trip, I saw:
A political leader visiting some village
A road accident on the highway
A dispute over some land
A farmer protest somewhere
I expected a tense, chaotic place. Then my car broke down. I got stuck for 2 days. And I met the boatman.
The boatman who reads the river
His name was Ramu. He had been rowing boats on the Yamuna for 40 years.
I asked: “Do you read ‘etawah news’?”
He laughed. “I read the river. The river tells me everything.”
“What does the river tell you?”
“When the water will rise. When it will fall. When the fish will come. When the storm is coming. When it's safe to cross.”
“That's more useful than any news.”
What the news said vs what the river said
I showed Ramu the headlines from “etawah news” on my phone.
Headline: “Politician promises new bridge” Ramu: “Politician comes every election. Promises bridge. Leaves. Bridge never comes. I have been waiting 40 years.”
Headline: “Road accident kills 2 on highway” Ramu: “That highway is dangerous. Everyone knows. But news shows it once. Then forgets. The road is still dangerous.”
Headline: “Farmer protest blocks highway” Ramu: “Farmers have problems. Yes. But protest ends. Then they go back to fields. News doesn't show that.”
He looked at me. “You see? News tells you what happened. I tell you what will happen. Which is more useful?”
What I saw in 2 days stuck in Etawah
No political drama on the streets. No accident on the road I was on. No farmer protest near me. No land dispute I could see.
What I saw:
A school where children were learning under a tree. The teacher had been there for 20 years.
A market where women were selling vegetables. They were laughing.
A temple on the riverbank. Peaceful. Quiet.
A family fishing together. Father, son, grandfather.
Ramu's boat. Steady. Reliable.
This is Etawah. Not the Etawah in “etawah news”.