NATURE is beautiful. Also bountiful. It has given so much to man. Golden gifts. And so lavishly. Like God’s garments. In an inexhaustible measure. Every day, we see a myriad bounties of nature. The sun, the moon and the stars. Hills. Valleys. Oceans. Water, sunlight and air. All pure. Every flake of snow, a perfect crystal. Every leaf a work of inimitable craftsmanship. Bewitching beauty. So colourful. Such variety. In great abundance. Man can never excel nature. Nor imitate it. Nor can he ever thank it adequately.

And nature follows its own rules. Everything moves in a perfect cycle. Accurately. Punctually and punctiliously. Without delay or demur. The sun and the moon rise and set. The seasons - autumn, spring, summer and winter, come and go. At the same time. Every year. With a clockwork precision. The days, nights, weeks, months and years pass. Centuries too. The laws of nature remain perfect and predictable.

The bounties of nature provide the basic sources of energy. Everything in nature is good. It is useful. It is essential for human existence. It needs to be preserved. That is man’s debt to nature. It has to be honoured. Always and at all costs.

Look at the simple air that we breathe. It is lifegiving. It also helps the sailor on the sea. To run his boat. Taking a clue, the Chinese founded the ‘windmills’. To produce mechanical energy. Similarly, the water. So essential for existence. Seventy per cent of every living being. We drink it to subsist. Ages back, man used water to run the ‘waterwheels’. To irrigate the Babylonian fields. The Romans used the water current to power their flourmills. Also the sawmills. It was used as a good and reliable source of energy. To run the factories. And it continues to serve the needs of man in the modern times too.

The universe is so large. In fact, infinite. Man is by himself no more than a small speck in this universe. Yet, he is continuously striving to harness nature. In all its forms. In every possible way. For human comfort. For the good of man and his kind. Man has made efforts to regulate the flow of rivers. Since the hoary past. By building dams and regulating the flow.

A dam is a "structure built across a stream, river or estuary to retain water. Its purposes are to meet demands for water for human consumption, irrigation or industry … to increase available water stored for generating hydroelectric power." The earliest attempt at building a dam dates back to as far back as 2900 B.C. A 49-ft-high "masonry structure on the Nile river at Kosheish." To "supply water to king Menes’ capital at Memphis." About 200 years later, a "masonry-faced earth dam" was built at Sadd-el-Kafara near Cairo. However, no spillway was provided. Thus, it was "overtopped by a flood." The "oldest dam in use is a rock-fill structure about 20 ft. high on the Orontes in Syria." It was built about 1300 BC.

With time, different designs for dams have been developed. We have also made attempts to use running water for producing energy and providing irrigation. ‘Bhakra’ is an instance. It is a glorious example of human effort. It really illustrates as to how man can change the course of a river. In a way, it epitomises man’s victory over nature. It is a unique feat of engineering and technology. Symbolic of our capacity to surmount the difficulties and achieve success.

Ironically, the British had conceived the project. Slocum had designed the Dam. The work at the selected site had started in the year 1948. Initially, two tunnels – each about half a mile long, were made to divert the course of river Sutlej. To have free space to work. 13,000 engineers and thirteen thousand workers were employed. All of them had worked day and night. Enthusiastically. With dedication and devotion to duty. Round the clock. For a decade and a half. They had given their blood and sweat. And produced what we today call the Bhakra Dam.

In the process they consumed - A hundred thousand tons of steel. Concrete enough to make an eight ft. wide road "round the earth at Equator." All to make the "concrete dam" a concrete reality. It was finally completed in the year 1963. At a total cost of only 245.28 crore. Today, it seems rather cheap and inexpensive.

"Bhakra" is a straight gravity dam. In a layman’s language, it is a "right-angled triangle… The base width is approximately three quarters the height of the dam." It has a width of 625 ft. at the foundation base and 30 ft. at the top. A total height of 740 ft. from the deepest foundation. While the length at the bottom is 325 ft., it is 1700ft. at the top. It is the "highest … in Asia and the second highest in the world." If you do not like statistics, it is three times the height of Qutub Minar.

It is not a mere monster of cement, concrete and steel. Nor just a massive wall that blocks the flow of water. It is almost alive. It breathes. It is in a way porous. The water seeps in. It has to be flushed out. It has different provisions. Like the gates. To allow the flow of excess water. Also for irrigation. At times, even the dam can need treatment. It may require repairs. Thus, there are built in galleries. About 5 km long. These help in drainage, inspection and to check the "structural behaviour" of the dam.

It was built to provide for irrigation and power. By creating a big reservoir of water. A lake - called Gobind Sagar. It is 96.56 km long and has an area of 162.48 sq km. A gross storage capacity of 9340 cum. or 7.57 million-acre feet. Today, the water stored in the lake, is being used for generating hydroelectric power. There are the two powerhouses. One each on the right and the left sides. There are five units on the left bank with a capacity that has been raised to 108 MW each. On the right, the five units can now provide 157MW each.

The stored water is also being used for irrigating the lands. Through a network of canals. It has brought about a visible change. The parched lands are now rich green fields. The role of ‘Bhakra’ in bringing about the "green revolution" is there for all of us to see.

Then there is the Nangal Dam with a channel and the two powerhouses. Supplementing the generation and supply of power.

These units produce no smoke. No pollution. And yet, these provide the much-needed power. At the lowest cost. To give light. To allow the factories, fans and tube wells to keep running. To make life and homes worth living. To provide jobs to the young and old in the country.

I had visited Bhakra when it was being built. In the late fifties. Also after its completion. I wanted even the children and the grand children to see it. We went. Recently. The whole family. I read the "Corporate Brochure", which was so kindly given to me. It gives the aforementioned details about the Dam. Also quotes Nehru who described it as a "modern temple of resurgent India."

"Bhakra" is indeed a temple. Everyone should visit it. Bow the head in absolute gratitude. Even say a silent prayer for all those who made it possible. Also for the dedicated people who keep everything in shape. Today, because of them, the farmer is getting the much-needed water. Also the electricity. Much to the pleasure and happiness of all of us.

We should have more of these temples. All over the land. In every state. Wherever the rivers run. Despite the fact that many lose their hearth and home. The individual’s good has to yield to the larger public interest. That is necessary for the nation’s progress. For the resurgence of the whole country. Of all the people.

Hopefully, no one shall fight over these temples. At least, not in the name of God.