Ganga water from Rishikesh being sold at Rs 15 for 200 ml, Rs 22 for 500 ml
Water from the river Ganga is considered holy by Hindus, the closer to the source of the river, the purer. So ever since Sunday, when post offices started selling "Gangajal" across the country, the bottles are flying off the shelves. For the devout, a boon. But some are asking how can government sell national property?
Kolkata's historic GPO or General Post Office, which sold mostly stamps since 1865, has suddenly discovered a new hot cake: bottles of water from Rishikesh, 300 km from the river head Gangotri.
"Everything sold out in two hours. We got 50 bottles, gone in two hours," said a postal department worker manning the counter at the GPO's 'shoppe' Sheuli. A customer stood forlorn at the counter. "I came to buy some 'gangajal' but I am told all sold out. I have to wait," said Bupesh Jain.
Then Mr Jain got lucky. Fresh supplies arrived, one carton with probably 40 bottles of Gangajal. Since Sunday, the GPO has sold 500 bottles of Rishikesh water at Rs 15 for 200 ml, Rs 22 for 500 ml. Water from Gangotri is expected soon and will cost marginally more.
"At last," Mr Jain smiled as he snapped up two bottles of "gangajal". "I thought I would never get one...Yes I feel like I have reached Rishikesh itself," he said.
Sales should boost India Post's bottom line but some are aghast at the concept.
Dipankar Das, an office goer passing by the GPO and seeing the posters of 'gangajal', was outraged.
"It's wrong. Ganga is a national property. How can the government sell water from it? It is a nasty thing to do," he said.
Also shocked, is another person called Ajit Sahu. "The river Ganga is sacred, a sentiment is involved. You can sell sentiments," he said. "There is no government stamp on the bottle. Anyone can copy and sell tap water with the Gangajal label now and make money," he said.
Gangajal clearly is creating waves.