Penguin Random House presents, Rage of the River, The Untold Story of the Kedarnath Disaster by Hridayesh Joshi
Three years after the Kedarnath disaster, stories from the valley—of pain and sorrow, Uttarakhand and central governments’ indifference and the corporate goof-ups, and the courage and heroism shown by the locals in the face of an absolute catastrophe— have remained largely unheard of till now.
Rage of the River is a riveting commentary on the socio-environmental landscape of Uttarakhand and is filled with vivid imagery of the calamity.
On 17 June 2013, a normally calm Mandakini came crashing down from the hills of Uttarakhand and destroyed everything in its path: houses, bridges, dams and the town of Kedarnath. Thousands of people perished and lakhs lost their livelihood. Three years after the disaster, stories from the valley—of pain and sorrow, the state government’s indifference and the corporate goof-ups, the courage and heroism shown by the locals in the face of an absolute catastrophe—have remained largely unheard till now. While the government continues to remain in denial and chooses to ignore the environmental issues in Uttarakhand, the ravaged Kedarnath valley still haunts us—though the temple has been restored, given its religious importance and centrality to the local economy. Exposing mishandling and apathy of government and administration to respond to the calamity, Rage of the River unfolds the story of the flood that devastated Uttarakhand.
About the Author
Hridayesh Joshi is the senior editor, national affairs, in NDTV India. When disaster struck Kedarnath in 2013, he was among the first to reach there. Joshi stayed there for weeks and travelled the length and breadth of Uttarakhand covering the calamity. A recipient of the Ramanath Goenka Awards for Excellence in Journalism, Joshi reports often on natural disasters and environmental issues. He has also covered the war-torn Bastar in Chhattisgarh extensively, where the central and state forces are locked in a fierce battle with Maoist rebels.