Bangladesh, Oct. 14 -- The fearsome mighty Padma of the past has mellowed. Naturally, in its heyday it earned the infamy of all-consuming 'rakshusi' (fiendish) Padma. Today, however, in the lean season the shallow channel of the river at some points in Rajshahi can be easily negotiated on foot. Ferries cannot move between Paturia and Daulatdia directly but have to take round-about routes and that too after continuous dredging. The river simply gasps for breath.
Yet the same river transforms into an irrational demonic force in the monsoon. If the rainfalls are heavier at the foothills of the Himalayan range, the river takes no time to be in spate. Its shrunk channel cannot carry the gushing water coming from the north and huge swathes of la...