Three things continue to linger on one’s mind after they travel through the Godavari Delta. The rushing waters of the canals of River Godavari that run along the vast stretches of paddy fields as far as the eye can see, the life-size statues of Sir Arthur Cotton on a horse, and the green canopy of coconut groves.
It would be hard to believe that these verdant lands were once severely drought-ridden, and it was a British Irrigation Engineer who changed the face of this Delta forever.
Around the 1880s, hit by severe drought and famine, scores of families in and around Rajahmundry resorted to selling their girls for survival. Back then, it was not uncommon to see girls being put up for sale at the weekly shandies. Many families were forced to migrate to other South Indian States, mostly Hyderabad and Chennai to make ends meet.
