A lyrical river memoir blends history, politics, and personal experience at a moment of renewed focus on the Chenab and the suspended Indus Waters Treaty

As tensions flare once again along the India–Pakistan border following the recent suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, a timely and evocative new book casts a long, searching gaze at the river at the heart of it all: the Chenab.

Titled The Dark-Coloured Waters: A Journey Along River Chenab, this ambitious and deeply personal work by Danesh Rana—award-winning author and senior IPS officer—traverses decades, borders, and battlegrounds to uncover the many lives of a river too often forgotten, yet never far from the frontlines.

Part memoir, part travelogue, part political meditation, The Dark-Coloured Waters begins with Rana’s childhood memories of family road trips to Kashmir, where the Chenab flowed like a silent companion. Through his years in uniform during some of Jammu and Kashmir’s most volatile chapters, and later in quieter moments at the river’s source in Himachal Pradesh, Rana’s connection to the Chenab deepened, culminating in this remarkable book.

“This is not a linear chronicle,” writes Rana. “It is a riverine journey—restless, reflective, and deeply human.”

A River with Many Currents

From its mythic origins in the Himalayas to its turbulent present as a symbol of contested diplomacy, the Chenab runs through this book as a witness to history. Rana writes with the clarity of a lawman and the lyricism of a storyteller, capturing:

• The river’s role in conflict and counterinsurgency
• Its spiritual and cultural legacy in myth, memory, and cinema
• Its geopolitical significance as one of the rivers governed by the now-suspended Indus Waters Treaty

As Bollywood meets bloodshed, statecraft meets sacred geography, Rana’s Chenab becomes more than water—it becomes witness.

Praise and Relevance

“An excellent introduction to one of our lesser-known but most important rivers… With the Indus Water Treaty suspended by India, the Chenab takes on increased importance,” says Dr Karan Singh, former Governor of J\&K.

“Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the complexities of the region—and the river that threads through them all,” adds General V.K. Singh.

About the Author

Danesh Rana is a 25-year veteran of the Indian Police Service (AGMUT cadre) and currently serves on central deputation with the CRPF. He is the author of the acclaimed debut novel Red Maize (winner of the Tata Literature Live! First Book Award, 2015), and the non-fiction bestseller As Far as the Saffron Fields: The Pulwama Conspiracy (2022), which offered a definitive account of the 2019 Pulwama terror attack.

Book Details:

• Title: The Dark-Coloured Waters: A Journey Along River Chenab
• Author: Danesh Rana
• Price: ₹899 (inclusive of taxes)
• Genre: Non-fiction / Memoir