Riverine fisherfolk, arguably the oldest among traders, are being sold down the river. An unholy synergy of poisoned rivers, government apathy and commercial interests has scripted the epitaph of the original stewards of the river. Ironically, their disappearance has coincided with the country's booming inland fish production, spawned by aquaculture. As the government basks in the glory of the blue revolution, it has chosen to forget their existence - they don't figure in the census nor in any welfare programmes. India's rivers today stink with the death of a tradition that sustained many civilisations.