Right to water may sound novel and somewhat dramatic, yet it has been central to the quest of human civilization for thousands of years. One of the earliest references to water as 'common property' can be found in the Jewish laws as early as 3000 BCE.Similar views are also found in Islam. In fact, the Arabic word for Islamic law - shari'ah - originally meant "the place from which one descends to water."Since water is a gift from the divine to all living beings, sharing water is regarded as holy duty. This is found across religions, regions, societies, and communities, from New Zealand to Nigeria, from Bangladesh to Brazil. But then, what transformed the divine sanction? What led to the negation of the 'commons,' with sharing of the riverine water across territorial boundaries suffering the most?The answer probably lies as much as in the politics of safeguarding one's personal or national interests as it is in the limitations imposed by our disciplinary understanding of things.In this context, a thorough reexamination, even reconceptualization,of some of the core issuesis required.

1. Introduction.- 2. Framework for Analysis.- 3. Politics, Geopolitics and River Rights.- 4. Economic Consequences of a Transboundary River.- 5. Women, Girls and Rivers.- 6.-The Anthropocene and the Riverine People.- 7.Water Culture and the Braided Life of a Cultural River.- 8. Technology and the Rights of Rivers.- 9. Psychology of Water Dystopia.- 10. Conclusion: Resistance and the Quest for Water Commons.