When The Meek Turn, There Will Be Havoc

Despite being discouraged by ever so many people, I went to the Mahakumbh last week.

- RENUKA NARAYANAN

Despite being discouraged by ever so many people, I went to the Mahakumbh last week. The experience was well-curated by the friend who invited me to accompany her. We did not stay in the tent city but a private hotel in town. So we did not face a traffic jam while getting there. Through the hotel owner, my friend pre-arranged a driver and boatman. Coordinating the two, we went straight for our dip after reaching our hotel.

Instead of going to the busy side of the Ganga, our driver took us to the Yamuna. Our boatman, Bablu, met us on the road and took us to a small, sandy bank of the Yamuna, where his rowboat was moored. Rowboat, not a motorboat. So, it was hard work for Bablu and his helper, and a blissful lack of ugly engine noise for us.

We approached the Sangam by the Yamuna, and it was exhilarating to see how full and clean she was, unlike her miserable plight in Delhi. Unsurprisingly, this queenly river was considered holy by the ancients.

I asked Bablu if he was from Uttar Pradesh, and he drew himself up proudly and said he was a Nishada, "Ramji ke dost", the friend of Sri Rama. He meant he was a descendant of Guha, chief of the Nishadas, who rowed Rama, Sita and Lakshmana across the river into exile. He was living history. And he was so kind, carrying my bag, helping me on and off the boat, and into and out of the Sangam. The water was clean and flowed fairly fast, and I suffered no after-effects.