SAGA OF REUNION

by Pankhuri Singh (India)

Making a local connection India

I like to live stories rather than only sitting and listening to it. This dream came true when I came to see the city with the holy confluence of three rivers, which I used to hear in my father's stories since childhood. He used to go Allahabad, also known as Sangam, every year in the month of January. However, the largest gathering on earth underway here is the pride of the city. I reached there in 2013 with enthusiasm. I finally reached Allahabad, the same roads, same people but the only difference visible was vanity in the dialect of people there. I was getting impatient to see the place that dad used to visit every year. Within an hour I was at 60 years old Shastri Bridge, the landscape blew my mind. As far as I could run my eyes the landscape covered with colorful tents was shining bright like stars. Millions of people from all over the world gathered in the small town to see the amazing reconciliation of three rivers and take a holy dip of faith in it. Despite the hustle-bustle, one could sense the peace in the air. I came down the bridge and started walking inside the fair it seemed as if many cities had been settled within the city; with thousands of lanes, tents and mud-built houses. I was living the story through my eyes which I heard from my ears. Everything was quite organized with Police Forces posted at every corner. As I was walking through I saw a lonely old woman. Draped in a yellow sari and holding a small bag within her hands, standing quietly in a corner and crying. I went to her and asked, "Why are you crying?" The old woman replied in her language, "I came with my son, and I’m lost." The old woman was lost or did knowingly her son left her? I had no clue. However, this fair has witnessed millions of incidents where some people got accidentally lost from their loved ones and some bring the old parents with the intention of leaving them forever. I grabbed the old woman's hand and took her to the cops. There were many uniformed cops standing in the herd in one place. I said, "Listen! This woman is separated from her son, help her, please. "A cop from one of them said," take her in the 'bhule bhatke shivir', they reunite lost people their families. While passing through the narrow streets, sandy roads and pontoon bridges, we reached the ‘bhule bhatke’ camp. After a while; I was standing in front of an old man who in over six decades had reunited millions of people got lost at the fair. The man named Raja Ram Tiwari. I told him about the old lady. The people there questioned the woman. Then took the woman to the announcer's camp where names of the lost people, their getup and their relatives' name are being announced. So people can get information about their lost loved ones. I was relieved that at least the woman is at the right place in the teeming crowd. Then curiously I spoke with Tiwari Ji. Dark skin, wrinkled face was telling the tale of great life experience. With the black cap on his head, Tiwari Ji smiled and asked where do you belong? Neighboring city, Banaras, I said. How did it all begin? I continued. He smiled revealing the gap within his tooth. He said, what happened with you today had happened to me years ago. The very first time I came to see this place I found a lost old lady. From that day onwards I have made it my duty to reunite the lost people with their families. Tears gushed from my eyes. I encapsulated that moment in my heart. Last year, I went to see the Mahakumbh with my dad which takes place every 12 years. First, we went to meet Tiwari Ji in his camp and we came to know that the iconic man has passed away. But it's good to see that the process of reuniting lost people from their loved ones is in continuation even after the death of Tiwari Ji.