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Magh Mela-2020 – Far from the madding crowd, techies, players and foreigners doing yeoman service
PRAYAGRAJ: Former royals, national level tennis players, budding techies and aspiring computer professionals have arrived in the Magh Mela tent city from various
PRAYAGRAJ: Former royals, national level tennis players, budding techies and aspiring computer professionals have arrived in the Magh Mela tent city from various corners of India and abroad to serve pilgrims. Here, they happily clean camps, wash utensils and serve food to devotees on the banks of Sangam. The rationale: a quest for salvation and to earn some good karma.
Among the prominent organisations feeding seers and pilgrims in Ann Kshetra of Magh Mela is ‘Om Wahe Guru’. Among the volunteers is Shivam, an accounts and finance professional working for a media house in New Zealand who is here on a month’s leave, especially to serve pilgrims and seers in the magh mela. “I try and come here annually for my peace and service to the devout. Currently, I have been entrusted with the task of collecting used plates and taking it for washing with the help of other volunteers,” he said.
Another volunteer here is Yashdeep, a national level tennis player ranked an impressive 20th in the country. Busy with training at the Rafael Nadal Tennis Training Academy in Spain, he too is here serving pilgrims and performing odd jobs entrusted to him.
Close by, busy in work, is Sanyam, who holds a diploma in business analysis and is pursuing his engineering studies in Noida. “My job is serving food to pilgrims and seers who come in all through the day for meals. Food is served in small portions with special care not to let it go waste. For me, the days spent here are special, as I believe that it brings me close to God and allows me to serve devotees who come here from all corners of the country,” he said. Nearby, another volunteer, Naman, a BCA student from Delhi’s Jagannath Institute of Management Studies is busy lifting heavy utensils in the kitchen for cleaning.
Om Wahe Guru’s Mahant Swami Satyam of Juna Akhada who is managing the affairs of the camp said, “Breakfast is served to all at 7 am, lunch from 11am onwards with milk being served at 4pm and then khichdi (a preparation made from rice and lentils) at 6 pm every day to pilgrims.
“We have businessmen, politicians and professionals all performing voluntary seva for seers and pilgrims here.”
At the camp of Ganga Sena, another religious organisation with a camp in mela area, Maharaja Vikram Singh Puar, the 10th Maharaja of former princely state of Dewas and a descendant of the Maratha Rajput Puar dynasty and the former princely state’s Rajmata Gayatri Raje Puar will soon be arriving. They will serve food and collect food plates of pilgrims. Each year they come here for three days, said Ganga Sena head Swami Anand Giri.
At the camps of Nageshwar Dham, Saket Dham and Santosh Das ‘Satua Baba’ also a number of such people are serving the pilgrims and saints.
