E-Paper
Sea of humanity converges at Sangam
THE sea of humanity converged on the banks of the Sangam on the auspicious occasion of Mauni Amavasya on Sunday. Several lakh people had taken the dip in the holy waters of the Ganga Yamuna and mythical Saraswati since dawn. And even when dusk was nearing the devotees in groups were still trickling down to the Sangam to fulfill their cherished dream of getting emancipation by the mere touch of the water so holy to their belief.
THE sea of humanity converged on the banks of the Sangam on the auspicious occasion of Mauni Amavasya on Sunday.
Several lakh people had taken the dip in the holy waters of the Ganga Yamuna and mythical Saraswati since dawn. And even when dusk was nearing the devotees in groups were still trickling down to the Sangam to fulfill their cherished dream of getting emancipation by the mere touch of the water so holy to their belief.
Mild cold and bright sunny day also turned out to be great crowd puller impelling many a city dwellers to come out of the cosy comforts of their dwellings and head towards the Sangam.
Chanting hymns in praise of the holy Ganga people in droves were seen hurrying towards the Sangam more than twelve hours before the beginning of the holy 'parva'.
Many of them carried even the ration and utensils and, of course, the bedding to cook and eat in the land of Sangam which had beckoned them from far and near.
Those who managed to reach early perched themselves under the 'rainbaseras' (tents) which the administration had pitched for them. Those who were late preferred to eat and sleep in the night under the open sky. But whichever situation they were there without any complaints as the main aim was to wash off their sins in the holy waters and get back home as soon as possible.
Obsessed with this feeling many of them even preferred to have a dip after midnight and return.
As a result the bathing which began after midnight had not ended even after 18 hours. People were still seen heading towards several ghats including the Sangam Nose even when the sun was about to set on Sunday. This huge gathering facilitated the administration's claim of a turn-out of nearly 75 lakh pilgrims.
As usual Sangam Nose remained heavily crowded since early morning. With not an inch of space anywhere around a dozen devotees fainted after failing to withstand the the heat of the bright sun for long.
They were picked up in ambulances and rushed to the mela hospital. Due to heavy load and tendency to reach quickly and return for another trip many boats collided in the river but without any injury or damage.
The administration had made elaborate arrangements and police security was tight. Columns of army personnel and RAF men were also seen manning the world's biggest religious fair.
An army chopper kept circling the crowds for an aerial view.
Cops were assisted by home guards, scouts, civil defence men and NCC cadets including members of several voluntary organisations. A group of police commandos was also there to take charge of any emergency. Senior cops including the Mela CO preferred to remain glued to the CCTV which kept scanning every nook and corner in the entire mela area including the pontoon bridges.
Senior administrative and police officers including DM Amrit Abhjat, DIG range Akhilesh Mehrotra, SSP Vijay Singh Meena and other officers kept doing rounds of the mela.
