Family reunions at Maha Kumbh: Lost in old filmy style, found digital way

PTI, Jan 13, 2025, 8:22 PM IST

Mahakumbh Nagar: Separated from their families in the dense crowd of the Maha Kumbh as depicted in Bollywood films of the yore, over 250 individuals were reunited with their kin on the first day thanks to ‘digital initiatives’ bolstered by the traditional policing measures.

The inaugural day of the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj was marked by the Paush Purnima bathing festival, during which over 1.5 crore devotees converged at the sacred Triveni Sangam for a holy dip. The event will conclude on February 26.

To manage the enormous gathering, the Uttar Pradesh government implemented several crowd-control initiatives, including ‘Bhula-Bhatka’ camps, police assistance centres and deployment of personnel on specially constructed watchtowers for the Mela.

These camps feature dedicated sections for lost women and children, along with ‘Khoya-Paya’ (Lost and Found) centres equipped with digital tools and social media assistance.

According to Uttar Pradesh Police, 10 such state-of-the-art digital ‘Khoya- Paya Kendras’ have been set up across the Mela area. Equipped with modern facilities, these centres feature waiting rooms, medical rooms and refreshment areas for women and children to provide immediate assistance to the devotees, officials said.

ADG Bhanu Bhaskar earlier said each centre is fitted with 55-inch LED screens connected to a public address system, which will display live updates about lost and found persons and items. The centres will also provide essential information on ghat arrangements and routes.

The centres are digitally recording information about lost persons and items, providing informers with computerised receipts for reference and photos and details of missing persons are displayed on the 55-inch LED screens for easy identification and all centres are connected through a modern communication network.

Bhaskar said information is also being shared via Facebook, X and WhatsApp to enhance the reach of locating missing persons and lost items, noting that the digital centres will assist in locating missing children, mobile phones, purses and other belongings.

Additionally, enquiry centres have been set up throughout the fairgrounds to further support pilgrims, the ADG said.

The traditional set-up includes loudspeakers placed along the ghats continuously announcing missing persons’ names, allowing quick reunions while police and civil defence personnel are actively assisting pilgrims on the ground.

Nitesh Kumar Dwivedi, a warden with Uttar Pradesh Civil Defence, highlighted the extensive effort put in on the very first day.

“Hundreds of families have been reunited under the supervision of the department and Mela authorities. In just the first one-and-a-half hours, our civil defence teams managed to bring back around 200 to 250 individuals to their families,” Dwivedi told PTI Videos, acknowledging the challenge of managing a crowd that exceeded their initial estimates.

The emotional reunions led many attendees to express heartfelt gratitude towards the Mela authorities.

Ajay Goyal, a pilgrim from Delhi, shared his experience of being separated for an hour.

“The announcements made all the difference,” middle-aged Goyal said with a smile.

“Just before we got separated, we had joked about how this often happens at Kumbh Melas in old Bollywood films. Luckily, we were reunited within the same Mela itself,” Goyal said.

However, not everyone shares the same fortune. Sujata Jha, who arrived with 13 family members to take a dip at the Sangam, narrated her plight.

“It has been two to three hours, and I still haven’t found my family. My name has been announced multiple times but there’s no response.

“My belongings, phone and clothes are with them. I’m waiting here in my wet clothes,” she told PTI Videos near a police assistance centre.

A similar story was shared by Omwati, an elderly woman from Nigohi in Shahjahanpur district.

“I came with two others but they got separated from me. Now I am all alone,” she said, looking visibly distressed.

Despite these emotional stories, the arrangements by the administration drew praise.

Ajay Goyal noted, “The announcements and the ‘Lost and Found’ centres are an excellent system. It’s great to see such quick responses from the authorities.” The UP government, in its official statement, outlined the various efforts made to ensure the smooth conduct of the Mela. It emphasised that the ‘Khoya-Paya’ centres have been leveraging technology, including social media platforms, to locate separated individuals.

Meanwhile, police and volunteers at the ghats are working tirelessly to assist devotees and prevent major disruptions.

The Maha Kumbh Mela, being held after 12 years, expects a footfall of 40 crore to 45 crore visitors till February 26, according to UP government estimates.