Modern 'kanwariyas' take to fancy bikes, latest gadgets

ALLAHABAD: After taking a dip in Sangam and filling the holy Ganga water in an earthen pot, young Ranjeet, an executive at a private company, spends around one hour on his laptop checking mails, delegating work to his subordinates and making sure his targets are achieved before proceeding to Varanasi for offering the pious water to Bholenath (Lord Shiva).
Young Roshan is not the only Kanwariya who travels with modern gadgets during the auspicious pilgrimage wherein lakh of Kanwariyas undertake the long journey.
However, as the times changes so did the kanwariyas' ways of travelling. Earlier seen walking on foot for hundreds of miles with only pots filled with holy water on their shoulders, they can now be seen travelling with latest gadgets including laptops and mobile phones, wearing trendy shoes, and completing their journey through hired buses, or fancy bikes. Shedding the old ritual of undertaking the journey on bare foot and surviving on minimal resources, these Kanwariya's have undergone a modern makeover.
"We want to undertake the journey but cannot miss our work so in between I stop for a while and plug in my laptop for work," said Dilip Vishkarma, who was in the Sangam city after offering ?jalabhishek' at Baiyanath Dham, Deoghar.
These modern kanwariyas also possess latest professional cameras, ready to capture every moment of their religious journey. "Who knows when again we will be undertaking such an adventurous journey", said Cheedilal, a Bol Bam (the name by which they are called during the journey).
"Travelling in taxi saves our time and energy, as the journey in the holy month of Shrawan brings blessings and entertainment both," said Maan Singh. "Being a student, I have undertaken this yatra just for fun," he added. Likewise, there are many, coming to Allahabad, who have almost completed their yatra on train.