Photos taken  January 15 -19, 2001. Daily life at the mela.

No! It is not a fire. A group puja (religious ceremony) with multiple participants 
and fires is being conducted inside.

His job is to clear away all of the garbage in his patch, most notably human excrement. Here he drops a lump of it in his basket. His is a long 12 hour day and he gets Rs.45 for it. Literally a dollar a day.

Precious wood. What would the Kumbh Mela do without it. Selling here for Rs. 3 per kilo. Just across the road, the UP Forest Dept. is selling it for Rs.2.50 per kilo, but their wood comes in bigger chunks and requires more chopping. Further up the road women are selling nice pre-cut pieces for Rs. 4 per kilo.

This is Rama’s fourth mela and the second here at Allahabad. He spent a long time talking to me, many times turning sideways to the Ganga and bowing down with respect and awe. I did not understand everything he told me, but it appears that he stole from his extended family. He has been asking for forgiveness for the past 15 years and cries to Mother Ganga to cleanse his soul. He wiped tears off his eyes often during the recitation of his story. He arrived here before Makar Sankranti and will leave after Mauni Amavasya.