These photos were taken on January 14, 2001 - the second auspicious bathing day

Lost! This woman came to me for help at about 5.20am at the Sangam site. She was frightened and shivering with cold due to her wet sari. She had just had her snan. With her was her grandson who was naked apart from wet shorts dripping with water, he too was shivering. I tried to get help at the site, but was directed to the police elsewhere. I took both of them to the TV tower nearby and was directed by the police to an announcement booth 100 meters away. Getting the announcer to help was not easy so I forcibly drafted the help of a policeman. With difficulty he extracted the information from the two of them. Naina and Mohan were from a part of Bihar where the dialect is unfamiliar to Hindi speakers and not easily understandable. In this photo Naina is wearing my jumper and headscarf and Mohan has my shawl. The time - 6.15am.

While at the booth lots of others began coming to me for help. Some were crying so I approached them to discover that they did not have the courage to approach the booth themselves. While our announcement was made in Hindi I went to a group of five police (three of whom were women) sitting nearby at a table outside a tent. I pointed out that the lost persons system was not operating well and that we have to do something about it. I was told ‘We make announcement, if nobody comes after announcement, there is no solution’. I was calm but pretended to be angry. ‘There is going to be no solution with all of you sitting here doing nothing. I want you to come and help us now. Where is the phone number of the lost persons section and why are they not here now?’  After a while, Lo and behold, Naina’s sister turned up and spotted us. The camera missed the expression on their faces, but it is impressed in my memory. I was relieved for them as well as for myself, because had they not met up I would have not abandoned them until a satisfactory solution was reached. There would then have been a different kind of photographic essay for today. While Mohan is being kitted up with his own clothes, Naina sits shivering and waiting for her clothes change. Time now - 6.50am.

Rajesh Sharma, the scout who helped us out. Here he using my pen and my paper, writing down the details to be given to the announcement booth for the illiterate man on his left. He will soon deal with the man on the right. This is not his designated job, but he is doing it well. Whenever I thanked him, he came back with ‘Do not thank me, I am only doing my duty.’

Boom Shankar! Ganja time. While his friend separates the seeds from the marijuana leaves for the next shared chillum, it’s deep inhalation time while this round still has life in it. How else to get closer to the Gods? Do you know of a quicker way to the sky?

This beggar had a clawed right hand and a damaged left hand. He created a large elaborate festering open wound complete with fake pus on his left leg. He spent most of his time lying in this manner moving as though he is not in control of his muscles. For creative thinking, ingenuity and acting ability, he gets my vote. When the competition is tough, you’ve got to pull out all the stops.

Shaving bald. A thing to do when on pilgrimage in India.

Home away from home. Breakfast time with fresh chapatis. Here, even husbands have got to help.