Amar is in his late 30s and does odd jobs in Mumbai. He manages to earn anything between Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per month when in Mumbai and stays in a small room with friends in the far-flung suburbs of the city.
Since January, however, Amar has shifted his base to his hometown Prayagraj and the ongoing Maha Kumbh has proved to be a real blessing for Amar and many like Amar who own a bike and do not mind ferrying people in the Maha Kumbh area and also across the city for sightseeing.
“Since the Maha Kumbh began, I have made around Rs 1.5 lakh till now and that is what matters to me more than anything else,” says Amar when I asked him about his experience of Maha Kumbh – I was there in Prayagraj earlier this month.
As mentioned earlier, Amar is not alone. One can find such unauthorised “bikers” or “bike taxis”, as many call it, all across the Maha Kumbh area and one can hire them to move between one ghat to another –around 45 ghats have been created for Maha Kumbh -- for a price ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 300 depending on the distance and the traffic.
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Calling these bikers the lifeline of Maha Kumbh will not be an exaggeration. Reason being, most of the roads leading to the ghats are closed for vehicular traffic and bikes are the only way one can commute quickly.
Also, the huge area on which the entire tent city and the ghats have been developed have a sandy surface with temporary metal sheets laid on it so car is not the best option to travel. E-rickshaws also ply on those routes but only for smaller distances.
Hence, it does not come as any surprise that the city, which has played host to more than 62 crore devotees and the number is growing by the minute, has seen hundreds of its youth bike owners turn into bike taxis and making multiple trips to make a quick buck.
“We know the routes, we know how to maneuver the crowd. No one can take you faster from one ghat to another or maybe from your place of stay to the ghat,” says Babloo, another biker.
Every day since the Maha Kumbh started, Babloo has been coming to Someshwar Temple, which is near Arail Ghat, at 5am and then taxis people throughout the day. “On a good day, I am able to make Rs 5,000 as well though it is not the same every day,” he says.
The area of operation of these bikers is not limited to the Kumbh area alone. I had some spare time and thought of doing some sightseeing outside the “core area” as one of the bikers called it.
In true Godfather style, Amar made an offer I couldn’t refuse. “I will take you to spots of Prayagraj that will give you a spectacular topographic view of the Maha Kumbh area. Plus, I will take you to other popular temples as well. It would be a half day trip and will cost Rs 2,000,” he said, knowing very well that I have no other mode of travel.
Incidentally, sights of entire families or groups hiring 8-10 bikes is a common sight in Prayagraj. In fact, people holding their luggage in a precarious manner and heading to railway stations or even the airport is not an uncommon sight.
We also got to experience that on our last day as there were no cars available for the airport and we were seven people in all. With no other option in sight and everyone scaring us with stories of thousands of people getting stuck in traffic jams and missing their flights, we decided to hire five bikes to reach the airport.
A bike ride from the Maha Kumbh area to the airport will cost anything between Rs 1500 to Rs 2000 depending on your bargaining skills and your desperation.
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But these bike rides are not really for the faint hearted. Because these bikers do not follow any traffic rules – also the reason why these are currently the fastest mode of travel. They will drive on the wrong side, take the footpath when the roads are clogged, keep brushing against people & cars and honk till you go deaf.
If Maha Kumbh is once-in-a-lifetime experience, then these bike rides are also an experience one shouldn’t miss. Because, just like the Kumbh, they will vanish to appear again only when the city will again play host to the largest congregation of human beings on the planet.
But do find something to hold on to when you are riding these bikes.
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