Making money from money at Maha Kumbh

HARIDWAR - Sitting on empty, folded sacks, they neatly pile up coins in multiple rows and jingle them every time someone passes by. For the unaccustomed, it takes a while to realise they are out to make ‘money from money’.

A large number of men sit along the banks of the river Ganga selling coins - a much sought after item at the Maha Kumbh Mela as over the years they have come to be a part of various rituals.

If you give these men a 10-rupee note, in return they give you anything from Rs.5 to Rs.7 in coins, pocketing the remaining amount. Though there are no “fixed rates” in the business, if you have good bargaining skills you can narrow their profit margins.

“You can’t go to the Maha Kumbh ceremonies without coins. Devotees know that very well. We fulfil the need for coins at the Maha Kumbh,” Hirendra Bajpai, 52, who sells coins, told IANS.

Be it for the ‘aartis’ or fire rituals at the Maha Kumbh along the sacred ghats of Har-ki-Pauri, making offerings in temples, offering money to the river, or just giving alms, coins come handy on many occasions.

According to people in this business, devotees throng them daily to buy coins.

“Since 5 a.m., devotees and tourists, particularly those coming from abroad, start lining up before us for coins. During the early hours and at around 5 p.m., we get our prospective buyers,” said Dwarika Prasad, 50, who sells coins with his two sons along the Parmanand ghat.

“The reason for getting buyers in the early morning and then in the evening is the popular aartis performed daily along the ghats, particularly the most-visited Har-Ki-Pauri ghat,” he said.

These men earn Rs.500-Rs.700 on a daily basis, while the earning crosses the Rs.1,000-mark on important bathing days and auspicious occasions.

“Recently, on the Magh Poornima ’snan’ (bathing ritual) Jan 30, I earned Rs.12,000. Our business definitely turns brisk on important bathing dates. We are eagerly waiting for three shahi snans (royal baths) as our earnings increase on those days,” said Deshraj Kumar, a youth who sells coins.

Asked how they managed to refresh their stocks, Kumar said, “Actually, big time traders and shopkeepers don’t like keeping coins. We approach them on a daily basis and they give away coins in lieu of currency notes.”

(Asit Srivastava can be contacted at asit.s@ians.in)