The Sadhus hired him to set up the lights around their tents during the Mela. Since then, every 6 years, he makes sure he is a part of the Mela by travelling over 800 km to Prayagraj, and camping out at the Kumbh Mela.
Mohammed Mehmood
Prayagraj: Mohammed Mehmood (76) is a businessman from Muzaffarnagar in Western UP who stands out loud with his skull cap in the saffron sea of Kumbh Mela. A board reading ‘Mullah Ji Light waale’ may be an odd sight for a first time visitor at the Mela but to the Sadhus who have always been a part of the holy event, Mehmood, fondly known as Mullah Ji is a friend to most and a permanent aspect of every Kumbh Mela.
According to News18, he acquainted himself with the Sadhus of the Juna Akhara - the largest and one of the fiercest Akharas of the Naga Sadhus; an ancient order of warrior monks In 1986. The Sadhus hired him to set up the lights around their tents during the Mela. Since then, every 6 years, he makes sure he is a part of the Mela by travelling over 800 km to Prayagraj, and camping out at the Kumbh Mela.
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“I am an electrician. When you come here at night, you will see that the entire area where Sadhus have pitched their tents is dazzling with bright lights of all colours. That is my doing,” Mehmood says proudly. “The first Kumbh I ever attended was the 1986 Kumbh in Haridwar. Apart from the mela that happens in Nashik, I have attended every one. I haven’t kept count of how many Kumbh Melas I have attended, maybe you can do the maths,” he added.
Mehmood also says that the Sadhus treat him with respect and the day that stops, it will be his last Kumbh. “The Babas make me feel at home. Sometimes they ask me to sit on their gaddi, but I respect them too much to do that. I read my namaz five times a day in the presence of these Sadhus and they always give me space,” he said.
Mehmood’s story is a perfect example of how two different cultures and religions can co-exist peacefully under the same sky.
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