Magh Mela’s lost-and-found camp goes hi-tech this year

Prayagraj, Jan 14: With the Magh Mela all set to begin on Monday, the quintessential ‘bhoole bhatke shivir’ that is an undeniable part of the 53-day long religious fair, will undergo a major change.

For the first time, the lost-and-found camp will have computer sets with web-cameras and Internet services for volunteers of the camp so that they can stay in constant touch with police authorities to help missing persons reunite with their kin,” said Umesh Tiwari, organiser of the camp.

The camp is an important part of the fair that attracts millions of devotees -- most of them elderly and uneducated -- from all parts of the country. A large number of devotees tend to lose their way in the township and the camp has reunited 15.32 lakh people with their families since 1946.

“Now with mobile phones, many people have learnt how to reach out to their families and friends in case they get lost but there are still thousands who depend on us,” said Tiwari.

“We plan to offer computer sets to 50 active volunteers on the mela campus to help lost people. The camp will come up at Triveni Road and will maximise the use of social media to reunite lost people with their families,” he added.

Volunteers, this year, will also compile data, including names, address and photographs of missing persons and share the data/details with police authorities of the Magh Mela and other districts to trace out locations of missing persons.

Earlier, the work was done manually, and it was hard to compile data. Once the volunteers are able to take photographs and other details of missing persons, they would be seeking the help of city and neighbouring districts' police to trace out families of missing persons.

Mela authorities have also planned to set up camps at two spots on the mela campus and offer all sorts of assistance to volunteers.

"The camp was initially started by octogenarian Raja Ram Tiwari in 1946. Since then, bhoole bhatke shivir has become an integral part of the Mela and has reunited 15.32 lakh people, including 21,853 children, with their families during Maha Kumbhs, Ardh Kumbhs and over 55 Magh Melas," said a Mela officials.

Volunteers from different states, including Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and others join the organisation to be a part of the novel cause.

"When a person meets his family member through volunteers' efforts, it seems like God has accepted the prayers," said a volunteer working for the camp for the last five years.

The mela administration is installing public address systems in and around the mela campus where announcements will be made about missing persons and requests will also be made for complainants to reach the camp and meet their lost family members.

The camp works round-the-clock and is manned by volunteers and cops as well.