GHAZIABAD: The kanwar moves in shifts, but never stops. One runs, another takes over, and the journey continues without pause. On crowded stretches of road, the movement looks less like a procession and more like a relay race.For Pankaj, Lakhan, Kunal and their 17 friends, this is how the dak kanwar yatra unfolds. After connecting through a WhatsApp group, the group collected sacred Ganga water from Garhmukteshwar and is completing the journey together for the second year.On the route, their blue jerseys make them easy to identify. Each has a name and number printed on the back. Some travel on scooters and motorcycles, while one member runs ahead, carrying a one-litre container of the sacred water wrapped in an orange cloth.“There is a rule that the person who has the water container in his hands cannot stop. He has to keep running,” Kunal said.The bikes slow down beside the runner. He hands over the sacred water to another member, who jumps off and takes his place. Within seconds, the first runner is back on a motorcycle, and the kanwar is moving again. There is no break in the chain.Lakhan, a Niwari resident and second-year BA student, said they travel on three to four motorcycles and have contributed Rs 2,000 each. “We have our numbers decided,” he said.Another member, Pankaj Thakur, said the jerseys help them stay together in the dense crowds along the kanwar route. “The jerseys make our group easy to spot. Each boy has his name and number printed on the back, giving the group the look of a team,” he said.There are rules beyond the relay. Pankaj said the group had not eaten since morning and would not eat until the journey ends.For them, the pilgrimage blends friendship with faith. Kunal said the group formed after friends in their village decided to find others of similar age who could ride motorcycles. “It is more fun when you do the pilgrimage together. All of us have known each other for two years,” he said.A few kilometres away, another group was continuing a tradition that began much earlier.Their journey began around 4am on Tuesday at Har Ki Pauri, when the roads were still quiet. The group has been undertaking the yatra together for 14 years.“We began fourteen years ago,” said Surya Maurya, a resident of Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar. What started as a journey among friends has continued even as members moved away for jobs and other commitments. “People who were part of this group earlier got busy with their lives and jobs, but we did not break the tradition. We add new members when the count is less than 25,” Maurya said.Over the years, the group has learnt each other’s rhythm. “We now know who gets tired first, who needs water, who walks faster and who needs a little encouragement,” said Neel Aggarwal, 17, the youngest member of the group.For Aggarwal, the journey is tightly timed. “It is for one day, so we generally finish it before 24 hours and return home,” he said.The two groups carry different histories, but the pattern is the same. No one carries the kanwar alone. One runs until he tires. Another takes over. The others move alongside, ready for the next shift. And the kanwar keeps moving.
