Every year right after the big Kanwad Mela, the Hindu month celebrating Lord Shiva, all the special festival police force are invited by H.H. Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji to a big celebratory feast at Parmarth Niketan Ashram (Rishikesh). This festival brings in devotees and pilgrims, mostly young men, from all over Northern India offering their faith and Gangajal to ‘Bum Bole,’ another name for Lord Shiva alluding to His simple and innocent nature. Devotees believe that Lord Shiva, the master of dispassion, is simply pleased by the flowers of devotion and love. This year the festival has been the largest ever, bringing in more faith filled pilgrims and yatris than ever before.
Shri SK Bhagat, ADG, and Shri GN Goswami, DIG, were not able to participate in the event honoring our festival police force but sent their words of encouragement and pride in the services and dedication that the officers showed to ensure that this Kanwad Mela was smooth and successful. This year marked the first time that nearly 500 police officers, under the leadership of Smt Vimla Guniyal, SP of Pouri, joined into plant over 350 trees and clean up all the plastics and trash that was left behind from the mela. Among the other officers supporting the event were Shri Manoj Katyal, CO Srinagar, Shri Aruna Bharti, CO Kotdwar, Dr Rahul Sachan, District Commandent Homeguards, and ARO Shri Sunil Negi along with more than fifty police inspector, SO. Deputy SI, PAC Commander and around 450 head constables were present. They showed an extraordinary and inspiring example of how we can not only be the change but do the change.
Before the big feast, concrete plans were discussed on how to improve the Kanwad Yatra next year and make it cleaner and greener, including availability of dust bins and E-loos (eco-friendly toilets). The programme was inspiring and brought together local citizens, police officers and sevaks who were excited to join the Ganga Action Parivar and to serve not only to secure the nation but its future, pledging to safe-guard Mother Ganga and the environment.