I saw Deepak Pant sleeping near the table in our Jan Ashray Sthal where there are two electrical points where people charge their mobile phones. Shubhash my young 22-year friend who I met in the Mahakhumbh told me, this man is cycling all over India on foot. I never thought I wanted to talk to him at that instance, but the next morning, I had some free time, and I thought, maybe I should ask the gentleman about his story. Deepak Pant was lying on the same spot and engrossed in his mobile. I asked him if I could have 15 mins of his time, whenever he is free. As, I told him I was a writer, his hostile stance got friendlier. Later on, he confessed he didn’t like to talk to people but since I was a writer he felt like talking to me.

This is a fictionalised account of people I met at the Mahakhumbh 2025, there are some things which can only be said in fiction. It is a paid story for Rs 19. Hope you enjoy the same.