Boatman Earns 30 Crore in 45 Days of Mahakumbh. Gets Praised by CM of Uttar Pradesh

A boatman from Uttar Radesh received a lot of limelight when he informed of his earnings throughout the Mahakumbh Mela. CM Yogi Adityanath appreciated Pintu Mahara for dedicated months of hard work and efforts which secured him a gross earning of 30 crore in 45 days.

He was inspired by his venture and hard work where he claimed “In 2019, the boatmen earned a lot of money during the Ardh Kumbh. They earned lakhs. A lot of people came at that time. Seeing this, I anticipated around 70 crore devotees would turn up in the Mahakumbh.”

Mahara Belongs to a boatman family and previously he had limited resources. He used his business idea and mortgaged his house and jewelry to purchase 70 boats that would serve devotees who were attending Mahakumbh. “Life was tough. We had to borrow money and mortgage gold to get the boats. My father used to earn, but then he passed away. It took a lot of effort to build this, it took six months to get the boats ready. I took loans from several people, and ven put my family's gold to a mortgage. This is because we didn't have money then,”

Mahara also claimed that his project was quite strenuous and many of the members fell sick during the work. However, they stayed determined and worked for longer hours. He credited his entire team for the physical efforts they made.

He also recalled “We had 250 people sailing the boats, and my brothers were with me every step of the way. It was hard work, but the experience was priceless. We helped everyone take the holy bath, from the rich, the poor, the specially abled. Our entire family earned money; the entire boatmen community earned money,” Mahara also hired close to 300 employees that keep the operations running. Not only this, but they also made arrangements for bathing for all the devotees who took service from their boats.

The opposition pointed fingers at the boatmen saying they were exploited. However, Mahara made it quite clear that they had earned enough money and the allegations are false. Many others like Mahara were able to successfully earn money out of the efforts during the Maha Kumbh Mela.

Mahakumbh Mela concluded on 26th February and was attended by more than 70 crore people. The event occurred after 144 years for which it is highly significant for the people. Many different businesses earned a hefty out of it. Mahakumbh was not just about the devoted journey of religious belief but became a way for many to earn a livelihood.