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My father was a pious man. As far as I can remember, our family vacations revolved around visiting places of worship, be it Bala Ji in the south to Vaishnodevi in the north.
At the beginning of January 2023, my dad suddenly wanted to bathe in the Ganges. We live in Mirzapur, so doing such things on a whim is feasible. So Mom and Dad went to Naar ghat. The trip is something to go down in memory as one of my dads had knee problems and had lost most mobility. When he visited me in the States, it took him over 30 minutes to walk to the PATH, barely 0.2 miles away.
Many children begged for money when my mom and dad got to Naar Ghaat. Instead of directly offering them alms, my mother (a piece of art) paid for a vegetable cart holder and the kids to load Dad and cart him to the shore.
Wheeled to the shore, my dad sat on the second last step, pondering life. After a long moment for himself, he felt the urge to bathe on the other shore of the Ganges, so Mom and Dad booked a boat ride by the man “Ramu” to complete their pilgrimage. The boat ride was supposed to cost 80 rupees for each rider. Still, my generous mother gave him 500 rupees because, having experienced poverty herself, my mother has a soft spot for the less fortunate.
When on the other side, my mother was a little hesitant to go for a dip but encouraged by her dad, she took the plunge. In…
