I did not have any contacts , no person who could vouch for me in case of any security problems and there was apprehension too .I did not stay in a hotel as I could not afford it , and I kept awake on the banks of the Godavri clinging to my cameras and camera bag.
If i used a public toilet I took my bag cameras along with me but later one night I met a local journalist from Aurangabad Neeraj Bhanje and he would take care of my stuff while I did my 40 winks ,
And strangely though I never met Neeraj Bhanje again , we are connected on the phone through SMS .
It was later when I went to shoot Trimbakeshwar and had made arrangements with late Mr KG Maheshwaris family to stay at Trimbak Road at their Money Museum..that I was ready to shoot without hassles ,.
I slept one night at the Money Museum but than at Sadhugram I met my future Naga Guru from Santosh Nagar Dindoshi he had seen me many a times at Film City ,,so Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj told me to stay with his group of Nagas till the next Shahi Snan at Trimbakeshwar.
So I stayed with the Nagas shot them , begged with them from shop to shop, and became one of them.. we were just two Muslims in the group the driver and me.
For safety sake from other volatile Naga groups my Naga Guru began calling me Ashok Bharti as we visited various Shankaracharyas and Maha Mandleshwars..my guru was a known figure among the Junagadh Akhara.
And later after the Kumbh I kept in touch with him , every visit to Film City was incomplete without visiting him at Dindoshi Santosh Nagar .. than once he came home and thus a bond was created .
And because of Shri Vijay Giri Majharaj I shot the Maha Kumbh 3500 images with Naga rituals and daily life at Sector 4 Allahabad ,, close to the Sangam,
And I hope to shoot the Nasik Kumbh in July 2015 too,,
