No getting lost in Melas!

Brothers getting lost in Kumbh Mela’s – that has been the theme of so many Hindi movies. This lost and found formula worked too as many people could probably relate to it; having experienced or seen a relative getting lost. Even today, most who attend the mela, clutch their close kith and kin close to the heart least they get lost.

But looks like this Kumbh mela formula is a thing of the past. The recently concluded Kumbh mela at Nasik was recorded as one of the largest congregation of people at one place and that too everything going off smooth and peaceful.

This time too, there were people who went missing but the authorities were so proactive that every single lost relative was reunited and every story thus had a happy ending. As per statistics put out by the authorities, 1,553 people in Nashik and 855 in Trimbakeshwar went missing in the mela and were reunited.

The authorities had well organized CCTV cameras, public announcement systems and mobile apps to keep track of the crowd. This apart some 24,000 policemen were deployed at Nashik and Trimbakeshwar to ensure smooth functioning of the mela. NGOs also worked closely with the authorities with some 160 volunteers making constant announcements in 16 languages. When someone went missing, announcements were made along the whole route in the language which the relatives of the lost could understand.  A mobile app was also put into place – GGTalk, which was developed by TCS wherein one could share pictures of the missing person with volunteers. The best news – the police actually recorded the number of people visiting the temple through an electronic pad near the stairs, which was meant to count the footfall.

Now this is what we call fantastic positive usage of technology!