Article on a Journey by Boat

Once I went to Allahabad to join a ceremony. Many other relations had come. It is a religious thing to have a bath in Ganga and especially at Sangam where three rivers meet.

We decided to go for a bath in Ganga.

We chalked out a programme to go on a boat from Baluaghat to Sangam. The idea was liked by all. So we started on foot to Baluaghat. We were 16 in number. We chose a small boat beautifully decorated.

The remu­neration was settled and we sat in the boat. There were two boat-men. They asked us to sit properly on both the sides of the boat.

The boat sailed. It moved gently. We saw the buildings on the banks. !t was pleasant sight to watch. We were going down the current.

So the boatmen had not to work hard. We passed by the famous fort of Allahabad. It was built by Akbar. It took about an hour to reach the Sangam.

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We took off our clothes. Then we took a bath in the water. The water was not very deep. There were a large number of tortoises.

Children feared them. As soon as we had taken our bath, we got into the boat again. The evening was drawing near. We wanted to return home quickly.

The return journey was difficult. The boat was going against the current. The boatmen had to work hard at the oars. We saw the glori­ous sun set.

It was a beautiful sight. The sun’s rays made everything red. The weather was clear when we started.

Now suddenly, the sky in the west became dim. The boatmen cried ‘A storm’. They seemed to be frightened. So we became more fright­ened.

The storm was going furious. We were in the middle of the river. The water rose high. It dashed against the boat. The boat shook from side to side.

Some of us moved from their places. The balance was disturbed. The boatmen stopped us. They asked to sit still and repeat “Ram, Ram”. The boatmen worked harder and harder. But it was quite dark now. We all lost the hope of life.

Suddenly the boatmen cried ‘the bank, the bank’. We had reached the bank. We got down quickly and put our feet on the ground. We thanked God for saving us. This journey is well remembered by me till today.