Exhausted from the heat, I was looking for a place to rest my weary feet near the ghats while in the throngs of the Kumbh Mela. I came upon a group of pilgrims surrounding an old wooden bench with dusty record ledgers; a man was writing in them in ink. Seeing my interest, the gentleman writing offered an explanation, saying he was writing down the details of the family around him. It triggered a memory, I had heard of this and asked if he was tracing his family tree.

 
As I sat there observing, Bhradwajji asked the pertaining questions: “What district in Rajasthan are you from? What village? What is your caste, your family name (gotra)?" Then, to trace the family tree, he asked “When was somebody here from your family last?” The farmer (Ramji) from Jodhpur said, “11 years back my uncle came with my grandmother's ashes”.  Based on that year, Bhradwajji called out to somebody to get the ”bahi” (records) of Jodhpur for the year 1999 and 2000. The “bahi” or “vahi” are large rectangular ledgers bound by a quilted cloth cover. There usually is one for each year but it depends on how often a district or village comes to Haridwar. Stored with care, the "bahi" are guarded by attendants who sleep in the premises at night, ensuring no harm comes to the records of generations.

Finally, after a little searching through the index in a smaller accompanying book, they found the reference page where Ramji’s uncle had written down the details of the family. Now, the family story continued in a new ledger with a reference to the previous births and deaths of the family. As I sat there conversing with Bhradwajji, he spoke with me about his family profession. Generations have been doing the record keeping: his elder brother, his father and his forefathers before that. There are many other families of pandas in Haridwar. Along with the record keeping, they help perform the religious rites for those who came to Haridwar.

As a pilgrim arrives on the ghats for the immersion of the ashes of a departed soul, the naming of a newborn kid or the "mundan" ceremony (shaving of the child’s first hair), a representative of the pandas would direct them to the panda who would be keeping the records of his family. The first question is usually what caste the pilgrims belong to, and that determines the course of events.  

Once at their appropriate “family priest” the written records are matched, updated and signed, after which the pilgrim sets off to perform the religious rites. Once the rite is over, he comes back to the panda to offer money and other donations. After a little haggling, for even blessings come at a price, a few folded hands and a few raised ones to bless both parties part ways, till the next time another generation from the same family comes to the ghats of Haridwar.

Faiths, traditions, customs, rituals like this have continued in India for years. Some can afford to keep them alive; many struggle and even take loans to make such journeys and pilgrimages. From the fields of Punjab to the desert sands of Rajasthan the stories in the “bahis” are witness to generations meeting over time. In this fast ever-changing modern world it is nostalgic to see that some traditions continue, they ought to, for the tug you feel seeing a signature of your forefathers would be beyond any digital imprints.