Little ascetics

[1]

Anand is eight years old and preparing for a life that is completely unknown to him.
On February 10 — Mauni Amavasya — he severed his ties with the material world and entered into a new life — as a Bal Naga in the Niranjani Akhara.

Anand’s parents, who belong to Bihar, had promised their guru that if they had a son, they would offer him to the Akhara.
Maheshwar Singh, his father, said, “I had three daughters and was yearning for a son when I met a sadhu. He told me that if I agreed to give up my first son to an Akhara, I would be doubly blessed. Anand was born and I am keeping my promise by offering him to the Akhara. Last year, I was blessed with twin boys so I have already been doubly blessed.”
Maheshwar Singh returned to his hometown Motihari in Bihar, three days before his son was initiated into the Naga sect.
“I was asked to leave so that my son does not get emotional during the ceremony and in any case, I am not allowed to meet him now,” he said with tears in his eyes.
Anand had been living in the Akhara since the past one fortnight and was not allowed to come out or meet his father. This period helped him get over his emotions and make a smooth transition to his new life. With him, about 39 other boys, aged between 8 to 14 years, joined this Naga sect on Mauni Amavasya.
“Most parents, whose wishes are fulfilled, usually offer their sons to Akharas and these children are then gradually put on the path of spirituality and grow up as Nagas,” explained Acharya Kumar Saraswati of Niranjani Akhara.
Another boy waiting to turn ascetic was 12-year-old Rajeshwar from Adanur in Tamil Nadu. The boy lost his parents and elder sister in a car crash four years ago and has been living with his uncle ever since.

Little ascetics

The uncle cannot afford his upbringing and has persuaded him to take the path to spirituality.
“My uncle wanted me to join some sect in south India but I wanted to go to some far off place and so I have come here. I do not want to turn back in life ever again,” he said wistfully before he was called back inside the Akhara.
Apart from Anand and Rajeshwar, there were a total of about 700 young boys, belonging to various other Akharas, who were inducted into the Naga way of life on February 10 which happens to be the most auspicious day in the Maha Kumbh.
For obvious reasons, the Nagas are fiercely protective of these Bal Nagas. They will not allow them to be photographed individually or interact with outsiders. These Bal Nagas will grow up to be Nagas in their purest form and will carry the Naga tradition forward.
During the period before their induction, these children are kept in near-isolation and are not allowed to mix with anyone except members of the Akharas. This helps them learn to live without their near and dear ones and also become familiar with the Naga lifestyle which includes enduring the toughest weather conditions and living in isolation.
The Akharas, last year, had claimed that they would induct 10,000 new Bal Nagas into their sects in Maha Kumbh 2013 but they have obviously not got the numbers.
With every Kumbh, the number is going down and the senior seers are worried about it because these Bal Nagas are the ones who will grow up to lead the Akharas one day and if their number goes down, the future of Akharas will also be threatened.
“The society is getting increasingly materialistic and people do not want their children to walk the path of spirituality and we cannot force anyone to do so. That explains the dwindling numbers but life does take a full circle and people will come back,” said Acharya Kumar Saraswati.

What makes a naga?
Nagas, the naked anchorites, are known as the crowning glory of the Kumbh Mela and their wrath, when unleashed, sees no reason and knows no bounds.
While the real Nagas live in the caves in Himalayas and come down only for religious events, their disciples, known as Vastradharis, run their sects or Akharas. Initiation of a person into the Naga cult is open to all — irrespective of caste, colour, creed.
A person desirous of entering the cult must first become a member of the Akhara and then spend the next 12 years serving the Akhara. During this period, they are known as Vastradharis and allowed to wear clothes. After completing their years of service, they are brought to the Kumbh and made to fast for 24 hours. The initiation ceremony begins with the shaving of their head on the banks of the Ganga which symbolises de-linking of the soul with previous births. After that, the young Nagas are made to shed their clothes which are then burnt before them — this symbolises the burning of all relationships and emotions. The ash of this is smeared on their bodies. They are then bathed with milk, honey and ghee and taken for the holy bath at Sangam — the confluence of Ganga Yamuna and mythical Saraswati. The Vastradharis are then conferred the title of Naga. Children are inducted into the sect and trained for 12 years.
The Nagas remain stark naked, braving the vagaries of weather. They smear ash from burning pyres on their bodies which serves as a reminder of the mortality of life. Those that continue to wear a groin cloth are known as avadhoot.
Nagas abide by five rules — satya (truth), dharm (religion), ahimsa (non-violence, except in matters related to self-defense or protection of other rules), brahmacharya (celibacy) and gyan (knowledge). Nagas are not allowed to live in one place for more than three days at a stretch, and must spend their night either in a temple or in a place away from civilisation. The Nagas refuse to divulge their name. “God did not give us a name, the world did. We left the world and also the name,” says one from Juna Akhara.