Coin Divers.....remember them?

As a kid, I was always fascinated by the stories of coin divers in my storybooks.

The stories talked about European canals, people throwing coins in the canals and young boys jumping to pick it up, their only source of income in the turbulent Europe of the 20th century.

It is only when I first went on a boat ride on the Narmada river, during one of the winter family picnics my mother gave me a coin to throw but waited for the boat man’s instructions.

The moment he cued i threw the coin in the river and so did the rest of the family in tandem.

Making a wish and throwing the coins in the river.

I saw young boys jumping in the river to get their hands on the coins, almost racing towards the boats and somewhere between the boat and the shore vanishing in water.

For the very first time, I witnessed our own coin divers, away from glossed English/Russian storybooks.

It would only hit me later when I started travelling from Bhopal to Mumbai more often for my graduation.

Trips were frequent, and as a film student learning lessons of socialism, I gave up air-conditioning and preferred travelling in sleeper class and general despite my parent's protest.

I saw the belief in people, the entire compartment would wait for the train to stop at the train bridge on Narmada.

Everyone would jump towards the window or the door to throw coins.

I would look for coin divers, still the same story, young boys of 10 to 15 in their shorts, jumping, looking for the coins in deep Narmada river.

Nothing has changed over the years, prayers have gotten stronger, poverty drives more kids every year to join the bandwagon.

More I travelled around Indian rivers the phenomena or belief haven't changed from one shore to another.

From one point of Bhagirathi to Ganga near Kanpur to the Yamuna, Kosi, Byasi, Mahanadi, Chambal, Betwa, Tapti, Sutlej, Ramganaga, Gomti and many more I have witnessed the same story.

I don’t have a belief when I stop at any given bridge in the country and drop a coin but it is a small prayer for these coin drivers that hope this stops forever…

It is better to have this as Book stories than having these young boys risk their lives....but do they have an option???

I don't have an answer, just prayers.

Indulging in my memories and thinking of them.