Meet Our Mela Corps

(Please see hard copy for all photographs)

The creation of this special issue required a rare and eclectic collaboration of journalistic and graphic specialists, the likes of which we have never attempted before. Each in his own way admirably displayed unique competence, devotion and determination. Spearheading the effort were our Delhi correspondents, M.P. Mohanty and Rajiv Malik, here photographed waiting, exhausted, for the train back home [above, Rajiv at right]. Providing accommodations and other assistance to the team was Swami Chidanand Saraswati (Muniji) of Parmath Niketan [top right, with Ramesh Bhai Oza holding evening arati lamp]. Completing our editorial staff were Prabha Prabhakar Bhardwaj, who went in December to survey the preparations [bottom right, with her husband, Col. Bhardwaj] and Nikki Lastreto of California, there in March [bottom center, dancing with devotees in the streets of Hardwar]. A dream team of professional photographers included Thomas Kelly there in late March [above, Thomas?at left?with friend Pagalinanda Baba], Dev Raj Agarwal and his brother Rajeev Gupta of Dehra Dun [below left, barely surviving the 42¡C Hardwar heat], whose photos encompassed the entire four months of the Mela, and Amit Kumar, who accompanied Mohanty and Malik in April. Last but not least was Vikram Patel of Pixeltone in New York, who painstakingly scanned all major photos. We believe this issue built with their hard work is a unique historical record. To our team, Hinduism Today and all our readers say, “Thank you.”