Ganga canal closure might be a reason for frowns for the local traders in the days ahead of Deepawali but for these children, it is a matter of cheer for which they have been waiting for the whole year. Picking coins offered to Ganga Ma which the river again returns to its devotees is never so easy for these slum children when the river flows full stream. But spending the whole day in dried up river bed of Ganga, these children collect the coins striking sometimes even metal worth hundreds of rupees, which is sufficient to feed their families.

The elderly ladies of the families of these slum kids can be seen bringing lunch cooked for the boys while they are doing full time duty, searching for coins and valuables from Ganga riverbed, amidst sand and pebbles.They are at work said one of the mothers of a coin picker.

Speaking to The Pioneer, Mehtab, a coin picker said, “I collected 50 coins since morning, a Ganesha idol and yesterday hit on a brass chain. Ganga Ma fulfills our desires. The coins are mainly of Re one and two denominations rarely Rs five or 10. ”

Visit any ghat of Ganga during the days between Dussehra and Deepawali festivals and one can find these coin picking children busy hunting for the hidden treasure in ganga river. These children have risked their lives many times not only to pick up valuables settled down in the gushing streams of ganga but have also saved tourists from drowning who accidentally get washed away on slippery ghats while taking holy dip.

Not only for the coins, the treasure hunt is for valuable articles like metal items and utensils. As soon as the day dawns, the activity of these children starts at Har Ki Paidi. The children come from nearby areas of Bhoopatwala, Kharkhari, Chandighat bridge slum colony, Jwalapur.

With hard earned money collected, these children are happy on the Deepawali festival approaching fast. “I got a copper vessel and silver coin which was stuck in clutter of ashes tied in a cloth,” says Ramu, another coin picker. In Hindu tradition, it is believed that during ‘Asthi Visarjan’ if some gold is added along with ashes of the deceased person, the departed soul gets re-birth in a rich family, so people put some precious metal along with the ashes which these children hunt out.

With the flow of water almost negligible, the small shopkeepers also engage in the pastime employment. “No tourists are coming this side because there is no water in Ganga. Our business is down so we also engage in searching things from Ganga riverbed which is our lifeline,” said one trader.