Prayagraj: Swami Amarjeet’s hair is alive—a green, growing, and gleaming bounty of wheat, maize, and peas has taken root in his scalp. The stalks wave merrily in the air, making Anaaj Wale Baba, as he is called, one of the star attractions at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
Sitting on the road by the Hanuman Temple, he carefully waters his ‘head crop’—dribble by dribble. Green-tinted droplets trickle down from his scalp, collecting in the copper plate placed before him.
“My bachhas don’t need more water now,” he said, as devotees around him gasped and clapped enthusiastically.
The Maha Kumbh Mela, returning after 12 years, began on 13 January and will continue until 26 February. It is a grand theatre of devotion—a stage where saints, sages, and spiritual leaders compete for attention.
They make dramatic entrances in vintage cars, raths (chariots) fashioned from tractors, and on top of elephants and camels. They bless devotees and are showered with rose petals in return.
Anaaj Wale Baba isn’t the only maverick sadhu at the Kumbh. There’s also Bullet Baba, who preaches from his motorcycle, and Digital Baba, who captivates lakhs of followers with bite-sized reels on social media.
Young people no longer want to listen to long, never–ending pravachans [sermons]. They want quick content. They want the message from a three-hour pravachan. So, I make reels for them.
– Swami Ram Shankar, or Digital Baba
Beyond the grandeur of tradition and devotion, these new-age babas are on a mission to make Hinduism more appealing, attractive, and accessible to a generation raised on a diet of Instagram reels.
“Young people no longer want to listen to long, never–ending pravachans [sermons]. They want quick content. They want the message from a three-hour pravachan. So, I make reels for them,” said Swami Ram Shankar, or Digital Baba, to his legion of fans.
‘Traditional baba with a modern twist’
Standing by the banks of the Ganga near the recently constructed Pontoon Bridge 6, Swami Ram Shankar adjusts his tripod. Once satisfied with the position and light, he begins chanting a Sanskrit mantra.
To his 3.42 lakh followers, he is not just a sannyasi but Digital Baba, bringing the Maha Kumbh to their screens through the lens of Sanatan Dharma.
“I make short videos to give my young followers an experience of the Kumbh while explaining its significance,” said the 37-year-old Digital Baba. He takes pride in the fact that he is from the same hometown as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath—Gorakhpur.
But his style of preaching Hinduism is at odds with the theatre of devotion that is the Kumbh. Religion is not about ostentatious display, he said. “It’s a means to connect with your true self.” Through his reels, he aims to help the youth reconnect with their inner selves.
In one of his videos, posted on Facebook on 12 January, Digital Baba is seen talking to devotees discussing accommodations at the Maha Kumbh Mela. The clip garnered over 200 comments, with users asking the baba to continue making such videos.
“I want to inspire the youth to take a spiritual journey while also fulfilling their societal responsibilities,” said the tech-savvy baba who now lives at Baijnath Dham in Himachal Pradesh.
He found his digital calling in 2019 after he bought his first iPhone. Swami Ram Shankar studied at gurukuls, and went to Himachal Pradesh as a sannyasi in 2017 after completing his studies. One evening, while using his phone, he came across Facebook and created an account. That was when Digital Baba realised the reach of social media and how he could connect with lakhs of people through videos.
“If I feel the need to have a partner, I will marry and still remain a sannyasi. It’s possible”
– Digital Baba
Since then, he has been on a digital spree. Today, he owns a MacBook, three smartphones—one for recording, one for connecting with followers, and one for personal use—a premium Rode microphone, and editing software like Filmora and Adobe Premiere Pro.
“I realised that social media is the latest way to connect with the youth, so I took a leap and became a Digital Baba,” he laughed, while using the audio feature to type a message on his phone.
In the early days, YouTube tutorials were his guide. “Saints should modernise their ways,” the baba said.
This modern approach has become a lucrative source of income. Digital Baba earns over Rs 1 lakh a month through his prachars. In November, he conducted a seven-day Ram Katha in Lucknow, earning Rs 1.5 lakh, which he used to buy a phone—Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Having studied religion and music at Gurukuls in Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, Digital Baba is a brahmachari (celibate)—for now. But he speaks pragmatically about desire.
“Once you become a sannyasi, you are expected to follow celibacy, but natural desires still exist. Due to society’s pressures, we often try to display celibacy publicly and end up indulging in such desires in the shadows,” he said.
Digital Baba describes himself as a “traditional baba with a modern twist”.
“If I feel the need to have a partner, I will marry and still remain a sanyasi. It’s possible,” he said, drawing applause from the crowd.
His love for technology does not encompass modes of travel. He relies on his feet to take him around the Mela. Two kilometres away, a sadhu rides a bike, never putting his feet on the ground.
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A bike and a mission
Swami Bavander Baba, who is always on his bike, is on a warpath. He wants to unite Hindus, steer them away from “Western influences”, and raise awareness about the misuse of images of gods and goddesses on disposable products. With his wild, unkempt dreadlocks, and black leather gloves, he cuts an imposing figure. A huge saffron flag is tied to the tail light of his bike. As he rides around the Mela, the song ‘Bum Bum Bhole’ blares from his speaker, as flashy lights sparkle on the mudguard.
He has now transformed into Bullet Baba, although he doesn’t own a Royal Enfield. Instead, he rides a Bajaj Avenger.
“We see photographs of gods and goddesses on bidi wrappers, magazines and clothes, which we throw away after use. This is extremely disrespectful,” he said.
His bike windshield displays his phone number and mission in orange colour. “Why are Hindus insulting their gods and goddesses? Please support me in my campaign,” the text reads.
Wear dhoti and kurta like the old times. Leave behind this Western influence and know your roots. When Muslims and Christians can unite, why can’t you?
– Bullet Baba
After four years of travelling across India, Bullet Baba has figured out the cause of division among Hindus: “Western influence.”
“I couldn’t find a single Hindu during my travels; only Westerners,” he said.
So, on his journey, he stops at kiosks, temples, and areas teeming with young people to spread his message.
“Wear dhoti and kurta like the old times. Leave behind this Western influence and know your roots. When Muslims and Christians can unite, why can’t you?”
In another life, Bullet Baba, born Bavander Kumar, was a driver with a travel agency in Madhya Pradesh. He found his calling during the pandemic in 2020, when he was assigned to drive four people to the Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan in Ayodhya.
The passengers told Kumar that he was lucky to have the opportunity to visit Ram Janmabhoomi.
Kumar said he felt like he had been chosen and later decided to become a sadhu.
Bullet Baba, who is unmarried, left his family behind in Madhya Pradesh, but says that he is still in touch with them over the phone.
Leaving his job, and with contributions from Ram devotees, he purchased a Bullet look-alike bike to begin his new journey.
And Bullet Baba doesn’t live in any akhara or ashram. His worldly belongings are a bike, a tent, and a bag of clothes.
“I am like Bhagat Singh, a revolutionary working for Hindus,” he declared, before riding off toward a throng of devotees.
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The ‘greener side’
If Bullet Baba is saving Hinduism, then Anaaj Wale Baba is saving the world.
Baba Amarjeet hasn’t slept for the past three months. Whenever he feels sleepy, he shuts his eyes and enters a state of sadhana (meditation). Sometimes, he stretches his legs, lies on his side, and, with the help of his hands, holds his head above the ground.
“One holy dip might erase your sins, but what about the sins you are committing against Mother Nature? How will you erase them?”
– Amarjeet Singh, or Anaaj Wale Baba
Sleeping could destroy the crops growing on his head, and he doesn’t want to become a “murderer of my children.”
“I want the youth to understand the importance of trees and greenery. I am also a farmer of the garden I grow on my head. If I can grow plants on my head, you can also grow them in your house and neighbourhood,” says Amarjeet, as he pats the crops standing tall, supported by a green cloth wrapped around his head.
Once a shepherd in Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra district, Amarjeet Singh says he received a “vision” to protect the world.
Now, he makes do with a thin mattress and a saffron lungi. He lives on alms, and bathes once in a while but cautiously. He doesn’t want to destroy the plants growing on his head.
“I have been growing these crops for the Kumbh. I will make prasad from the fruits and offer it to the temples so that it reaches ordinary people and they become conscious of their environment,” said Amarjeet. He once grew charas (cannabis) on his head but couldn’t sustain that for long, since he used it for smoking.
As devotees flock to the Ganga to take the holy dip, Amarjeet watches from the sidelines.
“One holy dip might erase your sins, but what about the sins you are committing against Mother Nature? How will you erase them?”
A few devotees nod their heads, but Amarjeet’s voice is drowned in the roar of chants from the people surging toward the Ganga at the Maha Kumbh.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)
Good!
Who said Sadhus can’t be modern?