母なるガンジスの恵み　供物拾う少年たち　インド

【ハリドワールＡＦＰ＝時事】ヒンズー教の聖地、インド北部ハリドワールでは巡礼者が、魂が清められると信じガンジス川に身を沈める。その傍らで少年は、富を求めガンジス川に身を沈める。（写真はインド北部ハリドワールを流れるガンジス川で、ヒンズー教の巡礼者らが投げ入れる供物を待つ少年）
　１３歳のラフル・シンさんは、巡礼者がガンジス川に投げ込む供物を拾って生計を立てる「コイン拾い」だ。
　シンさんは毎日６時間、先端に磁石を取り付けた長い棒を手に、胸まである深さの川で、巡礼者がお経を唱えながら投げ入れた貴重品を探す。
　３０ルピー（約４４円）分のコインを手に入れるとＡＦＰに、「大変だけど楽しんでる」と語った。
　泳ぎがうまいことからジーンガー（エビの意）のあだ名を持つヤダブさんは６年前、１３００ドル（約１４万３０００円）相当のネックレスを見つけた。
　２２歳になった今、ヤダブさんはシンさんら１５人のコイン拾いの少年を率いている。
　インドでは昨年、新型コロナウイルス対策のロックダウン（都市封鎖）が全国的に導入され、ハリドワールを訪れる巡礼者が数か月にわたり途絶えた。ヤダブさん率いるコイン拾いの少年たちは、手持ちのわずかな金で生活しなければならなくなった。
　しかし、巡礼者と同じく、ヤダブさんのガンジス川への信仰は揺るぎなかった。
　今年になり巡礼者が戻り始め、再びコイン拾いができるようになった。
　「ガンジス川は私たちの母だ。決して子どもたちを空腹のまま寝かせることはない」とヤダブさんは話す。
　ヒンズー教の宗教儀礼で川は、中心的な役割を果たしている。信者らはお金や服、装飾品などを川にささげる。
　コイン拾いの少年たちは、川底に沈む供物の貴金属を足で探ったり、水に潜って裸眼で探したりする。１日の稼ぎは１人当たり３００～４００ルピー（約４４０～５８０円）ほどだ。
　コインを紙幣に交換するには２０％の手数料が取られる。宝石は闇市場で小売価格の半額で、銅やステンレス製品は金属くずとして買い取られる。コインを十分拾えなかった時は、ココナツや宗教用具を拾って売りに行く。
　シンさんは２年前、北部ウッタルプラデシュ州近くの実家を飛び出し、ハリドワールに来た。友人から泳ぎ方とコイン拾いを学んだ。シンさんは、川の近くのスラムの掘っ立て小屋で、コイン拾いの少年数十人と共同生活を送っている。
　「実家の辺りは緊張状態でとても貧しかったけど、今はここで幸せだ」【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】

〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/04/14-13:34）

As a stream of Hindu devotees dip themselves in India's sacred Ganges river for a ritual believed to purify their souls, a young boy plunges into the water to find his fortune.
Rahul Singh is one of dozens of coin pickers making a living by retrieving offerings thrown into the waterway by pilgrims visiting the northern holy city of Haridwar.
Every day for six hours, the 13-year-old scours the chest-deep water with a magnet attached to a long stick, as hymn-chanting crowds toss in valuables.
It needs a lot of effort but I enjoy doing it, Singh told AFP, after fetching 30 rupees (45 US cents) worth of coins.
Watching him closely is Raja Yadav, who was eight when he arrived in the city as a runaway boy after hearing tales of underwater treasures.
Yadav -- nicknamed Jhinga (shrimp) for his swimming prowess -- literally struck gold six years ago when he found a necklace he was told was worth $1,300.
Now 22, he leads a team of 15 picker-boys including Singh.
Last year's national coronavirus lockdown saw visitors to Haridwar dry up for several months, leaving Yadav's team struggling to survive on their meagre savings.
But like the pilgrims, Yadav had unflinching faith in the river goddess, and travellers returned this year, undeterred by a recent surge in cases.
We always believe that Ganga is our mother and she will never let her children sleep hungry, he said.
The pilgrims are back and we are happily diving again.
- Finders keepers -
Rivers play a central role in Hindu religious rituals, with devotees tossing in offerings of money, clothes and ornaments into the waters to show gratitude for sustaining life.
In the Ganges, some immerse the ashes of deceased relatives to achieve moksha -- liberation from reincarnation.
During the bathing festival of Kumbh Mela, immense crowds throng the Ganges in the world's largest religious gathering.
This year it is taking place in Haridwar, where more than three million people took part in the ritual during one day in March.
Underwater treasure hunters use their feet to feel out for the precious metals on the riverbed, or dive in and search with their naked eyes.
A one-day haul of coins adds up to 300-400 rupees ($4.15-5.50) for each boy, although that soars up to 1,000 rupees during Kumbh Mela, Yadav said.
Merchants pocket a 20 percent commission in exchange for currency notes, while black-market buyers take jewellery at half of retail price, and copper and steel utensils are sold as scrap.
The boys pick up coconuts and religious paraphernalia to resell if there aren't enough coins.
Coin pickers like Yadav's team work all year round, braving faster and deeper waters from heavier rainfall during the monsoon season. Seasonal treasure hunters visit in October when water levels are low due to an upstream dam.
Singh says daily discoveries in the river are a source of satisfaction.
He ran away from home in nearby Uttar Pradesh state two years ago and worked several odd jobs before moving to Haridwar, where a friend taught him swimming and coin-picking skills.
The teenager now shares a shanty in a nearby slum with more than a dozen other coin hunters.
Back home there was a lot of tension and poverty, but I am happy here, he said.