India, July 27 -- Let me share three snapshots from the biggest pilgrimage during the monsoon season in North India.

Scene 1: Modinagar, Ghaziabad district: The Kanwar procession stood still with hundreds of devotees clapping and surrounding a woman and her physically challenged husband chanting "Har Har Mahadev". The reason? This villager, Asha Devi, was undertaking Kanwar pilgrimage carrying her husband on her back. She believed it would not only cure him of his disability but also fetch him a job.

Scene 2: Lachhiwala in Dehradun: A large contingent of Kanwariyas is resting with boom speakers playing devotional songs inspired by Bollywood music. A large elephant emerges from the neighbouring Rajaji National Park and charges at them. U...