In a moment of spiritual significance at the banks of the Har Ki Pauri ghat in Haridwar, noted film-producer and director Anubhav Sinha performed a sacred dip in the River Ganga, expressing deep emotion as he dedicated the act to his late mother and remarked that she “must have been happy”.
Our correspondent reports that Sinha arrived at Har Ki Pauri in the early hours, joined by family and friends, to perform the ritual bath. The scene was marked by devotion: morning lamps, chanting of mantras and the sound of temple bells echoed across the ghat as pilgrims gathered for their customary cleansing in the holy waters.
During the ceremony, Sinha said that returning to the pilgrimage site and immersing himself in the sacred river gave him a sense of solace and connection to his roots. He observed that his mother had always wished to make this visit and that completing it on her behalf felt like fulfilling an unspoken promise. He also spoke of carrying forward values of humility, gratitude and spiritual grounding in his personal and professional life.
Our correspondent adds that Haridwar’s ghat was particularly crowded today, as other devotees too seized the festive morning to bathe in the river. Local officials had deployed additional security personnel and health-checks at the site, anticipating a surge of visitors after the pilgrimage season. Queue management and medical stations were in place to support older devotees and families.
Following the ritual, Sinha offered prayers at nearby shrines and participated in a handful of informal interactions with local citizens and devotees. He praised the state’s efforts to maintain cleanliness and safety at the riverfront, and encouraged visitors to respect the site’s sanctity while using modern conveniences responsibly.
The event reflects a broader trend: prominent cultural figures undertaking spiritual journeys and drawing public attention to hill-state pilgrimage centres like Haridwar in Uttarakhand. Pilgrims interviewed today said they were inspired by the filmmaker’s humility and his publicly expressed connection to familial legacy and faith.
Officials from the Haridwar district administration said that today’s crowd was higher than the seasonal average and that arrangements had been scaled up accordingly. Water-level monitors and safety buoys were checked morning-early, and medical teams remained on standby at major access points to the ghat.
In the context of Uttarakhand’s growing religious tourism sector, such high-profile visits help reinforce the state’s image as a spiritual destination. The government has recently emphasised promoting pilgrimage tourism while balancing environmental and infrastructural sustainability along the riverfronts.
The ritual bath by Anubhav Sinha was completed without incident and he left the ghat shortly after sunrise. He posted on social media later in the day, sharing his reflections on the experience and urging young visitors to combine faith with purpose and mindful living.
