Heramb Chaturvedi is a Professor of History at the University of Allahabad, and also a writer. Have witnessed Maharajin Bua’s life very closely.

Interview highlights

• We are so involved with Allahabad that it's difficult to forget this place. Since everyone is like a relative to me, so I always call Bua, Mausi.

• We used to call Mahadevi, Nani.

• And Maharajin Bua used to tie rakhi on my mama. She was like a mother.

• Everybody related to her respects me the same way as before.

• If Maharajin could have lived 2 years more. I might have been converted from a Brahmin to a Mahabrahmin because she taught me a lot.

• If I have gone to a funeral, she used to tell me to help in the process.

• And the intensive was very sweet. The tea she used to make was tremendous. You will never find such tea anywhere else.

• She used to call me for dinner and I have never tasted a khichdi like that.

• I will tell you a case which explains that Maharajin Bua had in-depth motherly feelings. I had a friend, his son who was 2 months old died, when everything was done and Maharajin didn’t take any money from them and said that I can’t accept money for a kid.

• Rasoolabad Ghaat is different from Daraganj Ghaat and Maharajin Bua's fixed rate of everything.

• I can’t forget the Bhagirathi character of Maharajin Bua. Ganga left Rasoolabad Ghaat and it was the 80s, Prabhat Chaturvedi was DM and she did all this to bring Ganga back to Rasoolabad Ghaat.

• Our morning used to start by greeting Maharajin Bua (Ram Ram) and she used to greet me from far (speaks in Allahabadi).

• When Bua died, I left my Bua’s funeral because Maharajin was Bua was waiting for you.

• You must be knowing Major General Rawat. They called Jagdish. He was 86 so it was a problem but I asked why are you asking me. then Jagdish said I asked you because I wonder what Maharajin might have done if she was alive. After Maharajin Bua came to Rasoolabad Ghaat, everything changed.

• She used to abuse but with love. That’s one of the characteristics of Allahabad.

• She faced a lot of opposition to taking this as a career and she used to tell a lot of stories about this.

• And I think I connect it with humanity's welfare. Now I see full-fledged Ghaat with sheds, and water facility and then I realise its Maharajin’s blessings.

• Yash Malviya- “because of you Maharajin Bua, Shamshaan Ghaat are lively”.

• From morning 6 to 10 at the night, we used to ask her are you not scared? She used to say ghosts are my friend, why should I be scared of them. She was going back around 12. And all the light facilities are because of her. Without Maharajin Bua’s Allahabad is incomplete.

• I don’t want to talk about it, it's about Pant Ji, and she said that if people who were there if they were here it would have been better. She didn’t like it.

• When Maharajin Bua used to cremate. Everything will be done smoothly (with a guarantee).

• Her husband was Maharaj, Maharajin Bua was dominant. People used to fool Maharaj.

• Her one son was a teacher. Let’s not talk about Jagdish. On one side, it's fine and on one side it's bad (the night one). And he was fine when I used to scold her.

• She started from 1974-75,

• Yash Malviya -“She said Indira Gandhi was a mad woman.”

• Hanuman Ji is lying there, it’s only here in Allahabad.

• And this is a Baaghi place. Akbar made his fort to suppress Baaghi and his own son became a Baaghi.

• About Allahabad.

• Reason why Maharajin Bua was accepted (it took time). Because in the starting, Maharaj used to come with her, and her nephews too.

• My mama was a social worker so he told us that we should always be with someone at the time of sadness. That’s how I met Maharajin Bua. She used to say when you fire the pyre, just move on so that you can face the world again.

• Maharajin Bua’s age stopped, she was always 40 (character sketch). And that told her that sportsmanship is in her. She was never tired.

• Her problem was, that she was very angry, and the Ghaat visit started to affect her. She used to get irritated a lot.