‘Ganga maa home delivery': UP cop goes viral for worshipping flooded home in Prayagraj; critics say ‘don't add to pollution'

Indian Express

4 days ago

As heavy rainfall battered Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, leaving large parts of the city underwater, most residents were left grappling with damage and disruption. But one man, sub-inspector Chandradeep Nishad, decided to embrace the chaos in a way that's left the Internet amused and divided.
Nishad, who says he was once a national-level swimmer, has gone viral for his unusually cheerful response to the flooding. While water crept into homes and swamped roads, he stood waist-deep in water inside his own home, hands folded, offering flowers and prayers to what he saw not as destruction, but as the divine arrival of the Ganga herself.
'Jai Ganga Maiya ki! Main dhann hogya maa, aap mere darwaaze pe dastak dene aayi' (Hail Mother Ganga! I am blessed, Mother, that you came knocking at my door), he says in one clip, still in uniform, performing a puja in his submerged living room. The video has now been viewed nearly 37 million times.
A post shared by SI ChandraDeep Nishad (@si_chandradeep_nishad)
Currently posted as a personal security officer at the Allahabad High Court, Nishad has since been regularly posting videos of his aquatic antics, turning his flooded street into a stage of sorts. In one clip, he's seen calmly swimming in the waterlogged lane outside.
A post shared by SI ChandraDeep Nishad (@si_chandradeep_nishad)
In another video, he dives from his first-floor window, warning viewers not to try it themselves. And in a more recent video, he's joined by two young women, all three leaping into the water from the roof.
A post shared by SI ChandraDeep Nishad (@si_chandradeep_nishad)
While many have praised his spirit, others are raising valid concerns.
'India is the only country which celebrates rivers by creating more water pollution! To respect holy rivers we must clear their pathways, basins, stop dumping waste-water, treat them like rivers…! Jai Hind, Jai Ganga!' wrote one user in the comments.
Another user commented, 'I understand it's your emotions and immense respect for holy Ganga. But please, please don't be an add-on. It's already polluted enough.'
Then there were those who couldn't resist a joke. 'Ganga ma home delivery kar rahi hai paap dhone ke liye,' a third user said.