This episode happened in August of 2018, when I visited Gujarat with my cousin Girish. During all my visits I also try and lookout for interesting people to meet. But this individual was unique and figuring out how to find him in a crowded area like Mehsana in Gujarat was even more challenging. We were trying to find a beggar, who we heard is doing something really amazing.

I reached out to some contacts within my friend circle for assistance with this unusual quest. “Hey, thanks for offering to help. I’m looking for a beggar in Mehsana, Gujarat!” Unfortunately, their reactions were either to ignore my message or, if they replied, to respond with bewildered variations of “What?”

Finally, thanks to a contact we got in Gujarat, Jalpa, we received a lead that this person might be found near the Hanuman Mandir, in Mehsana main road. Our search began. We arrived around noon, but the temple was closing. Undeterred, we asked, “Looking for a beggar. His name is Khimji Prajapati.” A helpful soul pointed us toward the Jain Mandir, saying, “Oh, he just left; he should be in front of the Jain Mandir now.”

We hurried to the Jain temple and found a few beggars there. Unsure of who Khimji was, I compared their faces to the photo I had on my phone, certain that none of them matched. We approached the security guard, who confirmed, “Oh, Khimji? He was right here.” He led us to where Khimji usually sat, but there was no sign of him. “It’s 12:30; he must have gone for lunch,” the guard informed us, pointing across a bustling intersection.

We crossed the busy and noisy intersection, entering roadside joints and repeatedly asking, “Khimji? Anyone?” As a last resort, I displayed Khimji’s photo on my cell phone, turning our quest into a scene reminiscent of a detective agency. Almost everyone recognized him and said, “He should be resting now.” After a few rounds of inquiry, someone mentioned, “He just had lunch and moved into the backstreets. You might find him there.”