Rajan’s father died three years ago, and he’s “been in a bit of a funk ever since”; his Hindu mother, meanwhile, seems to have a “toolkit” for coping that eludes him.
With more than half a billion people attending, 2025’s was the largest human gathering in history – monumental, whatever one’s personal religious beliefs. As he prepares to leave, Rajan oscillates between flippancy (“Do you want me to come back like a mystical yogi, mum?”) and hopefulness that the experience will bring him peace. “I just want it to not feel so raw,” he says to his friend Matt.
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In his words, faith “seems to answer enduring human needs [with these] massive, consoling, all-encompassing fictions – even if there’s no evidence for them”. Meanwhile, as Matt muses, “it’s definitely something in the human condition – to want to be part of something bigger.”
In fairness, as the festivities ramp up – smoke, noise, crowds swelling with shared purpose – it’s hard to imagine even the most committed sceptic remaining impervious to their power. “I feel small and humble and pious,” says Rajan, standing by the river’s banks.
Amol Rajan takes part in the ancient ritual of the pind daan to free his ancestors’ souls (Photo: Wildstar Films/BBC)
Rajan’s emotional journey is revealed so gradually and generously that – when his physical one hits an obstacle – the feeling as a viewer is genuine frustration. Moving towards the river on the first day of the pilgrimage, Rajan and his entourage stop as news breaks of a fatal crowd crush.
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Luckily, he’s hardly lacking sources of guidance. “The bubble might be gone, but the water’s still there,” says Lakshmi, a follower of a local Sadhu, explaining that death and life are one and the same.
As such, when Rajan finally performs the ritual to release his father’s soul for its journey to the next life a few days later, there is no denying the moment’s poignancy – “the final hour of the most surreal, profound week of my life,” in his words.
Faith, the programme shows, offers humans reassuringly concrete tools to tackle our most overwhelming experiences. While Amol Rajan Goes to the Ganges makes precisely no religious claims, it nonetheless makes an extraordinary case for belief that even atheists like me will struggle to counter. Television for the soul, whether you believe in one or not.
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