Jumpy stayed in Mumbai with his parents. His father was a scientist at the ‘Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC), whereas his mother was a teacher at a public school.

His Chimpanzee uncle was a Professor of History at the Allahabad University. Uncle had invited Jumpy and his parents to Allahabad for a vacation.

Jumpy was excited that he would be away from the busy life of Mumbai for a while. He had heard that the Ganga, the Yamuna and the Saraswati rivers unite in Allahabad. He wanted to witness this scene.

He thus took a diary and noted down facts and information about Allahabad. He read the newspapers and magazines, browsed through the internet and gathered as much information as possible.

Finally the day arrived when Jumpy and his parents set out for the tour. They boarded a train from Mumbai. Jumpy took the window seat and was jotting down the names of all the stations that passed by. He was also making a note of his experience of the journey. He wanted to make his journey a memorable one.

Chimpanzee uncle came to receive Jumpy and his parents at the Allahabad station. Aunty Chimpanzee and her daughter Niki too were present. They soon reached Chimpanzee uncle’s house. Since Jumpy and his parents were tired, they went to sleep early.

The following day, Uncle took all of them to the Sangam peth. Niki and Jumpy enjoyed playing in the sand. Jumpy noticed that two rivers united at a point. He asked, “Uncle, I had heard that three rivers meet here, but I can see only two rivers uniting. Where is the third one?”

Uncle said, “Look! The one with blackish water is the Ganga, the one with greenish water is the Yamuna. It is said that the Saraswati is invisible as it flows under the ground and thus isn’t visible.”

Jumpy nodded his head in agreement. He asked, “Uncle, are we going to experience a boat ride?”

“Why not?” said Uncle, “But first have a bath in the holy Sangam or the holy unison and then we shall rent a boat for a ride.”

All of them bathed in the holy unison. Uncle then rented a boat and they all enjoyed boating in the mid-stream river. Jumpy said, “Uncle, you are a professor of History. Please tell us something about Allahabad.”

“Sure” replied Uncle, “Allahabad is one of the ancient cities of India.”

“Why was it named as Allahabad?” asked Jumpy.

“Emperor Akbar had established Allahabad in the year 1575. In the year 1582, he promoted a new religion knows as ‘Din-e-Ilahi’ which meant ‘God’s religion’. And that is how the word Allahabad came into existence.”

Niki said, “Dad, tell Jumpy about the ‘Maha Kumbh’ that is held at the holy unison.”

“Sure” said Chimpanzee uncle, “Allahabad hosts the largest religious gathering in the world known as Maha Kumbh Mela which is celebrated every twelve years. People from all across the globe visit this place to take a dip in the river. The count goes till millions. There is a story of nectar splashing out of the Kumbh and that is why the Kumbh mela is hosted. I would narrate the story to you later. Now look at the walls of this fort.”

Jumpy said, “Why has this fort been built at the bank of the holy unison? Who has built this fort?”

“Let’s go inside the fort and I shall answer all your questions,” said Uncle.

They went inside the fort. Uncle said, “This fort was built by Mughal emperor Akbar in the year 1583. It is famous for its Architecture. The Indian army resides in the major part of the fort whereas only some part of it is open for the tourists.”

Jumpy looked around and noticed a Pillar at the entrance. He asked, “Uncle, which pillar is this?”

Uncle replied, “Jumpy, this is the Ashoka Pillar. It has been bought and established here. It is 10.6 metres tall and was built in 232 BC.”

“How come such an old pillar is still standing strong?” asked Jumpy.

Uncle said, “There are many such amazing wonders that exist in our country. This is the benefit of tourism that we get to see such places. We can see them and gain knowledge about them.”

Chimpanzee uncle then showed them the sacred fig tree in the fort. He also gave some information about it. Jumpy returned home and noted down all that he had learnt.

The next day, Chimpanzee uncle took them to the ‘Anand Bhavan’.

He said, “Jumpy, this place is the ancestral house of the Nehru family. Motilal Nehru had purchased this house in the year 1900. He made quite some changes in the house. He made a garden and a swimming pool.

“Uncle, who resides in this place now?” asked Jumpy.

Chimpanzee uncle laughed and said, “It is no more a residential place now. It has been converted into a museum that contains all the belongings of the Nehru family. Two of our Prime Ministers namely Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi have had special association with this bhavan.”

Chimpanzee uncle then took all of them to the Jawahar Planetarium. There they saw pictures of many stars, planets, comets and galaxies. There was a special shuttle which made Jumpy feel that he is actually touring the space. Jumpy also noted down the information that he gained about Astrophysics.

On the third day, Chimpanzee uncle took Jumpy to ‘Chandrashekhar Azad Park’. There was a statue of Chandrashekhar Azad in that park.

Uncle said, “Chandrashekhar Azad was a great freedom fighter and a powerful political leader. The British wanted to nab him. On 27th February, 1931 when Chandrashekhar Azad was sitting with his friend in this park, this park was known as ‘Alfred Park’ at that time. Someone informed the police that Chandrashekhar Azad was sitting in the park. The police then surrounded the park and started firing. Chandrashekhar Azad and his friend too began to fire at the police. When he was left with only one bullet, he shot himself and sacrificed his life for our country. And from that day onwards, this park was named as ‘Chandrashekhar Azad Park’.”

Then they went to ‘All Saints’ Cathedral. Uncle said, “Jumpy, this cathedral is also known as Patthar Girja (Church of Stones). It is one of Aisa’s best cathedrals. British architect Sir William Emerson, architect of Victoria Memorial had designed this monument. It is an example of 13th-century Gothic style buildings in Asia built by the British during their rule in India. Look how beautiful is the glasswork.”

After returning home, Jumpy asked, “Uncle, is there anything more to see in Allahabad?”

“Yes, dear” replied Uncle, “There are many places yet to be visited. One of them is the Allahabad University that was established in 1887. Other places include the Khusro Baug, Mankameshwar temple, Public Library, Allahabad High Court, Allahabad Museum, Swaraj Bhavan, etc.”

Jumpy returned to Mumbai after some days. He narrated his experiences to his friends. They were so fascinated by Allahabad that they too wanted to visit there. Jumpy’s diary notes helped him a lot.