Pintu Mahara, the boatman praised by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath for earning ₹30 crore during the recently concluded Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, credited several months of hard work for his entrepreneurial success. Pintu Mahra with his kin, including his mother, Shuklawati Mahra, on the Sangam banks in Prayagraj.(HT_PRINT) Mahara recalled his inspiration for the venture saying, “In 2019, the boatmen earned a lot of money during the Ardh Kumbh. They earned lakhs. A lot of people came at that time. Seeing this, I anticipated that around 70 crore devotees would turn up in the Mahakumbh.” Also read | A boatman earned ₹30 crore during Maha Kumbh, Yogi Adityanath shares success story Mahara, head of a boatman family, took loans and mortgaged personal household jewellery to fund his project to build 70 boats to serve devotees during the 45-day grand religious gathering. He also noted not having enough money to fund his venture when he was planning for it. “Life was tough. We had to borrow money and mortgage gold to get the boats. …