The trip that wasn’t to happen, happened, for it is MAHA(N)!!

As the name denotes, everything about the Kumbh Mela is MAHA. From the event itself, to its preparations, to the biggest congregation in the world, to the commute, to the journey and its hurdles, to the stories that unfolded, to this once in a lifetime experience, every aspect speaks volumes about what has unfolded in front of us all.

Everyone who has made it there, has stories to share and almost all end with saying ~ ‘Bhagwaan ne bus pahuncha diya, aur humne dupki laga li’, ‘jahan chah wahan rah’.

While a lot has been spoken about the ‘why’ of MAHA Kumbh, its importance to humanity and for Sanatan Dharm as a whole, a question I have been pondering over is ~ what has motivated and mobilized more than a third of our Country to reach Prayagraj for a holy dip in Ganga ji amidst this unprecedented rush and overcrowding making the journey tough to say the very least?  Is it due to its rarity that none of us alive today will witness it ever again (against the backdrop that none of us today even knows what happened last time around when this event took place!!), or is it due to its advertising, or with the influx of the whose and who taking the holy dip, or due to the social media/ influencers who glamorised the event, or that the sheer FOMO has led to us all heading for this mela?  To each its own, yet we all converged to the same place ground, Triveni Sangam, for a holy dip, washing away our sins in the holy Ganga ji for above all its the ‘belief’ which binds us all through a common thread.

Like for majority who have visited, our trip too was blessed and made possible only by the divine force which saw us through our journey. From having no plans to visit at first, to a sudden ‘chalo yaar’ moment leading to an adventurous plan (or say piggybacking someone else’s plan) to drive down, to a last minute cancellation of a colleague who was accompanying us due to a personal exigency, to convincing friends who were reluctant to go at first, to starting the drive only to be about to end in the first few hours due to a tyre burst, to an messenger helping fix the tyre so we could continue, to the packed everything from eateries to tolls to fuel stations along the highway, to navigating an overwhelming Prayagraj roads with endless waits, we managed to make it to Sangam and take a holy dip in Ganga ji. As I joke, in order for you to wash away your sins fully, you will have to bear all of this and not have a smooth sail 😊

As I recapitulate my trip, a few things about the MAHA Kumbh that has left me awestruck:

• With scores of us visiting a small area, there ought to have been pressure on any and everything. Yet, things moved with that invisible force paving the way forward. From so many devotees, to the traffic, to the walk path to Sangam, to Ganga ji embracing us all with its love, everything fell into place.
• A sight to behold was witnessing scores of people with limited means making efforts to reach Kumbh, surely spending sizeable means, yet smiling with their morale high and a sense of satisfaction of having made it to Prayagraj for the grand occasion. Couple of moments of brief interactions with some fellow visitors are itched in my memory for their stories were moving.

• So many of us finding our way to Sangam kept asking the policemen, shopkeepers, devotees and anyone else along they way for directions (basically ~ ‘kitna aur chalna padega bhaiya’). Their poise at answering the same question zillion times a day for days was heartwarming and amusing at the same time (they telling us “bus aa gaya” when it was no where in sight😊). You need tons of patience and energy to do this, and hats off to all of them.

• Enroute leading to Sangam was fairly clean given the enormous number visitors moving in and out of the place 24X7. No garbage on the roads, continuous cleaning, functional and manageable public washrooms, depicted the very well managed show. This would have not been possible without the cooperation of the visitors disposing-off their waste responsibly!

• No words to express what natives of Prayagraj have gone through bearing all the inconvenience with an overwhelming crowd and pressured resources. Still their smiles and welcoming us all has set an example of ‘Athithi Devo Bhavo’.

• Like all resources, Dhaba’s enroute and specially those near Prayagraj were overwhelmed which meant long wait time and missing menu items. Still the kindness shown by the people who served us all, accommodating everyone who visited them with mix and match of menu ensuring all left satiated was touching. Their helping hand in that moment was God send for most of us left the city immediately after the holy dip (only to create space for more to come) and were hungry after our long waits and walks.

• Undoubtedly, the Government has spent crores on organising and hosting the MAHA Kumbh. Besides the higher purpose, this has surely resulted in a big boost to the business. A noteworthy feature was the scale of advertising all around which touched a record number of eyes in such a short span of time. Kudos there!!

• Besides going in history books, this one of its kind convergence would make it to guinness Book of World Record! Hats off to the authorities for having pulled this off well. This certainly warrants case studies on how this has been organised and managed.

It would be unreal for an event of this scale to not have some shortcomings (or if I may say, limitations). It would be easy to question some or the other aspects like arrangements, management of traffic, resources including the pressure on the holy river etc. However, when measured keeping the sheer size of the event, the deficiencies would be negligible. I am sure, no other Country in the world can even dream of holding an event half as size of the MAHA Kumbh!  

In essence, experiencing the MAHA Kumbh alongwith the vast majority, without any frills or favours, has been truly enriching. From making plans only to change the next minute, to figuring out, to walking endless distances, to the wait time, to adapting to fast evolving rules, this has been a one of its kind and truly memorable journey of life. Keep faith and TRUST the journey !!

II Jai Mahakal II