Kumbha – Mela of the five senses!

 

The Kumbha is a gathering. People from varied walks of life come in from all over the country and the world to be a part of this amazing festival. It is a spectacle; a living, breathing wonder of the world. It is made so, not by the auspiciousness of this period, nor by its scale but by the collective intentions of the populace. Whether it is the declaredly enlightened sadhus or the decidedly pious devotees or the simply curious tourists, everyone comes here with a wonderfully virtuous purpose. This virtuosity of intent is what makes this place holy.

 

It is as much of an acoustic, aromatic and sensory experience as it is visual. The energy of the people flows through the atmosphere, through the rippling waters of the Ganga, through the waves splashing against the sand, through the white sand flowing over your skin mingling with the mist up into the air you breathe, making distant sounds swirl into a symphony.

 

The first glimpse of the Kumbha perimeter is incredible. You’re going down this regular street in the evening when out of nowhere, the horizon fills up with the immense sight of the mela; a sea of orange street lights draped in an enigmatic mist promising to reveal its essence only if you step closer. One can't help but gasp at the enormity of this vista, and as we approach the ‘Mela Kshetra’ (area), this incredulity turns into a wow. The 'Mela Kshetra' or the Kumbha campus is about 10 km long and 2 km wide. This superbly organized expanse is divided into sectors, clearly demarcated by innovative and inexpensive metal sheet roads along with a dedicated supply of electricity and fresh running water. Multiple military style floating pontoon bridges, a great example of inventive brilliance, connect the different banks to the shores of the Sangam. Besides regularly cleaned public toilets for every 30-odd tents, a daily fumigation exercise, garbage collection and other urban departments, the Kumbha campus also boasts of well equipped medical facilities that include river ambulances and uncharacteristically helpful policemen watchfully guiding visitors 24-7. In short, every visitor’s fears with respect to this huge campus and undertaking are allayed.

 

It’s a city, with all inherent facilities. Spend a few days at the campsite in a tent and you’ll invariably be walking around at different times of the day and night. The vista changes depending on the motion of the people. The daytime is when attendees go about their daily rituals; bathing at the Sangam, offering prayers, preparing for meals and stocking shops and businesses. The spectacular sunset brings in the time when devotees throng to ‘Aartis’ and ‘Pujas’, tourists go about sightseeing through the elaborately lit up and decorated ‘Akharas’, meet people, gossip with friends and finish off with meals. As the night progresses the mela goes into slumber and breathes very slowly, at peace. With their daily problems and worries and miseries left behind, everyone sleeps in tranquillity at night. To walk about at night means meeting amusing creatures; the ever-present policemen, the relentless facilities workers, the random groups of friends making merry, the odd devotees, bhakts and sadhus lost in their thoughts and the delightfully amiable stray dogs. It’s time to be friendly. The crack of dawn infuses the ambience with a white glow, which combined with the bleached silver sand makes it look like a blizzard in Alaska. You start hearing these indiscernible, distant sounds, a synchronous trance-inducing concerto of frequencies; it takes a few moments to realize these are the sounds of hymns and prayers starting up a new day to the accompaniment of prayer bells and conches. The feeling that the promise of the new day brings is surreal.

 

The Kumbh Mela is a place to learn. We learn from formal education, from books and movies, but most of all we learn from people; those around us, family, friends, people on the street. Whether observing someone sitting on a bus or bargaining with a grocer or negotiating a deal, we learn the most by interacting with people. At the mela, all interactions I experienced and observed were pleasant. Nobody was fighting or arguing, shopkeepers weren’t trying to fleece anyone, policemen were polite and helpful, and everybody was kind and warm. The sadhus and babas were there to discuss spirituality and catch up with old friends; the devotees were there to cleanse their sins and strengthen their faith; the authorities were there to help and guide one and all, and the major population of visitors, including the media, were there to satisfy their curiosity. The intentions of everyone were noble, which resulted in their interactions being exemplary. And since this is the largest gathering of humankind, why miss such a huge interaction?

 

In our daily urban lives we toil, stress and ache to fulfil our materialistic goals; bigger cars, fancier houses and such. We live for the future and dwell in our past. At the Kumbha, I noticed that everyone was living in the moment. We were all on vacation; we’d all taken holidays, travelled with our families and friends to come to this event. We’d left our daily stresses, troubles and tensions behind. After all it’s a celebration, and what are celebrations for! It’s all about love and affection and a borderless, seamless exchange amongst the public. It’s not bound by religion, caste, race or social status. It doesn’t matter if you put up in a 5-star tent and ate Domino's or camped out under the sky and cooked your own daal-chawal. Educated or not, everyone goes through the same processes at the Kumbha. Everyone walks on the sand, wades through the crowd and takes a dip in the chilly waters of the Sangam. It brings us all on one common level. There is universal camaraderie. The synergy generated by the people creates this amazing vibration in the air, inspires bliss. I have never before felt this exultation, a giddy realization of pure happiness at this jubilant celebration of humanity. The Kumbha does not belong to anyone, it belongs to everyone. It doesn’t matter where you come from or who you are. You are the mela; not the remarkable sights, nor the outstanding facilities, nor the rich and colourful myths and tales, nor the media hype; it is each individual visitor who comprises the ‘people’ that in turn, make the Kumbh Mela.

 

Har Har Mahadev!