My wife, Sagun and I flew from New York to join the millions of devotees at the Maha Kumbh and had a remarkable experience visiting Prayagraj. This Maha Kumbh, to my mind. is a ‘Maha Yagya’ that has attracted hundreds of millions of devotees to this revered land for an event occurring after 144 years! Incidentally, Prayagraj or Tirth Prayag happens to be my birthplace which I visited after a gap of 33 years!
Being there in person was a remarkable experience. As far as the eye could see, human beings from all parts of India and the world converged there to take a holy dip in Maa (mother) Ganga.
Statistics bears testimony to the fact that the Maha Kumbh’s organization was an incredible feat. The arrangements made by the local administration, especially by the team led by the Mela Adhikari, Maha Kumbh under the direction of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and senior officials, were exceptional to say the least. Of course, PM Modi’s vision, planning, detailing, strategizing and leadership were imprinted all over the Mahakumbh as well.
The establishment of a temporary city with roads, pontoon bridges, tens of thousands of tents, walking paths, cleanliness, safety and security, water and sanitation and large-scale availability of food for the devotees were some of the key highlights. The widespread use of digital technology helped in every conceivable way.
This was no mean feat, managing to have tens of millions of devotees come in, day in and day out, for 45 straight days and to provide them with all the necessary facilities is a humongous job, one that was done with utmost care and professionalism by the state government officials in-charge on the site.
We stayed in a tent of the Uttar Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation (UPSTDC) which had all the amenities one would have asked for, including spotlessly clean bed sheets, pillows, quilts, & towels; access to hot water in the bathroom, a very effective room heater, a fire extinguisher, TV, several phone charging points, cupboards, a table and a chair, drinking water all in a well-lit tent which could be locked for ones belongings to be safe. UPSTDC also provided very good vegetarian food (breakfast, lunch and dinner) to everyone staying in their tents.
My wife and I were blessed by taking a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj. Millions of devotees thronged the banks of the Ganga to seek Mata (mother) Ganga’s blessings.
At the Sangam, the confluence of the green waters of River Ganga and the blue waters of River Yamuna were clearly seen coming together. It is believed that River Saraswati is also part of this Sangam.
We carried the sacred water of Maa Ganga back with us to the USA. Ganga jal is considered pious and is an integral part of the puja samagri of every Hindu household. Having taken the holy dip in the Triveni Sangam and seeing the incredible enthusiasm among our fellow Hindus, we felt energized, spiritually uplifted, and of course very emotional. We prayed to Maa Ganga for the good health and happiness of everyone in our family, and for a bright future for Bharat (India) and for all 1.4 billion Bharatiyas (Indians). While in the waters of Maa Ganga, I realized how incredibly blessed I was to have been born in Prayagraj and for my father and grandfather to have lived in Prayagraj for almost two decades.
After our snan in the Triveni Sangam, we also performed a puja of Maa Ganga on one of the boats stationed there with a priest. We recited Sanskrit shlokas, and offered milk, water and some sacred materials to Maa Ganga.
We also went around the various Akharas, including the Kinnar Akhara and the Gau Seva Akhara etc. It was amazing to see how well planned and decorated these Akharas were, and tens of thousands of devotees were thronging them to seek blessings of the leaders of these Akharas.
All through this journey of 8-plus kms, we saw numerous free food distribution centers and hundreds of volunteers serving food to those who stood in long ques to be seated and then served meals.
Our experience at the Maha Kumbh included wide ranging discussions with many, among others, over the last two days, besides visiting the Triveni Sangam for the holy dip, we witnessed the Ganga Aarti, prayed at the Hanuman and the Patalpuri temples, saw the digital Maha Kumbh Gallery, visited the Akshay Vat, Parmarth Niketan, the Shivalaya Park, the Kinnar Akhara, and Gau Seva Akhara etc.
The Digital Maha Kumbh Experience Center was a very well put together digital center with vital historic, religious and astronomical information about the Ardh Kumbh, Poorna Kumbh, and the Maha Kumbh.
In Uttar Pradesh’s journey to become a trillion-dollar economy, tourism, and especially religious tourism, is playing, and will continue to play, a significant role in boosting the size of the State economy.
The Maha Kumbh which lasted for 45 days, is estimated to infuse approximately US $40 billion into the State economy!
As of the last count, a staggering number of 660-plus million devotees had taken a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam at Prayagraj. Of this colossal figure, 175 million devotees (30% of the total so far) took the dip during the five auspicious days: Paush Purnima (17 million); Makar Sankranti (35 million); Mauni Amavasya (76 million); Basant Panchami (27 million); and Maghi Purnima (20 million).
I met the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath ji in Lucknow on February 9 and told him that the arrangements made by his government in Prayagraj were very praiseworthy and met all the requirements of hundreds of millions of devotees that were coming for the Maha Kumbh.
I strongly believe that neither does any other Indian state, or for that matter, any country in the world have the capacity to organize such a colossal event. A visionary and bold leadership at the federal and the state level along with years of planning, detailing, interdepartmental coordination, widespread use of technology, including AI, deployment of tens of thousands of volunteers, sanitation staff, security personnel, construction workers, and many others could make this event possible. All in all, I would give them A+.
At Columbia University, I plan to undertake a detailed case study of the Maha Kumbh with a special focus on the use of ICT tools and platforms (Digital Maha Kumbh) in the Maha Kumbh’s organization, monitoring, data driven decision making, safety and security and so much more.
For people in the U.S., it is unfathomable to even imagine that over 660 million people could visit, over a 45-day period, in a small stretch of land at the banks of river Ganga to take a holy dip.
By the final count, the total number of devotees who visited the Maha Kumbh was almost double the population of the United States, which stands at 335 million.
Maha Kumbh is seen here in the U.S. as nothing short of a miracle, wherein, daily, tens of millions of devotees, from out of town, have been coming to Prayagraj and after seeking the blessings of Maa Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati, return on the same day, or at best the next day to their homes. This is seen as a once in a lifetime spiritual journey for the Hindus who have been coming to Prayagraj from all parts of India and the world.
For people in the U.S., it is rather scary to even imagine being a part of such large gatherings, let alone being there in person.
(Nirupam Bajpai is a development economist at the Columbia Climate School at Columbia University in New York. He was honored with the Padma Shri in 2008)