...And, The Show Will Go On!
By Gajanan Khergamker
Ah, yes! The unsolicited wisdom of the uninitiated, the self-proclaimed connoisseurs of culture sitting continents away, dissecting India with a rusted scalpel of half-truths and borrowed outrage. Welcome to the Great Inquiry of the Maha Kumbh, where the armchair anthropologists, the doomsday environmentalists, and the human rights hobbyists all converge in a grand display of selective amnesia and academic condescension.
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| The Maha Kumbh Phenomenon / The Draft News Network |
So, the pollution, they say? The hordes descending upon the Ganges like a plague of faith-driven locusts? How unfortunate that faith, when exercised at a scale incomprehensible to a world accustomed to soulless efficiency, becomes a ‘crisis.’ Pray, where does this outpouring of concern evaporate when other ‘developed’ nations play host to mammoth gatherings fuelled by consumerism? Where are the shrill cries of ecological doom when music festivals leave behind mountains of plastic, or when sports events guzzle billions of gallons of water for manicured lawns? Ah, but it’s India, isn't it? So, naturally, the script is different.
The Ganges, they lament, is ‘sullied’ by the touch of millions. That the Kumbh Mela, a spectacle of faith, must be scrutinised under a microscope for its ‘hygienic hazards.’ Intriguing, really, how such concerns never quite reach the oil-slicked waters of global industrial zones or the factory waste-infested streams in the so-called first world. But here, where pilgrims immerse themselves in what they believe to be the nectar of divinity, it suddenly becomes a matter of international horror. Why? Because nothing provokes the self-assured more than the sight of a people unshaken by the disapproving stares of the West.
And then, the ‘crowds’—that terrifying word so conveniently wielded when India is in the picture. Crowds, when viewed from ivory towers, must be ‘chaos.’ The sheer volume of humanity, moving in disciplined devotion, cannot possibly be fathomed by those whose understanding of mass movement is limited to city traffic or the rare inconvenience of a Black Friday sale. They expect stampedes, they wait for tragedies, and when none occur, they sigh in disappointment before shifting the conversation to some other exoticised misery.
Ah, but we must not forget the cherry on this distasteful cake of condescension—poverty. Oh, what a tragedy! Where else would the good-hearted elites find their feel-good tales of ‘giving back’ if not for the ‘starving masses’ of India? Yet, here we are, in a nation whose economy has long left behind the colonial-era narratives of despair, whose millions now tread paths of prosperity. But no, to accept that would be to lose a favourite talking point. So, the story must be preserved: that of a primitive people, clinging to their archaic beliefs, blissfully unaware of their ‘plight.’
And then there’s the sensationalist favourite—the fabled ‘floating bodies’ in the Ganges. A convenient visual to be paraded before global audiences, framed with horror, never mind the actual realities of tradition, mortality, and the deeply nuanced relationship between faith and life’s end. It is far easier to conjure an image of an apocalyptic river than to acknowledge the reverence with which these waters are held. But facts, alas, have always been a casualty when the West's penchant for exoticising India is at play.
But, of course, amid this studied silence, what is conveniently brushed aside is the unending stream of dignitaries, celebrities, and seekers from across the world who consider it a privilege to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime event. Not just Indians, but those transcending nationalities and even faiths, drawn to the Maha Kumbh not out of obligation but deep respect. Spiritual leaders, scholars, icons of art and cinema, all making their way here—not for spectacle, but for an experience no other civilisation on Earth can replicate. But, naturally, that isn’t newsworthy, is it? Because unity, reverence, and transcendence do not fit neatly into the manufactured narrative of a ‘backward, chaotic India.’
And now, let’s talk about the grandest misfortune of them all—the sheer lack of opportunity for the self-styled elite to ‘donate’ and ‘contribute.’ You see, the Maha Kumbh wasn't just about faith; it was about self-sufficiency, about a nation rising to the occasion without needing to hold out a begging bowl. India’s industrialists, leaders, and organisations pooled their collective might to ensure that millions arriving at the Maha Kumbh were fed—for free. Lavish bhandaras served piping hot meals, accommodations were arranged at no cost, and facilities were extended with an efficiency that would make disaster relief organisations blush. And the best part? Not a single self-important international charity was needed to ‘save’ the day. The usual suspects, ever eager to swoop in with their cameras and pre-written sob stories, found themselves twiddling their thumbs, watching as India effortlessly cared for its own. They missed out, and how.
But let’s not waste time convincing those who revel in their ignorance. The Maha Kumbh is not an event—it is a living, breathing testament to resilience, to faith, to an order that defies imposed structures of ‘understanding.’ It is a congregation of hope, of prayers rising in synchrony, of an energy that no empirical data can quite capture. And yes, it is an event where millions bathe in a river believed to cleanse sins—a belief so incomprehensible to those who find redemption in far more ‘sophisticated’ sins, dressed in currency and corruption.
And what better way to rub it in than to ensure that the festivities along the stretch of Sangam, the laser shows and the lighting, continue. The Prayagraj Mela Authority (PMA) has now decided to provide the minimum basic facilities to devotees arriving at Sangam till Ardh Kumbh in 2031. So, just in case you missed the action, you can still come down and see, for yourself, the phenomenal preparations undertaken by the Yogi government which is not ready to give up on its once-in-a-lifetime performance. Not for now, at least.
India hosted the Maha Kumbh and what a way. The waters flowed, the faith endured, and the world’s largest congregation of unity thrived, oblivious to your disapproval. And in the end, as you sip your ethically sourced coffee while doom-scrolling for your next Third World catastrophe, India will continue to defy every neatly packaged narrative you so desperately cling to.
These findings were generated in the first person, and with extreme pride, by the writer during his visit to Prayagraj during the Maha Kumbh, while walking along the banks of the Ganga, Jamuna even Triveni Sangam, talking to the hundreds of devout who walked in tandem irrespective of their caste, creed or calling and...after taking holy dips too!
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