News in Frames: Where culture converges

The Hindu News in Frames: March 2, 2025

To the teeming hundreds of thousands, the Maha Kumbh is not just about taking a dip in the Triveni Sangam — the confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati — but also an emotional roller coaster. The unimaginable hurdles and difficulties the pilgrims face to reach the Sangam in Prayagraj of Uttar Pradesh is not visible on their faces. On the contrary, they look completely engrossed in the spirituality of it all. Their eyes brimming with faith, they wait for the moment when the waters would wash over them in the belief that they are one step closer to salvation. Total strangers come to each other’s aid, without so much as even a gesture for help. This is where the emotions reach a crescendo, with almost everyone who was there wanting the same for themselves and for their fellow human beings.

While the mornings were calm, the evenings remained vibrant. And while a variety of colours displayed life, the tiny sheds which housed Naga sadhus, smeared in ash, celebrated death, and the journey beyond.

At the Maha Kumbh, where food was abundantly available for everyone, so too was room for rest, at almost no cost.

The journey to get to the Sangam had its moments. While travel to Prayagraj itself may have been by air, rail or road, getting to the Sangam was another story. Once one enters the town, only two transport options were available to the general public and they did not come cheap. Cycle rickshaw drivers offered to accommodate a maximum of six people and motorbike drivers offered to take two passengers. The charges ranged anywhere between ₹200 and ₹300 per person, and the drop point was still two kilometres from the river.

A majority of the devotees decided to walk if they could not offered the rides. Children and elderly people sitting on the shoulders of their relatives was a common sight during the journey of about 10 km from Prayagraj town to the Sangam.

Pilgrims thronged the Triveni Sangam as Maha Sivaratri drew closer. Many people arrived in groups, and they wore distinctive gear, carried flags, and held on to a rope to stay together.

For the few moments when they took a dip, everyone was equal. In the collective faith that had brought the crores of people to the Sangam, the waters were a great leveller: no one knew if the person taking a dip in the water alongside was a big shot or just another man under the sun.