‘Kumbh is not just a religious festival but a display of humanity’

When it comes to any pilgrimage, a very stereotypical word that often gets associated with it is ‘Religion’. However, the 53-Year-old Delhi-based Photojournalist, Bandeep Singh has something unique to share about the Kumbh Mela festival. Singh who has covered Kumbha Mela thrice in his 30 years of experience as a journalist, shared the humanitarian intricacies of the festival, which help us have a different outlook towards the celebration. Speaking to The Perfect Voice, Singh, who is all set to display the entire vibe of Mahakumbh 2025 in the form of a picturesque photo exhibition to be organized on February 24, in New Delhi, said, “Kumbh is not just a religious festival but it is indeed a display of humanity.” Excerpts…

Is Mahakumbh a display of cultural unity more than a religious one?

I have closely watched and experienced the mega event of Kumbh Mela. I have been visiting Prayagraj as a photo journalist since 2013, and I have got an opportunity to witness the event thrice. At the kumbh mela, I have never seen any caste or religious demarcations. It is very reassuring about the core values of Sanatan Dharma. You can see the picturesque view of huge crowds of devotees from various castes and communities approaching the river together. The unity of that is striking. Everyone is bound together with just a pure feeling of faith and trust in the almighty, a trust in the sacred power that lies in the holy dip.

You said that there is no hierarchy, there is no inequality. Can you share your experiences that highlight the same?

I must say it is not just a religious festival, but instead it’s a festival of humanity. It is an unprecedented gathering of humanity converging towards the confluence at Sangam with a feeling of pure faith. There is no hierarchy. No one is above anyone. The priests, the sevaks, the devotees all seem at par. They all consume the bhandara or the langhars (food) at the Kumbh Mela together. All participate at the havans irrespective of their identities. In fact, there is no identity to anyone except that of being a pilgrim. Take the example of Naga sadhus, they shave their head, and they adopt common attire that makes all the sanyasis look similar. They go beyond their individual identities and all adopt a common visage. 

The Chillum being smoked by Naga Sadhus is also another symbol of unity. (The Chillum is a straight conical smoking pipe traditionally made of either clay or a soft stone mainly used for smoking weed at the Akharas). The same chillam rotates and is smoked by all present in front of the Dhuna (sacred fire pit). People keep their societal barriers. 

You mentioned that it’s a festival of unity or humanity. Have you experienced any incidents that are an exception to this?

I haven’t experienced any untoward incident personally in the last seven years. However, every coin has two sides. Where there is positive energy, there has to be a potential negative side to any mass gathering of society. When I see lakhs of devotees approach the river together, needless to say, the holy dip comes at the cost of a lot of suffering due to long distances of walking, biting cold weather and humongous crowd create a lot of challenges which these devotees tolerate to experience the holy dip. In the process, some tend to get a bit selfish, and instances like stampedes are a result of such sentiment of desperately trying to get something over others after facing the discomfort and hardships. Primarily two feelings are visible in the Kumbh Mela, people either help each other or in extreme situations they inevitably get a little selfish.

You mentioned that you have lived with Naga Sadhus. Have you had any unique experiences that set them apart from the common man?

Apart from their attire and look, and the fact that they are into spirituality, one important aspect that sets them apart from all of us is their extreme sense of detachment. They are on an austere path, where they are completely cut off from families, human emotions, to the extent that they keep a distance from even associating with respect and regard. They are seen hitting, swearing and adopting an abusive behaviour that a common man may term as “absurd”. This is not because they are intending to misbehave, but purely because they are completely detached from human and societal norms. They connect only with the almighty. They don’t follow any set rules of behaviour. They are continuously chanting their mantras near the “Dhuna” (holy fire) almost round the clock. They do all their work in the vicinity of the continuously lit holy fire. Many of them don’t even consume food. They only have tea. Some only eat the ashes that are released from the “Dhuna”. 

Have you ever participated in any of these rituals or have you ever done any unusual action while being alongside these sadhus?

I have watched them closely. One of them insisted that I should also try consuming a pinch of the ash. I was reluctant. He tried to convince me saying that the ash had medicinal value that was capable of healing you of the medical ailments like diabetes or hypertension. To just play along with a sporting spirit, I consumed it. It did not have any distinctively repelling taste. However, time will tell if it relieves me of my diabetes.

Celebrities and politicians visit Prayagraj every time to take a holy dip. Do high profile visits change the overall vibe? 

The celebrities and politicians and businessmen have been visiting the Kumbh Mela since ages. Like I have said before, in Prayagraj, near the sangam nose, all are equal. Celebrities and politicians are human beings, and they too have the same “bhav” as we do. I don’t think they visit such places to create hype. Their intention is the same as ours. As far as any possible inconvenience to the other devotees or the common man in presence of these celebrities is concerned, I believe their routes and time slots are managed in a way that they don’t disturb the routine influx of devotees. However, all this once again hints of viewing the Kumbh Mela as an event of unity and humanity. Imagine these celebrities and politicians taking a dip in the same river where lakhs of devotees have already bathed since days. Our hygiene principles will otherwise never allow us to do so, but when it comes to Kumbh Mela, the feeling of devotion is above everything else.