Yogi's Kumbh Offensive

The Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh has gone all out to make Kumbh Mela 2019 a bigger and grander aff air, hoping it will pay political dividends in the Lok Sabha elections

- Ajay Uprety

Prayagraj has become a city in mystical motion. It began swaying to rhythmic drumbeats and vigorous chants early this month as waves upon waves of saffron-clad sages and ash-smeared naga sadhus arrived with ardent devotees for the Ardh Kumbh Mela at the Sangam. The formal arrival of the members of 13 akharas (schools of religious practice) was a sight to behold. They came chanting and smoking chillums, some striding in, some riding decorated horses or elephants, some rocking in magnificent palanquins and some throbbing in incongruous SUVs. It was an inclusive affair, with the Kinnar Akhara of transgenders being allowed to participate in the processions, called Peshwai, for the first time. The Kinnars sashayed in and later merged their akhara into the Juna Akhara. Many of the pilgrims had marched for miles to reach the Kumbh Nagri at the Sangam—the confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati—listening to motivational songs such as ‘Nadiya chale chale re dhara... tujhko chalna hoga (As the river flows on and on, so will you have to walk)’. Said to be the largest gathering of pilgrims, the Kumbh Mela had assumed a higher profile this time. For one, the monk who rules Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, had elevated the Ardh (half) Kumbh Mela to Kumbh Mela in an audacious announcement he had made more than a year ago. Global interest in the festival had also increased after UNESCO in 2017 recognised the Kumbh Mela as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.