PRAYAGRAJ: Early in the morning at the Kumbh, Vedic chants and Ram bhajans can be heard from every direction, as the faithful, towels on shoulders, make their way to the banks of the Ganga for a holy dip. This morning, a light fog sits above the water; by mid-morning, it is all clear as if it were the fog of unreason.
As the first light of dawn broke over the Sangam on Monday, a sea of devotees, undeterred by the chilly breeze and cold waters of the Ganga took the holy dip on ‘Paush Purnima’, marking the commencement of Maha Kumbh 2025. More than 1.5 crore pilgrims took the dip on Monday, the UP government said.
For octogenarian Bhabani Bhowmik, a retired schoolteacher from Siliguri, the dip was a transformative experience. “I took Ganga ji’s name and when I came out, I felt no chill,” she says. As the day unfolds, the rhythms of the Kumbh come alive. Boatman Nandkumar, from a neighbouring district, gazes longingly at the Sangam, hoping to bag a permit to ferry passengers. Brothers Gopal and Amit Mishra, meanwhile, tend to the spiritual needs of the bathers, applying sandalwood mark on their foreheads.
In this vast, swirling tapestry of humanity, individuals from all walks of life converge, each with their own story of spiritual seeking. Sabra, a Brazilian seeker, says, “I was born into a Catholic family, but did not practice it. For the last year, I’ve been chanting and getting my faith back.”
Out of the blue, the bhule bhatkey shivir (lost-and-found camp) where a human being reinforces his faith in another, springs to life. A mother looks for her son, another seeks her ‘Sushila mausi’, and a stranger appeals to an Ashokda to return. As the day wears on, these names are replaced by others.