Amidst the cacophony and convergence of devotees from across the globe, priests, marijuana smoking naga sadhus, casually dressed foreigners and the saffron brigade make for a common spectacle at the Kumbh Mela. But what makes it special this time?

Mahakumbh is back after 12 years, you may say. No. It’s the presence of the brand conscious youngsters with Nat Geo-like curiosity at the fest that is noteworthy. They swear that the sights, sounds and smells are incredible.
The idea of taking a dip in the extravaganza of colours, probe a bit into the sadhus’ minds, and catch a few sights, experience the hypnotic aarti, see plumes of fire and watch diyas on leaves float prettily down the river was what enticed Malvika Jain, an advertising professional, to visit Kumbh. She tells us, “It was the Mahakumbh, once in 12 years and we had a weekend. So we went. Twelve years back we were too young to make independent travel plans. Twelve years later we would have bawling kids. So this was the time. Not much thought, just spontaneous phone calls, affirmations, quick tatkal tickets. And we were off!”
Malvika went with a great feeling of curiosity and no devotee-like reverence and adds that she was surprised to see how so many Indians so modern and liberal are still in touch with their religion and all that is considered holy. “At Kumbh, we really opened ourselves to new experiences. One sadhu told us that the ash smeared on their bodies was the ash of the dead. We found many sadhus praying, the younger ones joking with the older ones, two young sadhus zipping on a Moped with glee, another sadhu who had apparently been standing since the last 10 years. I think one of my aims was to demystify it all. After all, what is the point of always viewing things from a distance and never going beyond our stereotypical view of people,” adds Malvika.
It’s been an annual ritual for account executive Tarun Rekhi to reached there a day before the fest starts. “Every year I am as excited as I was excited on my first trip to Kumbh. It’s fun and a fulfilling experience. But one thing I still don’t understand, how can we become pure by taking a dip in the holy river? I believe humanity is the biggest religion and if you are concerned about others then you are the best man in this religion,” says Tarun.
Twenty three-year-old Ashish Gulati, a software engineer, wants to go to the Kumbh Mela in search of peace and tranquility. “I am going to Kumbh with my family. Since childhood I had this curiosity to go there and get lost in the huge crowd. Photography is the biggest attraction for me,” says Ashish.
“My father narrated various stories of this grand mela which actually pushed me to research about the same. It’s going to be a totally different experience for me,” says Neha Khullar, who works with the German Tourism Board.
Whereas for Tanya Anand, a graphic designer at Fabulloso, it’s an opportunity to be close to our culture, to explore spirituality and do something holy, that she doesn’t want to miss.
“I am super excited to go there and capture it on camera. There are so many subjects my camera is longing to click. My main motive remains to capture the faces of the saints. They say those saints are in a state of nirvana during Kumbh, so that’s going to be the biggest pull,” she says.