Maha Kumbha Mela

“The Maha Kumbha Mela is different things to different people. It is also a bit of a paradox. To me it was an opportunity to get some perspective on life, my life as an Indian, having lived abroad for a fifth of it; our lives as Hindus and why the Hindus makes this pilgrimage.

It is a daunting prospect, the idea of photographing the Maha Kumbha. How does one put a face to 30 million people who take great trouble to make the pilgrimage? How does one convey the grandeur, the scale of the event; the calm and serene mood that blankets the whole area, while loud-speakers incessantly announce new arrivals at the lost and found tent?

There was sand being kicked up from the dry river bed as the crowds marched like an army of ants, took a dip, a moment to reflect, and then left. At night, smoke from cooking fires hung low as strangers huddled around them to stay warn. It truly was a “mela”. The Maha Kumbha is an amazing confluence of minds, of bodies, of water; where every 12 years, millions gather for their own reasons, which happen to be in direct concurrence with everyone elses. For some it was their fourth or fifth visit to a Kumbh, but for most, it is a once in a lifetime journey.”

Introduction to the exhibition “Maha Kumbha Mela” at the India Habitat Center, New Delhi

Solo show, Visual Arts Gallery, IHC, Lodhi Road, New Delhi. February 27- March 2, 2001.

The Maha Kumbha Mela was held at the confluence of the rivers Ganga and Yamuna on the outskirts of Allahabad from early January till mid February 2001.