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, and our lives as Hindus and why 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 warm. 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 else. For some it was their fourth or fifth visit to a Maha Kumbha, but for most, it is a once in a lifetime journey.
Exhibitions –
Solo show – “Maha Kumbha Mela”, Visual Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre, Feb-Mar 2001, New Delhi
Group show – “145th Royal Photographic Society Exhibition”, R.P.S, UK 2002-2003 + “Exhibit A” – Mumbai – 2002
