I woke this morning to the news that a dozen, probably more, people have been killed at the Kumbh Mela. I wrote the Blog below a few weeks ago. I see no reason to change it although clearly the river pollution is not the only danger and it probably is more dangerous than the Notting Hill Carnival. And my final thought below is emphasised by this quote from one of the participants, determined to carry on, despite the disaster: ‘Faith is above everything else for me’. There’s no arguing with that.
As I write, the Kumbh Mela is getting under way. No less than 400 million Hindus are making their way from all parts of India to the River Ganges where they will immerse themselves in its waters in a ritual of soul and sin cleansing. Apparently, the astrological signs indicate that now is the time. One must hope that the invisible cleansing is efficacious because the Ganges is one of the most polluted major rivers of the world and heaven only knows what contagions can be contracted from its waters! To put this mass migration into context the Muslim Hajj to the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, involves about 2 million people a year. The Mela only occurs once every 12 years, so over that period, a mere 24 million Muslims make the pilgrimage – less than 1% of those involved in the Mela. On the other hand, 400 million is less than 3% of the 1.5 Billion souls that inhabit modern India. It is a logistical nightmare nonetheless. I have no idea what it must cost to house and feed so many in one place. Apparently, the tent city that has been erected is lit by 60,000 lightbulbs so just the electricity cost must be astronomical. Presumably, the costs are born by Government? Whatever, a number of thoughts occur to me.
The first is the reaction of a virtual tourist. What an amazing assault on the senses – the sight, sound, and smell must be overpowering. Hordes of gaudily dressed people of all ages and sexes, smeared with mud, rainbow coloured make-up, and with every possible arrangement of long, tangled hair have not been seen in the West since the Hippies at Haight Ashbury in the Sixties. This is about as alien to Western sensibilities as it gets. Very different from the home life of our own dear Archbishop of Canterbury, to misquote. But then, looking past the immediate response, one starts to wonder at the huge waste of all that human time and energy. I suppose it is all harmless; no one is threatened and the Notting Hill Carnival is probably a more dangerous gathering. Certainly, it contrasts starkly with the dour clothing and faces of those on Hajj. But India is a very poor country (despite its atomic weapons and space technology!). Would not all that energy and money be better spent in improving the daily life of ordinary Indians, rather than engaging in a spurious ritual to redeem imaginary souls and sins? And yet, then again, perhaps the psychological benefit of participating in such a joyous communal ritual is worth more than mere money. Perhaps our Western secularism has lost sight of what is needed to get through life. Maybe. But my final thought is that 400 million people is one hell of a lot, and it dwarfs the hopes of those of us who would persuade the world that religion should be consigned to the dustbin of history. There is a mountain to climb.