Where grandeur bumps into spirituality

AT the ground zero of Kumbh, Malwa's Baba Yashwant Swaraj - goggled, high, and trident-wielding - is having a ball.

- PARAMITA GHOSH

He says he is "wi-fi Insta famous", and pats the top of his trident on which he is convinced his guru, having shed his material form, sits as a flower. He gets a crowd but after a few minutes it moves on. At every bend in Kumbh, everyone is looking for a spectacle to match the hype.

Saurabh Basu, an advocate at the Allahabad High Court, says that for ages, there has been no business in Allahabad as profitable as the Kumbh. "It was so when it was a Mughal city; now when it's Prayagraj, it gives the riverine economy a boost."

For the 40 crore devotees expected to land in Prayagraj for the Kumbh, said to be the largest congregation anywhere in the world, the main target are the Shahi Snans, the first of which is on January 14 (Makar Sankranti). And there have been early movers, who have already made themselves home in the tent-city. While some seek spiritual enlightenment, others are drawn to the luxury and convenience offered by the Kumbh Mela. Somesh Tripathy, an advertising personnel from Noida, is here for the holy dip. So is Puspendra Singh from nearby Pratapgarh.