The Sangam Sutra

WE’RE TOLD THAT an astonishing 60 crore visited the Maha Kumbh to celebrate the benefaction of a once-in-144-years celestial alignment and the redemptive confluence (Sangam) of rivers. Even by the most modest of measures, it is safe to say that the record for spiritual migration anywhere on Earth has been shattered many times over at the Maha Kumbh.

Even a tragic stampede failed to dampen the ardour of the attendees. If anything, the numbers shot up on the next auspicious snan day. Not once did the monster traffic jams or visuals of dangerously over-packed trains serve as a deterrent. Even when the Opposition and several others cautioned pilgrims against attending on account of the alleged mismanagement by the Uttar Pradesh administration, the devotees kept on coming.

Those who consider themselves experts in these matters are surprised. They say that the Kumbh Mela has never been the ultimate destination. Only those moved by a deeply felt spiritualism would undertake the journey.

There may be some truth to this. If one were to dig up Kumbh Mela attendance records of the past, the numbers would be way smaller. An indication that perhaps seeking out the Kumbh Mela, even the Maha Kumbh Mela, was not an obligatory rite of passage on the road to a pilgrim’s spiritual progress.

So, what explains this unprecedented rise in self-actualised spiritual perambulation?

Secular fundamentalists will tell you that the record-breaking attendance is a portentous sign that a pluralistic faith is acquiring a “codified, performative and mandatory” character. But those that have advanced this Sangam sutra to explain the record attendance at the Maha Kumbh are being unfair, to put it mildly.

The Maha Kumbh is no Hajj. The latter is only open exclusively to Muslims. Unlike the guardians of the Kaaba in Mecca, no authority guards the gateways to the Sangam ghats demanding proof of a visitor’s Hinduness. Again, unlike the Hajj, it is not obligatory upon Hindus to attend the Kumbh.

Moreover, Prayagraj is not Mecca, where, as per religious injunction, no non-Hindu can enter. Neither does the mela purport to be “the season” as in the Christian West.

The presence of so many sects of Hindus, of Christians, of Sikhs, and even curious Muslims (by some accounts) is a testament to the fact that Hinduism is the pre-eminent all welcoming, big-tent faith founded on the credo Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.

Hinduism never had and still doesn’t have a Vatican. Neither is there one pivotal deity. This inherent pluralism means that the same people who enthusiastically embraced the Kumbh will also head off in different directions seeking blessings, purification, enlightenment, atonement, nirvana or moksha elsewhere. Indeed, even when the Maha Kumbh was witnessing record-breaking footfalls, thousands of Hindus were also offering oblations in Shirdi, Mehandipur, Tirupati and Ayodhya. Check the numbers.

Frankly, at a time when competitive identity politics is all the rage, Hinduism could well do with its adherents exhibiting a sense of greater ownership. Hinduism is competing in the marketplace with well-organised proselytising religions keen on grabbing a lion’s share of the followers’ pie. With no organising credo, no core tenets, Hinduism’s tolerance makes it ill-equipped to fight off legions of missionaries awash with funds and the promised safety net inherent to Semitic faiths.

There’s also the spectre of vote-bank politicians appeasing minorities who turn a blind eye to conversion mafias. Some of these politicians, a majority from the Hindu fold, also justify conversions on the grounds of Hinduism’s resident evil, caste prejudice.

Thus, if the Maha Kumbh is succeeding in evoking a certain sense of oneness, it might not be a bad thing. It gives Hinduism and its inherent pluralism a fighting chance of staying in the race.

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