I was undecided about going to Mahakumbh 2025, more so after the stampede on 29 January. I am a firm believer in God, so I desperately wanted to take a dip in the sacred waters of the Ganga. Also, as a rational person, I was curious to know about how Prayagraj, a B-class city with a population of 16-17 lakhs could accommodate 2 to 3 crore people every day. I wanted to feel the atmosphere, the divinity of the Mahakumbh, and see the fabled mela and akharas. So, against the advice of friends, I booked a ticket to Prayagraj.

Going to the Kumbh mela is a once in a lifetime experience. With the sole aim of reaching the Sangam, crores of devotees walk many kilometres, noiselessly, engrossed in themselves – oblivious to the entire world. The danger of getting lost in the Kumbh, the staple of Bollywood movies is very real (but all lost people were reunited this time); you could see entire families holding on to a shawl or dupatta. Sometimes, you could see 40-50 people inside a rope enclosure, guarded by 3-4 sturdy young men – all carrying their belongings on their heads. They would keep on walking for miles without break. Everyone will stop together, and have the simple homemade food they carry, rest for a while, and then resume walking. Watching the sea of humanity around us, we reached the Kumbh Mela; with lakhs of people on the road our progress was quite slow.

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After reaching our tents, we went out to have a look at the Mela. Keeping the comfort of devotees in mind, the Prayagraj Administration had thoughtfully covered the sand road with iron sheets. There were crowds everywhere, but there was no pushing, shoving, shouting or fighting. Though the Mela had been going on for a month, there was no filth. The cleaning staff was doing a good job; there were hundreds of toilets near the road, but no bad smells assailed us. On our first day, we had a bath at Arail Ghat.

The crowd at the Ghat was very orderly. After pooja, people were immersing themselves in the clear waters of the holy river. I offered a chunri, performed pooja and dived into the Ganga. The experience was surreal, I could have stayed there forever. On the second day, just as the sun was rising, we reached the Ghat, to catch a boat to the Sangam. We did not take a speed boat, but preferred a row boat, which travelled slowly, allowing us to enjoy the ride. A veritable Monet painting, unfolded before our eyes. The river bank was crowded with people in colourful clothes; the backdrop of the red sun, made the white seagulls look like pearls, spread on the clear river water.

The scene was so beautiful that I was not satisfied even after clicking dozens of photos. Moving slowly, we reached the Sangam, which was crowded with boats. The enormously crowded bathing place was a shallow stretch of the river, which we decided to avoid. We did our ablutions in the middle of the Sangam, sprinkling the Sangam water on ourselves, washing our bodies, doing achman in the deep end, and collecting Sangam water in cans for our homes. In the evening, we set out to explore nearby places. Someone told us that the Shivalaya park, hardly a kilometre away, had replicas of all Jyotirlingas, made from metal scrap. We started on foot, to get a feel of the mela.

Guided by Google Maps, we pressed forward, but felt doubtful if we were on the right track. Out of nowhere, a girl materialised in front of us, and offered to take us to our destination. She told us that she was a student, working as a volunteer at the Mela. She had to work for 12 to 16 hours every day, though she was paid only for eight hours. That day also she had been on her feet for 14 hours, her whole body was hurting badly. Still, she insisted on taking us to our destination. I don’t know who she was, or from where she had come, but she was an angel for us. Many other people had a similar experience, help would materialise, when people most needed it.

Probably, helping people was the norm in the Maha Kumbh, which could have been due to the training given to everyone working in the Mela. The way policemen behaved was truly exemplary. During my entire stay, I never saw a policeman shouting, using his baton, or even behaving badly with the public. Rather, police were helping people everywhere. I witnessed a road accident, in which the driver and his two passengers fell on the road. Within seconds two policemen were on the scene, checking the injured and taking them, and their vehicle, to the footpath. I saw the similar helpfulness at the Mela and the railway station, where policemen were actively helping passengers, and preventing people from crowding the station. The entire atmosphere was so full of devotion, which one could easily feel, but could not describe.

The divinity was to be expected, given the crores of devotees and the large number of sadhus, tapasvis and naga babas attending the Mahakumbh. Hundreds of langars were serving free food to devotees, no one could have gone hungry in the Maha Kumbh. I doubt if I have seen such philanthropy anywhere. Normal activities in Prayagraj had come to a halt because of the Kumbh. Most schools were almost closed, and there were traffic jams everywhere. Still, no one seemed angry or upset, and residents actively helped devotees – sometimes even offering free food and accommodation. The vision of the men at the top, the officers involved in planning and execution at the Maha Kumbh, who motivated people down the line, deserves everyone’s unstinted praise.

And, hats off to the persons doing the actual work – policemen, boatmen, sanitary staff, caterers and the like. It was not easy to set up a riverside city with all amenities, for crores of people. A number of reels and videos showing traffic jams and inadequacies in arrangements are doing the rounds, but if you want five-star comforts, should you not stay at home? I would say that to experience the divinity of the Mahakumbh, one needs devotion, patience and politeness in good measure. I, too, had a number of misgivings before I went for the Maha Kumbh. But today, I feel that I would have been deprived of a sublime experience, had I not gone there. (The writer is a freelance contributor.)