Maha Kumbh Mela: The good, the bad and the ugly

Caught in probably the biggest traffic jam (15–20 km) in the world... Prayagraj is completely gridlocked. Moved 5 km in five hours, by this time I should have been in Lucknow. Atrocious traffic management, had to cancel my flight ticket and book another ticket at double the fare,” fumed a pilgrim returning from the Kumbh. A few took a swipe at the VIP culture—leave the President and red-light VIPs out of this, there’s always a green corridor for them; let’s compare it with the green corridor for paying VIPs as opposed to state VIPs—while thousands were stuck on highways for 24 to 48 hours.

Terms like ‘road arrest’ and ‘house arrest’ became the rage. People in Prayagraj said they were under house arrest as it was impossible for them to go out. Commuting hassles in the city led to the administration shutting down physical classes in schools. Teachers, however, were sternly told to reach school on time and hold online classes. Lawyers pleaded with judges in the Allahabad High Court to refrain from passing adverse and ex-parte orders if they failed to reach the courts. Most parking lots in Prayagraj, free or not, were 8 to 18 kilometres from the riverbank. While VIPs could drive straight to the river through exclusive corridors, well-heeled pilgrims shelled out anywhere between Rs 1,000–5,000 per passenger to take auto rickshaws and bikes. Others walked. Amidst all the chaos, a video by two Yogi bhakts stood out. The duo appeared to be talking to two well-dressed pilgrims in a vast and relatively deserting parking lot. Isn’t this cleaner than a fivestar hotel, exclaimed one of them. Could the arrangements have been any better, the other asked.

No of course not, the respondents gushed. Meanwhile, families stuck in endless traffic jams—with bumper-to-bumper traffic making it impossible to turn back— desperately looked for decent and functional toilets for the women. Those who were not well-stocked with food and drinking water went without both.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav sent out an appeal, “Emergency arrangements should be made immediately for the crores of devotees stranded in Prayagraj Maha Kumbh. The hungry, thirsty, distressed and tired pilgrims in the traffic jam everywhere should be treated humanely.” Referring to a video showing policemen in bordering Madhya Pradesh’s Maihar asking pilgrims to go back as it was impossible to move towards Prayagraj due to a “traffic jam of 200–300 km”, Akhilesh said, such is the state of the two states with BJP governments—one says come to Maha Kumbh, the other says don’t.

On the day of the presidential visit, journalist Abhinav Pandey requested Droupadi Murmu to put off her visit: ‘The entire city now resembles a prison with people locked indoors, milk and essential supplies not reaching, diesel tankers struggling to reach the city… Excellency, people of the district are crying for help. Request you to postpone your visit for now… Prayagraj will be grateful to you.’ It was too late. The President, accompanied by UP governor Anandiben Patel and chief minister Yogi Adityanath, arrived. If their motorcade posed any inconvenience, it is yet to be reported. In a Facebook post, Brijendra Dubey wrote: ‘All entry points to Prayagraj city and [the] Kumbh Mela area have been closed. Lakhs of devotees have been stopped wherever they are. Even after walking 20 kilometres, entry is not guaranteed… No one has any information about which roads are open, which ones are closed and for how long.’

He pointed out that family members of state government officials—often travelling in official vehicles with hooters and beacon lights—were being allowed to go in but not others. He wrote, ‘The elderly, women and children are the most miserable… there is no arrangement even for drinking water... the most hellish situation is near the Nagvasuki temple…’ Announcements, he noted, were being made asking pilgrims to have their ritual bath at the first ghat they come across and then go back as fast as possible. After having spent so much time, effort and money to reach Prayagraj, most were naturally reluctant to leave without taking their dip at the Sangam.

Pilgrims spoke on camera about being charged Rs 5,000 for a boat ride to the Sangam area, instead of the government-approved rate of Rs 150 per person, while others spoke of giving up on hearing these exorbitant rates after waiting for hours to take the boat. Signage was no longer visible and announcements ceased for long spells for no apparent reason. People in wet clothes and underwear could be seen rushing from one lost-and-found booth to another in frantic search of their missing relatives. A lady visiting from Kolkata claimed she and her family members were stranded at a parking lot for 16 hours, waiting for a bus.

“We have an 80-year-old with us… you expect him to walk for 20 kilometre? Please do not invite people to the Kumbh if you cannot make arrangements!” But that’s only defamation, said Yogi Adityanath, on 11 February. Political rivals out to defame him and his government. Everybody is returning with good memories from the Kumbh!

For many devout, adversity on a pilgrimage is par for the course, but that can’t be an alibi for a government that was bragging about its excellent arrangements and has been in damage-control mode since the stampede on 29 January. It is legitimately being held to account, not just by its political rivals but also the faithful who expect better.

If staunch Yogi supporters insist pilgrimages are meant to be a trial of patience and strength, others like MP Dimple Yadav point out the truth: the mismanagement of the Kumbh is plain for all to see. Thousands of crores of public money were spent, but much of the money must have been siphoned off, she said, otherwise why would 20 crore pilgrims have to suffer so much when arrangements were apparently in place for 100 crore people? Ripple effects of the Kumbh could be seen in Varanasi and Ayodhya, where pilgrims flocked on their way to and from Prayagraj.

Traffic came to a standstill in both temple towns and schools were closed in Varanasi. Crowd management systems collapsed as a sea of humanity pushed ahead on the streets, barricades proving to be utterly inadequate. Trains were delayed, irate passengers vandalised compartments, forced their way into toilets and engines. With so much murkiness all around, one question has been bothering those who notice that the river water at the VIP ghats is visibly cleaner than anywhere else. Secret borewells at work? Such are the miracles wrought by the ones who run the show.