This Mahakumbh comes every 12 years
One Ganga, one Yamuna and one lost Saraswati – these are not the names of rivers, they are the names of a memory, the names of a tradition in which India resides. Who knows for how many centuries the sun witnesses this tradition every 12 years – the water of the rivers originating from the womb of the Himalayas waters this tradition and from this unique confluence emerges a new man, a new society, a new country.
This is India in new style
These days this new country – this India – is in a new phase. The crowd of crores of people thronging the banks of Sangam every day is a part of this new India. Along with this faith, there is now the strength of public confidence – the belief that nothing untoward will happen in this huge scene – the assurance that his journey will be easy and safe, the joy that whatever is happening here will be visible on the world stage. But it is becoming a medium for the new identity of the new India. Whatever this new India is doing, it is doing it on such a grand and sublime level that the whole world is watching it.
Kumbh is not just a religious-spiritual event, but a recognition of India’s new potential.
This Kumbh is also an example of this. The arrangements made for this Kumbh can be called unique till now. People are coming from all over the country and the world and without any difficulty. Kumbh is not just a religious-spiritual event – like many other events, it is also a recognition of India’s new potential and intelligence. It is not without reason that huge business is being estimated to come out of this Maha Kumbh.
According to estimates,
- About 45 crore people are coming to the banks of Sangam in 45 days.
- Apart from all corners of the country, people from about 150 countries are also coming here.
- It is believed that the number of such foreign devotees will not be less than 15 lakh.
- The total turnover is expected to be around Rs 2 lakh crore.
- The UP government itself has kept a budget of Rs 7,000 crore for this.
- Elaborate arrangements have been made for the main seven routes reaching Prayagraj.
- Thirty barrel bridges have been built, which will make it easier to reach Sangam.
- Apart from this, 3000 trains have been run which will make 13,000 trips.
Kumbhanagari is ready to welcome all kinds of guests coming from all over the world for the next 45 days. These include sages and saints, poor common people and very rich people of the world – like Steve Jobs’s wife Lauren Jobs. Because of this, out of the business of Rs 2 lakh crore that is expected here, a major part will be from hotels, guest houses, transport, tour-travel packages, catering etc.
But the modern color associated with this spiritual fair is most remarkable. There is scope for every section of the society with more than 1.5 lakh tents installed in an area of 40,000 hectares. These tents, with daily rent ranging from Rs 1500 to Rs 35000, are equipped with modern facilities – they also have CCTV cameras, Wi-Fi, food and other arrangements.
Actually, there is a confluence of spirituality and modernity here. The government is calling it Digital Kumbh.
- 56 cyber warriors have been deployed for the security and arrangements of Mahakumbh.
- A cyber police station has also been created.
- 40 VMD- i.e. Variable Messaging Displays have been installed in the fair area which warn against cyber fraud.
- There is also a helpline number 1920 and various facilities are available on many government websites.
- 10 stalls have been set up at major places in the Kumbh Mela area where videos of major events related to Kumbh can be seen. These include Peshwai of Akharas, their bath, Ganga Aarti etc.
- Amidst all this, 2000 drones will together depict the story of Prayag Mahatma and Samudra Manthan in the sky.
- Lost and found center will run with the help of AI
- AI will also be helpful in security – they will also be involved in drone and anti-drone systems.
The special thing is that Mahakumbhnagar has been given the status of a new city and there are online arrangements for this too.
- Land or other facilities can be available through the website “Maha Kumbh Land and Facility Allotment”.
- Digital records of 10,000 institutions are being prepared, which includes many government institutions as well as social and religious organizations.
- There will also be a drone survey for accurate information about topography before and after monsoon.
Great coincidence of Mahakumbh after 144 years
This is the new Kumbh of new India – actually Maha Kumbh – because it has returned after 144 years. In this Mahakumbh, the greatness of India is visible, its grandeur, its alertness and its confidence also.
Not only Mahakumbh, other recent events also remind us that India has set out on a new journey of development. G-20 is also organized here and on such a large scale that the world is stunned. Its meetings keep going on from Delhi to Kashmir on different issues.
Here in Ayodhya, lamps are lit in such numbers that it becomes a world record. This India is now also planning to stake claim for the Olympic Games.
Kumbh is the mirror of this new India
Again it has to be reiterated that Kumbh is the mirror of this new India. It has come from the distant past to the present and is promising a strong and bright future – of an India that is known as much for its economic progress as for its spiritual consciousness and equally for its For social values. Watch the Kumbh from close or from a distance, with open eyes or with a digital eye, you will see a shimmering India… and you will see crores of common people of India – who are very special and who knows from where and by what threads they are connected together. Have reached the shores – with the promise and expectation of meeting again after 12 years.
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