‘When we finally immersed ourselves in the sacred waters, remembering Ganga Maa and Lord Mahadev, we felt a profound sense of accomplishment,’ says Satish V.
It was November and I had started seeing advertisements by the Uttar Pradesh government promoting the ‘once-in-a-144-years’ Maha Kumbh Mela.
Intrigued, my friend and I we decided to attend this sacred gathering and booked train tickets and accommodation for February 12 (Maghi Purnima) -- the auspicious day dedicated to worshipping Lord Vishnu and the Moon God.
Though our arrival at Prayagraj from Mumbai was delayed by six hours, our excitement level was high; we had finally reached the holy city.
We quickly realised, though, that we were among the thousands of people arriving at Prayagraj.
With no public transport available and e-rickshaws prohibited within one kilometre of the railway station, we were at the mercy of the local bikers. And they, of course, charged exorbitant rates.
Eventually, one of these bikers dropped us at our hotel.
We freshened up and had a light meal before heading to the Sangam Ghat -- which was around six kilometres away -- at 11.30 pm.
Again, we relied on the bikers for transportation but, after traveling for about two-and-a-half kilometres, we were stopped by the cops; apparently, the bikes could not be used commercially.
We had no choice but to walk. After 500 metres, we had only reached the parking lot; the Sangam area was still three kilometres away.
As we continued on foot, we passed various akhadas. Some resembled five-star luxury resorts with elaborate lighting, decorative ponds, red carpets and huge hoardings.
Various ministries and state government departments had set up their own camps.
Some social welfare trusts were distributing food and water to pilgrims.
While most common people like us walked toward the main Sangam Ghat, VIPs and celebrities were directed to the Arail Ghat, which had been designated as the VIP area.
The Arail Ghat is located at the Triveni Sangam.
About one kilometre from the main Sangam gate, the police had set up barricades to control the overcrowding, announcing that they wouldn't open the gate until the number of people reduced.
We were not sure what to do now so we consulted with the locals who suggested an alternative route that would require us to walk for another three kilometres.
Since we had already walked quite a bit, we decided to wait and pleaded with police to open the gates.
A brief confrontation ensued between the locals, pilgrims and the authorities before the police finally opened the barricades.
As we moved ahead, we became part of an endless sea of pilgrims walking toward the main Sangam gate, chanting Jai Shri Ram and Har Har Mahadev.
After reaching the Sangam gate, we still had to walk to reach Triveni Sangam where virtually all pilgrims sought to take a holy dip.
When we finally immersed ourselves in the sacred waters, remembering Ganga Maa and Lord Mahadev, we felt a profound sense of accomplishment; our effort to reach this convergence of the holy rivers had been successful.
The Maha Kumbh was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It had been, despite the logistical challenges, a splendid spiritual journey.
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