THIS IS NOT SOMETHING YOU SEE EVERY DAY
Nor is it something you can prepare for. As a matter of fact, nothing can prepare you for this kind of spectacle.
As we huddled secretly beneath a bridge, thousands of Sadhus – Hindu Holy Men – congregated in ecstasy on the banks of the River Ganges. All waited for the signal, restless to rush in and cleanse their souls in the holy water of this mighty Indian River.
Many of the Sadhus are Naga Sanyasis. They wear no clothes, which they believe are unnecessary as the skin IS the cloth that covers the soul. If all of this sounds a bit bizarre to anyone not Indian, that’s because it is. If you think however that this is all just another small Indian peculiarity, Think again!
The Kumbh Mela is the most important Hindu pilgrimage and the largest religious gathering in the world. The one held at Haridwar, where I took this picture in 2010, was attended according to estimation (no official figures are ever available, it’s just plainly impossible), by over 100 million people.
That’s not a typo.
It is said a picture is worth a thousand words, yet no picture can ever convey the sheer electricity, the frenzy that engulfed the very few who were lucky enough (or very well connected) to view this.
As for us, we were shocked. Like a deer caught in the headlight of an oncoming vehicle. We didn’t know if we should take photos or leave the camera and look at the event with our own two eyes.
Stroke of luck
We didn’t believe we were actually seeing this. We didn’t believe we were really there.
That’s because we shouldn’t have been.
The very inner circle of the event is almost impossible to reach without a Press or some Super VIP badges. It’s just a numbers game. About 25-30 million people attended that day (nobody knows for sure) only a couple of thousands get to be in the innermost circle and see the ceremony.
We had a lot of luck, but not just luck. We got there also thanks to a mix of a typical Israeli “Chutzpah”, and a wonderful friend called Arik Braz. Arik is the most experienced traveler I have ever encountered. We met him two days before in Delhi and went with him, crossing checkpoints using speed and attitude, avoiding police and hiding in strategically placed enclaves until the action began.
I would like to dedicate this post to him.
Thanks Arik!