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Kumbh ki kahaani, kumbh ki zubaani
Updated On: 19 May, 2024 07:45 AM IST | Mumbai | Aastha Atray Banan
The author and photographer of a new coffee table book wants to tell people that the mela goes beyond the Naga sadhus, and why they must keep the sadhana alive
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Rakt Chandan Baba with a temporary tattoo of a glowing sun drawn on his upper body using red sandalwood. He travels across the country in his car-cum-chariot to promote the glory of Maa Kali
I always felt that people only perceive Kumbh as the mela to see naked sadhus. As an anthropologist, I wanted to tell them there is so much more,” says photographer Rajesh Satankar, and co-founder of Knotting Bells, who has come out with a photo-heavy coffee table book called Kumbh Haridwar. To tell the untold story, Satankar travelled to the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar in 2021, and took three years to write the book. He prides himself on the fact that his documentation of the sacred fair is “neutral and not religious. It’s about people”.
Devotees take a dip in the Ganga. “Before every Kumbh, a budget is allotted to it. Mega infrastructure projects are taken up, bridges are built and accommodation is constructed. They often just build a new city.”
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