Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25179
MAHA KUMBHA MELA had some sort of weapon. I have actually seen in some of these processions a couple of people carrying shotguns. From there, it went on to take responsibiliry for sanitary grades and those sorts of things. blue: Are there any critics of the Kumbha Meta? Shyamdas: What's there to criticize? Jack: You do hear people say, although not a lot of people, that it is a bad thing. The government ofIndia, and the government of the states where the festival's held, spend millions of dollars to provide facilities. And some people say this is a waste of money. In recent Kumbhas, there have been stampedes and drownings in which significant numbers of people have died; no surprise really that when you line up millions of peo- ple there's going to be accidents. Shyamdas: Critics could say there was too much spraying of DDT [a synthetic insec- ticide that is highly toxic toward a wide variety of insects]. blue: Why are they spraying DDT? Shyamdas: They're trying to kill flies, mosquitoes. The spray blows allover the place and gets in your eyes. Millions of people got sick at the Kumbha Mela- a1most every person I met there developed some sort of lung infection. Jason: Actually the Mela presents a great epidemiological threat, with all these people coming from obscure pares of India and gathering together jumping into the river together and bathing. Jim: Some studies of water quality after the bathing have been done that found it dete- riorates significantly-although temporarily. In the 19th century, some very large epi- demics of cholera broke out at the Mela and got transported via rail to almost every corner ofIndia. These prompted very strict sanitation measures and government con- trol, which now we see in the spraying. Jack: I don't think that the Kumbha has been a locus for the spread of an epidemic disease in recent decades; the Kumbhas I've been at, people were not complaining they were sick. Exposure to DDT is illegal in the USA, but it's not illegal in India. The pub- lic health people think malaria and cholera and other things are a bigger threat than DDT exposure, but it's not the case that everybody gets sick. This is first time I've ever heard that. blue: What is in the future of the Maba Kumbha Mela? Shyamdas: Bigger and better Kumbha Melas. Maybe they'll figure out a way to use less DDT. Maybe there will be less disease. There's simply no way to stop the Kumbha unless some other government came in that was totally anti-Hindu and tried to crush religion. One thing about India is that although it's been ruled by foreigners for some 1,700 years, they've never ruled at grassroots level. It's not like with Buddhism where religion was largely a monastic practice and you wipe out a couple of monasteries and you've killed it. In India, religion is in every single home and the Kumbha Mela is largely attended by householders. So it's just going to continue to get bigger. Dharma is not going to die in India anytime soon. Jim: I would concur with that. It doesn't seem likely to get any smaller certainly. Jack: It's not inconceivable to think that a major disaster or a major outbreak of dis- ease might cause the numbers to drop. The government could decide that it cannot handle the organization anymore, and it tries to suppress numbers. At some point, the logistics are going to become so horrendous that numbers will decline because people will say, "I just can't do it anymore." Jason: I foresee the Western world increasingly embracing the furure Kumbha Melas internationally. blue: Would you encourage travelers to go to the next Kumbha Mela? Shyamdas: I would encourage people who have interest in any limb of yoga to visit the Kumbha Mela, or any person who has a curiosity to understand the pulse ofIndia. Those people should go to the Kumbha. Jim: It's really an experience like nothing I've ever seen and for anybody with any sort of spiritual curiosity this is also an interesting place to be because there's so many teach- ers and so many ideas that are available in the same place. Srinivas: I think it makes sense to read about it a little bit before you go, to have an idea about what it's about. Because I've seen people go to Benares [one of the holiest cities on the Ganges River] and decide to have a beer on the Ganges-without know- ing the significance of Benares, without knowing what's acceptable and what's not. Jack: I would recommend that people go, but if you're not very interested in India and Indian religion, and are not willing to put up with a lot of travel hassles, then you're going to hate it. If you are interested, it's a fascinating place to be and people are gen- erally having fun. Jason: It's an absolutely mind-blowing experience and if you can stand a total lack of personal space and germs and all those difficult things, then you should go. It's a once- in-a-lifetime experience for most people. I definitely, and most people I know who went this year are planning on returning in 2013. blue: Is that the next Kumbha Mela? Jason: The next one is in Ujjain in 2004 and is expected to attract upwards of ten mil- lion. The 2013 Kumbha Mela should be a doozy. And remember: the dates will be slightly different due to celestial calculations, so consult your local Hindu astrologer for details. · ................•.•.••• ~ • • • • • • • • • • , · . .. . · · . ............. :::::::;I·r :.:.:.: t·.·.·.· ....... t·.·.·.· ...... .... 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