Deepak K Upreti
Ujjain:
A ‘Baba’ meditated in a standing
‘Mudra’ with both legs wrapped around each other under a massive tree across
the river Kshipra as a stream of
visitors continued to take their holy dips with `a myriad wish list during the
month-long ‘Simhastha Kumbh’- an undefined and unrestricted religious and
spiritual experience. It was the Baba’s way of
interfacing with the Kumbh .
For the pilgrims, it was
a believe that the sacred water would
wash away their `sins`, ‘sorrows’ ,attain them peace or perhaps ‘Mokhsa’ or
`Nirvana’ -- in the slow moving
oxygenated water simmering bright in the
reflected coloured lights. The extravaganza formally came to a close on May 21,2016.
It is a leap of faith for pilgrims who believe that the sacred water
would wash away their `sins`, ‘sorrows’ ,attain them peace or perhaps ‘Mokhsa’
or `Nirvana’ --in the slow moving oxygenated water simmering in
the reflected coloured lights.
The ‘Ghats’ , buildings and structures on the two
sides of Kshipra which may have experienced foot-falls of thousands of
generations, emerge as witness to the centuries elapsed behind , ensuring in their
silence to be there in times ahead.
Fitting `the scheme of eternity` for
Ujjain, the ancient city, celebrating the ‘Simhastha’ that coincides with
Jupiter’s ascend into the Sun sign Leo’s quarter - is the seat of divine ‘Mahakal- the Lord of all times-
residing in Ram Ghat, ever overlooking Ujjain from the other side of the
river.
While one takes a leisurely walk and passes
through the sleeping Baba, his face barely noticeable in the dim street light,
another smiling ‘Sadhu’ , a naked one, breezes past on a motorbike with a pillion rider on the bridge over Kshipra
river. All the while an incognito mix of
rich and poor , the technocrats, businessmen, bureaucrats,
engineers, doctors ,journalists and actors, take their turn to hold their nose and take a
quick or a long dip in the Kshipra waters with
many an expressions betraying `an instant connect and attainment of purpose-may
be `the peace of mind’.
The barricaded Ujjain Kumbh city is dealing with lakhs of devotees who
want to have their date with the once in
12 years event as hordes of police force at different cross-sections and
diversions managing the face-less devotees marching on foot to the river bank and the temples
dotting around it. Night breaks into
another day and a scorching Sun dominates the sky as a group of saffron-clad dwarfs holding
each-others hand move in the market streets singing ‘Bhajans’ and begging alms. (Their songs telling some story and reminds one of Kalidas, the
famed Sanskrit play write of Ujjain, who
penned the love story of King Dushyanta and Shakuntala.)
The city of legendary Vikramaditya , one of
the mightiest kings of ancient India who established `Vikram Samvat’ – the
lunar calendar based on Hindu Samvat- is also experiencing `modern kings and
king makers` – the VVIPS stepping out of their cars and soaking in the
everlasting religious and spiritual spirit
of the Kumbh.
Sirens of the VVIP motorcade only add to
the undefined diversity that is
represented in ‘Simhastha Kumbh’ as political heavyweights of all hues Pow Vow
with the heads of 13 Akharas (wrestling arenas), saints of a range of Hindu
sects and other religious or spiritual heads.
There seem to be no full-stops in the Kumbh
complexity. There are rock star looking
Sadhus with stylish long well-tied ash-golden tresses (giving impression being
streaked) playing with the river water , another set meditating in their camps and yet another bunch of
‘Gurujis’ updating their websites with
details of how many VIPs they met during
the day- provide ‘Kumbh’ its ancient and modern dimensions and generate
international traction.
If their is a ‘Baba’ all aloof in the
milling crowd sleeping in standing yogic mudra, there are other ‘Sadhus’ happy
with taking selfies with `important figures.`
For the overtly devote and religious
multitude it is a complete surrender to the ‘Kumbh’ ambience and its
magnitude. The march of common men, women, senior citizens and children in the vast Kumbh Mela area was without and trappings or
comforts. The blazing Sun in Ujjain is not stopping people from visiting different Kumbh
pavilions, Akharas, shops, exhibitions and book stalls – many by ‘Gita
Publication’- and entertainment centres.
As one chases a programme of a political
leader , a boisterous procession of ‘Kinnars’ (transgender) passes by with some
holding swords. This is for the first time transgender have participated in any
Kumbh in an organised manner.
There is no ‘NO’ to nothing in the Hindu traditions. In the
Kala Bhairava Temple in Ujjain, the main offering to the presiding deity is not
the usual coconuts or flowers, but bottles of liquor, says a priest
nonchalantly and moves on with his daily chores. At the same time ,there is a
‘Baba’ busy in a political meetings while his
big-beautiful German shepherd is
at peace with himself in a milling crowd of political workers close to `Balmiki
Ghat.`
Unified with the traditions and beliefs of
the Indian culture as enshrined in
‘Sanatan Dharm’ (eternal religion), the
spontaneous gathering of religious , non-religious, theists or atheists,
glamours or otheweise, logic or
illogic ‘Prakritik’ (natural) or ‘Aprakit’ (unnatural)- all seem
to have merged to be `One` in the unstructured and unlimited entity -the
‘Simhastha fair’. eom
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