|
 Hello
readers. Apologies for the delay in
getting news stories posted from the mela. The servers (or to be more
accurate, the server – I am told there is only one serving Allahabad - was down. Patience is something India specialises in teaching us.
The Kumbh Mela is indeed a
very significant event. I usually try to steer away from superlatives,
but... well! This is different.
When I attended the 1989 Mela
I found myself here in Allahabad almost by accident. Circumstances in my
life during the six months preceding the 1989 mela had served to prepare me
mentally and physically for the event. I dived in as a participant without
understanding or knowing the deeper esoteric nature of the Kumbh mela. I
did not realize until after I had departed from the Mela, that there are
awesome forces at work beneath the surface of it. What is it that brings millions of people
together to a particular inhospitable geographical
location for a common purpose? The common purpose on the individual level
is to have one’s sins or karma washed away. In crude scientific
language, one could speculate that there is an intense force generated in
this (auspicious) time and space. On the collective level there could be
something else happening. The Sages and Mahatmas, who would usually remain
anonymous, understand this force. They are present at the Mela because
they have a role to play in managing it so that it can gradually unfold to
benefit Mankind. All of this happens in the mind, on the various planes of
consciousness. With the clay of consciousness we mould the vessel to house
the Spirit in. In 1989 I witnessed mass behaviour patterns, which did not
easily fit in with my scientific understanding. Clearly, something else is
at play here. The analogy which comes to mind is that of the
super-organism. It is a term coined by the ethologist Edward O. Wilson to
describe the collective mind of an ant colony.
I believe we are in the midst
of a paradigm shift. This shift is barely discernible to those who are
enmeshed in the reigning ethos of our culture. The Kumbha Mela has been
occurring here since before recorded history. It has always been an
awesome event with hundreds of thousands and now millions of people in
attendance. The estimated number of people expected to attend on 24th
January this year will constitute one half of one percent of the world’s
population and three percent of India’s population, all made to fit an
area of less than 50 sq kilometres. The presence of the Ganges makes the
human density even greater.
It is almost as if the mass of
human beings are here to act like some kind of giant step-down
transformer, helping to anchor to Earth immense energies and forces
which are being channeled during this event into the Human Kingdom.
Kumbha Mela could well be one of the most important historic mechanisms
put in place aeons ago for the evolution of global consciousness. Mass-televised sporting events broadcast in real-time to as many as two billion
people is one example of how specific elements of global consciousness are
being synchronised.
What role does the Kumbha Mela
play in the development and workings of the emerging globalisation of the
Mind? This is a different kind of question. These are the kind of
questions that need to be asked. There should be research programmes to
investigate these emerging Realities. Why does life seem to move so fast?
There are many possible non-standard answers to this and other riddles of
our time.
The Global Mind is growing
younger because the percentage of the world’s population under twenty is
higher than it has ever been. They are the flexible ones, with their young
minds they can juggle two balls at once. They are creating a future more
in their image. The force of their aspirations will overwhelm us all. GNP
will no longer be the dominant force in global power, but the power of
consciousness vested in people. Globalisation is indeed sweeping the
world, but we seem to be focusing on the ‘flash in the pan’ of global
capitalism. If one looks carefully, global capitalism is actually in deep
crisis. Examples of its triumphs which the business community never fail
to advertise are really the dying throes of a system whose time has come
and gone. Capitalism has bestowed many benefits and was a necessary stage
in our evolution towards gradual collective union. ‘Yes! Thank you
capitalism for making us global. Now you can step down because we are
beginning to awaken and you seem to be too much in the way.’ When are radical and transformational changes likely to come? Who knows, perhaps by
2015 or a generation from now. These ideas may be speculations, but they
are no less credible than many of the currently accepted theories which
are daily being swallowed whole by a public too exhausted to care.
A Brief Note About the
background of these Reports
At the conclusion of the 1989
Mela I resolved to attend the next big one in 2001. There is no substitute
for participation. I was going to arrive here at the Mela with the bare
minimum and stay with the vast majority of pilgrims on the banks and sand
banks of the Ganga. However, fate intervened in the form of Royce Carlson, the
erstwhile pillar behind zenzibar.com. He was aware of the importance of
the Kumbha Mela and like every good editor was trying to get it covered.
When he requested me to cover it, I declined at first, but my inner voice
overrode my reluctance. I was reluctant because it is not possible to be a
participant and an observer at the same time. You are either one or the
other. I accepted because I realised that it is a duty to transmit the
goings-on here to those who might be interested. In addition we now have
the technology to make the event as real as is possible for those who
cannot be here.
Coming here with a notebook
computer, mobile phone, digital camera and walkie- talkies does not fit my
personality at all. I do not do these kind of things. I prefer simplicity.
However, since I find myself with the technological equivalent of the
magician’s bag, it is worth doing well. The logistics involved have been
another kind of challenge. The need to constantly plug into electricity.
Looking for an appropriate Internet café. Hoping the telephone line will
be able to handle the data without going on the blink. Walking large
distances without knowing if I will be able to come back to where I have
kept the equipment. Fortunately, I have found a very loving family in one
of the alleyways of Allahabad near to the mela site. They are very poor
and have suffered a number of tragedies and setbacks in the past 18
months. They are plugged into the electricity grid and so this has become
my base. They look after me well. Last night I went to the Sangam at
1.30am and returned at 4.30am. I walked into the freezing waters and
walked back again. It was a full moon night, an experience to remember.
Tonight (10th January, it happens to be my 46th
birthday) I am planning to brave the freezing cold and spend the night at
the Triveni Sangam. The moon will be right overhead and the lunar eclipse
is due to occur between midnight and 3am. Must be my lucky day. The
temperature outside is expected to be zero Centigrade. Am I addicted to
suffering? Are all of us who are going to be out there in the freezing
cold, mad? Thank God for lunatics, they help make us less sane and add
spice to our world.
I am conscious that my reports
to you all will fail the quality control test. The mental, spatial and
temporal atmosphere here has its own logic. I have difficulty bringing
myself back to reality to type this stuff. I will of course accept TOTAL
responsibility if you feel the time you spend reading my reports could
have been utilised better elsewhere. Posting regular reports to Zenzibar is a
pleasure, but I also find it hard work.
I am ready to cover any aspect
of the mela which interests ZNN’s readers. I will be looking into the
logistics of this event. The water supply, sewage, food distribution,
traffic control, medical preparedness etc. If you find some of the
photographs interesting and wish to pursue any particular aspect which
comes across in the picture, please let me know at tony@zenzibar.com.
However, this being India’s Hindu belt, everything is in Hindi and my
Hindi is not quite up to scratch. Further, one official tells you one
thing and another tells you another. Still it is part of the magic of
India. Nothing is necessarily as it seems. If you prefer to speculate on
the meaning and purpose of the Kumbha Mela, please post your questions,
ideas, and views on the Zenzibar site. If you wish to hear more about this
from me or people at the mela, I will try to accommodate your wishes.
At your service,
Tony
Fernandes
tony@zenzibar.com |
