Kumbha Mela
2001 Photo Gallery - Page 15 |
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Photos taken January 21, 2001. Not all pilgrims at the mela are Indian. A number of spiritual seekers from the West make the journey to the Kumbh Mela following their gurus, or looking for one. |
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Kamal Giri from Poland and Eran, also known as Kabir, who has come from Australia are both devotees of Pilot Baba who has his camp here. Kamal says that when she saw a picture of the Kumbh Mela back in Poland she knew she had to attend one. She met her guru, Pilot Baba, at the Haridwar Kumbh Mela 3 years ago. Kabir comes to India whenever he can afford it. They both had their snan just before this picture was taken and they feel very blessed to be here at this time. This picture was taken on a sandbank at the Triveni. |
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This is David
Manquist’s third trip to India. ‘The Kumbh Mela has so many
interesting things happening, I just love it.’ He says. He will stay
here until after 24th January and then go travelling elsewhere
in India for another month before returning to Malmo, Sweden. |
John C. Giarratano from Pittston PA.(left) describes himself simply as a ‘seeker of Truth’. He is looking for a Yogi who ‘glows in the dark’ but has so far found one whose camp is pollution free. He wants to meet Amma when he visits southern India. Nick Ashman from Seattle spent one year in India before. He is now back, this time carrying out independent research in Anthropology on Sadhu life for the University of Washington. |
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Doctor with
patients at one of the health clinics in sector 5. |
Indian journalists at a meeting to discuss police brutality against them the day before. They were attacked while holding a dharna (peaceful protest) to highlight the high handed way the police have been treating journalists since the Kumbh Mela began. A number of journalists are in hospital as a result of injuries received from police batons. The leader of this protest told me today that they are demanding the top police officer at the mela be transferred and two others, suspended. There will be no coverage of the administration of the mela until this demand is met. Foreign journalists have been requested to support this action. Channel 4 has regular profiles of Jeevesh Nandan, the mela’s chief administrator and Alok Sharma, the top police officer whose transfer has been requested. They face a dilemma, I wonder what they will do? In the meantime coverage of all religious events continues. |
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| There is generosity everywhere. This is yet another place serving free food to those pilgrims who prefer to have an early dinner – 5.30pm. No one here ever goes hungry or uncared for. Good deeds abound. What if the world could be like this? | |
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