River Sutra

February 9, 2013

MR 'BEEN' : Narendra Modi may believe that India has moved on to 'mouse charmers' but at Juna Akhara, snake charmers still rule the roost. Foreign visitors fork out an easy $ 5 or so for these acts

River Sutra

February 9, 2013

PDA AT SANGAM: A couple liplocks before the evening aarti at Ramghat. According to official estimates, 10 lakh foreign tourists are expected to visit Sangam during Maha Kumbh

River Sutra

February 9, 2013

PICTURE PERFECT: Naga sadhus are, perhaps, the most photographed at the Maha Kumbh. Their naked, ash-covered bodies and dreadlocks intertwined with rudraksh make for alluring images of eastern mysticism. Unfortunately, their numbers are going down. According to reports, many of the nagas paraded by their akhara at the Maha Kumbh are fake and paid to play the part

River Sutra

February 9, 2013

MISSING LINKS: Bhoole Bhatke Shivir or the lost and found centre at Sangam gets close to 500 missing person reports in a day. People walk in with names of missing persons written on paper chits;the names are then read out on microphones connected to loudspeakers in 70, 000 tents. Here, Durga Devi is unable to hold back her tears as she reunites with her group after a six-hour wait at the centre

River Sutra

February 9, 2013

GROUND ZERO: (Above) The Maha Kumbh's tent colony is spread across 4, 784 acres of land and built at a cost of Rs 2, 000 crore. Most of the 100 million people expected to visit Allahabad over the 55-day Maha Kumbh will stay here. (Below) Pilgrims and sadhus bond with a police officer at the colony

River Sutra

February 9, 2013

River Sutra

February 9, 2013

FAITH MATTERS: Members of Harihar Aarti Samiti perform Ganga aarti on Ramghat. An 'aarti', it is said, helps the devout remember that God is the centre of life