Vivekaananda started his speech in the Parliament of Religions at Chicago in 1893 with ‘Sisters and Brothers of America’. He talked about ‘ universal tolerance and universal acceptance’. ‘As the different streams having their sources in different paths … various though they appear … all lead to Thee.’ ‘Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him’. ‘Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. … Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now.’
Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj. At Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati sangam. Once in 144 years, they say. Some 400 million, including more than a million foreigners, may participate. Rs.2 lakh Crore may be the revenue. 4000 hectares space, largest temporary city, for the event. 150,000 tents; 145,000 rest rooms; 3,000 kitchens; 99 parking lots; 40,000 police officers; many surveillance cameras. Rs.7000 Crore is the investment. This time – 13 Jan – 26 Feb. Full-moon (13 Jan), Makara Sankranti (14 Jan), Mauni Amavasya (29 Jan), Vasant Panchami (3 Feb), Maagha Purnima (12 Feb), Mahasivaratri (26 Feb) are the peak bathing days. Not clear – 2013 is Maha Kumbh or this 2025. Anyways. A tradition, a practice, a faith. Maybe hope too. A reinterpretation of ancient Magha Mela, or Makar Mela – bathing festivals. Adi Shankara might have started, reinforced it. Some say it is just a tradition with less than 200 years. A celebration of sorts – commerce, fairs, discourses, discussions, debates, campaigns, gatherings, entertainment. For monks, for people at large.
Kumbh is held every 12 years. Pushkaras for rivers every 12 years for prominent rivers in India. Mahamaham at Kumbakonam is every 12 years. Purn Kumbh Melas happen at Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain every 12 years. Then Ardh Kumbh Melas between the Kumbh Melas. Nowadays, Ardh is dropped. Purn is replaced with Maha. Maha then becomes Mahan Maha. The attendance in the event is increasing with each successive event. Kurukshetra, Sonipat are also organizing Kumbh. Maybe, we should spend some time in the Kumbh.
We work: hands and brains. How do we get our brains to work – putting ourselves fully there? Saying, writing, thinking, researching, analysing, and synthesizing. Do hours, holy days, holidays, offs, and calls matter? Involvement, engagement, connection, and communication matter.
We have Jean Paul Sartre for the age of screens. Now Byung Chal Han for the digital age. In the Swarm; The Transparent Society; Saving Beauty; The Agony of Eros; The Burnout Society; Non-things; The Crisis of Narration. Between a manifesto and essay. Less than 100 page notes. Pdf files. Spread by word-of-mouth. No promotion. No interviews, no long travels, no/limited social media visibility.
We place our trust in knowledge, knowing fully well that it is grossly incomplete. Science evolves through tackling this incompleteness bit-by-bit. If the results of experiments, pilots take a long time to conclude something meaningfully, we may go with the default, in the interim. Is not knowledge a journey of unknown to unknown, or known to known? We need to decide with knowing ‘parts’. People who ‘know’ are hesitant; and the less knowledgeable are confident, decisive. How do we act? Can we have notes, pictures, videos, models, processes, teams, platforms, plans, tracking, dashboards, conversations, dialogues on N? Can we add, refine, amplify, nurture them? Can we?
Yes, we can. If we coexist, keep flowing. ‘K’ in sync with faith, hope. In N? Amrtakumbhayoga for 7L.
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