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A water rejuvenation lesson from the Maha Kumbh
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Context
Prayagraj hosted over 60 crore pilgrims during the 2025 Maha Kumbh, showcasing a massive river-society relationship; the event raises questions on leveraging this cultural-spiritual connection for long-term river rejuvenation.
Cultural-Religious Significance and Spatial Dynamics
- Ephemeral Riverine Urbanism: Maha Kumbh creates a temporary city over 40 sq. km along the Ganga-Yamuna confluence, termed an “ephemeral mega-city” by Harvard for its rapid creation and dismantling.
- Spiritual Mobilisation: Over 60 crore pilgrims participated, reflecting deep-rooted faith or aastha, which forms the core of the river-society connection in India.
- Cultural Ecosystem: The event is shaped by a complex network of religious leaders, akharas, spiritual institutions, and the state, reflecting a fusion of faith, economy, and governance.
Ecological Stress and Institutional Response
- Environmental Impact: CPCB data shows high levels of faecal coliform during snan days; rituals and mass presence cause temporary ecological stress.
- Mitigation Measures: Controlled river flows, civil society campaigns, and monitoring initiatives are used to minimise ecological degradation during the event.
- Structural Challenges: Lack of sub-national institutionalisation and persistent non-point pollution sources hinder sustainable impact under Namami Gange.
Reimagining Aastha as Ecological Instrument
- Behavioural Change for Conservation: Changing everyday interactions with the river is essential for curbing non-point pollution and sustaining clean river initiatives.
- Spiritual Ecology as Leverage: Indigenous and religious practices carry ecological ethics; campaigns like whale shark conservation in Saurashtra exemplify success via spiritual mobilisation.
- Cultural Networks as Agents:Priests, pandas, spiritual leaders, and religious institutions must be engaged to reinterpret rituals to support ecological outcomes.
Practice Question
“India’s cultural and spiritual practices, if reimagined through an ecological lens, can play a pivotal role in river rejuvenation.” Discuss with reference to the Maha Kumbh and the Namami Gange programme.
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