views on my photos 18 June 2014 50,551
The Japanese Disciple Of The Naga Guru
We live in India but are restricted to our own religiosity , our own blinkered ideology,and the Kumbh is not just a Hindu event , it is a universal appeal of cleaning the mind the soul through purification in the Ganges , as in the case at Allahabad.
Behind the camera the world is not just Hindu Muslim Christian or Buddhist , it is a complex chimera waiting to unfold , and this is why I shot the Maha Kumbh , through the eyes of a curious world.
Without ignorance but with the camera deciphering every expressive nuance that touches people who come here to seek peace Nirvana and Moksh.
The Kumbh a world away from chaos , yet there is chaos even from themoment you step out of the train hire a rickshah to take you to Sector 4 the heart soul of the Nagas.
The unintelligent cacophony of the crowds , the hurry a march against time , and if you watch the processions of the various Askhadas led by the Naga Sadhus of Sant Avdesh Anandji..you are caught in a time wrap..
My desire was to shoot the Mauni Amavasya but I could not get tickets , I was financially unprepared , I had no friends in Allahabad , but than an invite by my Naga Guru Shree Vijjay Giri Triveni Juna Akhada gave me hope , I was carrying just about Rs 4000, shalwls , coverlets to distribute among the poor , what money remained I handed it over to my Guru for his kindness hospitality ,,
I returned to Mumbai without money but happiness and the pictures I had shot , there are some pictures marked private such as the Hijras taking a dip in the Ganges , and pictures of a person I met who later died tragically , in Mumbai , she touched a lot of people a lot of souls though she was going through her own pain turmoil.. out of respect to her Memory I have kept her soul alive privately.. hope to meet her parents one day and hand over the pictures to them.. this was the saddest part of my Maha Kumbh..
I never got over it.. I met Chandrasawamiji, Shri Chetan Vaidyaji, the Sabapatis , and Shree Avdesh Anandji ..and other Gurus of the highest Naga hierarchy and Imet the greatest Guru of Photography Mr Raghu Rai..
Kalashasya mukhe vishnu kanthe rudra samaashritah
Muletvasya sthito brahmaa madhye maatriganaah smritaah
Kukshau tu saagaraah sarve sapta dvipaa vasundharaa
Hrigvedo yajurvedo saamavedohrytharvanah
Angaishca saritaah sarve kalasham tu samaashritaah
The above Sanskrit shlokas tell us that the trinity of gods – Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Sustainer and Shiva the Destroyer– in addition to all the Goddesses, Mother Earth with Her seven islands, and all knowledge in the form of the Rigveda, Yajur-Veda, Sama-Veda and Atharva-Veda exist in Kumbha. Thus, Kumbha is the symbol of all that is, and all that exists. The Kumbha Mela is a celebration, a festival of the glory of Kumbha. It is a celebration of all knowledge and all life.
Kumbha Mela stands for the source of divine beauty and knowledge. Since time immemorial, the Indian and Hindu cultures have been concerned about the welfare of the entire planet. Even in the mythology, the Kumbha Mela meant distribution – not hoarding – of the nectar.
