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First day of Kumbh Mela sees lower turnout than expected

Sharat Pradhan in Allahabad

Hours into Paus Poornima, the first day of the holy bath at the Kumbh Mela, only half the expected number of people have turned up for the millennium's first kumbh.

The Uttar Pradesh government and the organisers of the Kumbh Mela had expected nearly five million people on the first day but so far, it appears that not more than 2.5 million people have turned up.

Speaking to rediff.com, Arvind Mishra, additional director, information, Uttar Pradesh government, said, "The first day is not regarded as auspicious as Makar Sankrati (January 14) which is expected to draw nearly 15 million people. That's why I think not many people have turned up."

Even the barbers assembled at Nai Wada say the turnout is not as large as was expected. Laxmi Prasad, who is attending his third Kumbh Mela, corroborated this view to this correspondent.

Nai Wada is where children and widows assemble to get tonsured.

Commissioner of the mela, Sada Kant, said, "The crowds are well within manageable limits, and the bathing began at 1.20 am. The crowds will increase during the day."

The bathing stretch is six km in length. Muddy brown waters of the Ganga is mixing with the bluish green Yamuna, and the larger concentration of people is in that direction rather than the Ram Mandir model displayed at the mela.

The VHP president, Ashok Singhal and the Ayodhya movement's most vocal proponent, Ramchandra Paramhans, are present at the site, working the crowds as it were. Addressing the crowds, the Paramhans stated, "No power on earth can stop us from constructing the Ram temple. And even if the court verdict goes against the temple, we don't care because there has been a number of cases where the government has been forced to alter the court verdict."

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