Ganga Sagar Mela 2017- through lens of media this year

I read with interest the media coverage and Government reports/ads about the Ganga Sagar mela this year.  Considering how scanty the available information and body of first-hand travel anecdote is about this mega event, I felt this might be useful for future travelers.  The 125 km journey from Kolkata, quite unbelievably, can take up to 12 hours including holdup time at various stages.  It is also one of the more inaccessible venues among important pilgrimages.  This year, it was sort of record attendance at the one-day event at the spot where the Ganga flows into the sea.  Estimated 1.5 million pilgrims visited to take the holy bath and offer prayers at the Kapil Muni temple.  The absence of Kumbh Mela this year swelled the crowd count, and demonetization clearly did not have any effect.  Sadly, 6 people are being reported killed in stampede today (Jan 15) at the Kachuberia Jetty No. 5 and several more injured.  I have observed that chances of stampede is higher at the return journey, since the return crowd builds up in thousands every 15 minutes at the ferry ghat; patience runs thin after the arduous journey to the place; queue runs in to several hours due to lack of adequate ferry service, and the fear of getting stuck for even longer hours during low tide when ferries do not ply (don't ask why, after Rs. 100 million is spent on desilting the ferry route just for this event).

Here is a presentation of how the event looked this year, through the prism of vernacular newspapers.  The national dailies normally do not pay attention to such "unsecular" events.  However, the stampede this year made it "newsworthy", quite tragically.



Transgender and Woman Saint Communes in Sinhastha Kumbh Mela- 2016

I reached Ujjain on a hot sultry evening of April, two days ahead of the opening day and first Shahi Snan of Simhastha Kumbh Mela 2016.  Next day, one important thing in my to-do list was to see the pre-Kumbh processions, called Peshwai.  The leading Akharas (commune of saint groups) take out processions to demonstrate their grandeur and importance.  The one scheduled on that day was of the Kinnar Akhara (commune of Bisexuals/Transexuals). 

There are 13 officially recognized Akharas- for more details refer http://www.simhasthujjain.in/about-simhasth/akhara-details/

 

1.         Panchdashnaam Juna Akhara  

2          Panchayati anand akhara

3          Panchayati Mahanirvani akhara

4          Nirvani Ani Akhara  

5          Nirmal Akhara

6          Digambar ani akhara  

7          Nirmohi Akhara  

8          Panchayati Naya Udaseen Akhara  

9          Panch Atal Akhara  

10        Taponidhi Niranjani Akhara  

11        Panchayati bada udasin akhara       

12        Panchayati Agni Akhara  

13        Panchayati Avhan Akhara

 

These Akharas are granted recognition and official status by the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), which is an apex body of Sikh and Hindu saints.  The concept of Akharas was propounded by the 8^th century philosopher Adi Shankaracharya who first set up seven Akharas to strengthen the Hindu religion and unify devotees practicing varied rituals and customs.  ABAP plays an important role in various religious discourses such as Ram Janmabhoomi issue and interface with the government administration regarding important decisions for Kumbh melas.  Kinnar Akhara was formed in October 2015 with transgender rights activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi as their spiritual head ('Mahamandaleshwar').  ABAP had denied recognition for the newly formed Akhara.  Another all-woman Akhara which created quite a flutter in 2013 Allahabad Kumbh and was allotted land by the Ujjain administration in the 2016 event also met with the same fate in being denied permission by ABAP for Shahi Snan (joining the elite group of Akharas in royal bath).  Trikal Bhavanta, the woman seer and head of the Pari Akhara announced a dramatic plan for self-burial in protest and dug a 10 ft pit for the purpose.  She however ended up being arrested.  

Photo courtesy: Patrika newspaper, dated April 28, 2016

Nonetheless, the Kinnars (eunuchs) decided to go forward with the plans, including setting up their own camp and holding their own Peshwai on the day before the first Shahi Snan.  An image of Ardhnarishwara- an amalgamation of the male-female form in Lord Shiva- reportedly formed the backdrop for the Kinnar Akhara’s main stage in their camp.  They put forward several arguments in support of their stance- the transgenders are saints in real sense of the term because of ingrained asceticism, free from belief in caste, and are mentioned in Hindu scriptures with positions of dignity.  Indeed, the transgenders were once mainstream in Indian social system but lost it in course of time.  In Ujjain, the devotees flocked to see the Peshwai of the Kinnars and also to their camp seeking blessings, indicating that at the core there is still social and religious sanction about the community.  This article by Devdutt Pattanaik provides a deeper insight: http://scroll.in/article/809995/how-a-new-akhara-of-transgendered-people-stole-the-spotlight-at-the-ujjain-kumbh          

 

When I reached the precincts of the Mahakaal Temple, the excitement in the crowd about the approaching Kinnar Akhara procession was palpable.  The police looked tense, and none had authentic information about the exact route of the procession.  I learnt later that the reason of their hassle was that the procession was unauthorized, and they were throwing coins en route which resulted in huge crowd surge, raising fear of a stampede.  The police administration was trying to prevent the procession from coming near Mahakaal temple and Harsiddhi Chowk where a huge crowd was waiting for the procession with eager anticipation.  A member of the audience made a tongue-in-cheek remark that such interest is not seen in the procession of big religious leaders.  I spend half an hour trying to obtain information from police and public regarding the route of the procession, and finally climbed up a watch tower which was set at Harsiddhi Chowk for CRPF for a bird’s eye view.  Soon, there was a flurry of activity and the head of the commune was seen being escorted past the crossing amid heavy police protection.  The rally had been disbanded.  It was an exciting beginning of the 2016 Kumbh mela experience for me.

 

 

Simhasth Kumbh Mela- 2016- Highlights and Headlines

The 2016 Simhastha Kumbh Mela in Ujjain has come to an end on May 22, 2016.  The month-long event has been momentous on various counts.  But the event means different things to different people.  One possible mirror that is expected to capture and reflect the mood and reaction of this mega event is the media.  So I present a collage of media coverage of the event.   

 

The headlines and excerpts have been taken from the local newspapers of Madhya Pradesh, published between April 20 to 24, 2016.  The opening day and main event of first Shahi Snan (Royal Bath of saints) was April 22.  The translations have been done by me.  I followed Ujjain edition of four Hindi dailies- Patrika (www.mp.patrika.com), Dainik Bhaskar (www.dainikbhaskar.com), Nai Duniya (www.naidunia.com), Dainik Avantika (www.awantika.com) and one local English daily- Free Press (www.freepressjournal.com).  These papers were awash with pictures and news reports of various aspects of the mega event.  The national newspapers have not captured a fraction of the flavor conveyed in these vernacular and local dailies.  For example, Times of India published a total of about 6 reports, mostly cursory and half of them about a hailstorm killing 6 people in the Mela grounds.  But the mood in the local papers was refreshingly celebratory and positive; as compared to the guarded curiosity, cursory reporting, elitist tokenism and superficial criticism of most of the national English dailies.  It just exemplified the gulf of difference between the silent faithful core and the vocal rebellious fringe of this country.  I immensely enjoyed reading the local papers and carried the copies back home for a better introspection.  Here are some of the news which made headlines locally- I wonder how much of this I would have known if I did not go to Ujjain.  Thank God I did.

 

But before the news clips, a summary of highlights of the event and of opening day and first Shahi Snan of Simhasth Kumbh Mela 2016:

 

• Estimated expense over two years of creating the infrastructure for hosting Simhasth Kumbh Mela in Ujjain- Rs. 3,650 crore ($545 million).
• Mela zone covers 4,000 hectares.  The area divided in to 6 zones, 22 sectors, 7 satellite towns.  16 bathing ghats spread over 8.5 km- enough space for 5.8 million people to bathe in a day.  Water was pumped from Narmada river to Kshipra river at flow rate of 5 cubic meters per second at an estimated cost of $11,000 per day.  A 19 km pipeline was laid.  Water quality prominently displayed in electronic board in Ram Ghat.  34,000 toilets constructed.   
• 70 million pilgrims estimated to have visited Ujjain over the 30 days of the event.  This includes 30,000 foreigners.  About 1 million pilgrims came on the opening day- much less than anticipated.  The draught and intense heat wave affecting several states is cited as the reason.  Pilgrims from Gujarat, Maharastra, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh were conspicuous by their absence.  Many of the pilgrims were from Punjab, Haryana and West Bengal. 
• 50,000 pilgrims visit the temple of Mahakaal- the reigning deity of Ujjain.  On a regular day, about 2,000 pilgrims visit the temple.   
• 60 temporary police stations set up in Mela zone, with numbers published in newspaper. 25,000 policemen posted to maintain law and order.  Another 24,000 civic police and volunteers on duty as well.  54 watch towers of height 7-35 feet.  106 Lost-and-Found centers.  All kinds of helpline numbers and senior officer’s contact numbers advertised. 
• Bathing ghats monitored through 670 close circuit television cameras in 134 locations with feed being beamed on 16 screens (each covering 32 locations) in police control room.  Face reading camera in 14 locations.  14 cameras placed to read license plates.
• 50 layer GIS map prepared to facilitate monitoring of the Mela from the control room.    
• 80 fire engines placed in 25 locations with 1150 firemen on duty. 
• 1550 public transport arranged.  100 special trains arranged.  Arrangement made for 118,000 vehicles to be parked every day.
• Congregation of about 200,000 saints. 
• Free food cooked in 4000 locations to feed 100,000 people every day.  12,000 gas cylinders arranged daily.
• 35 ft tall and 30 ft wide bronze colored statue of Vikramaditya- the legendary ruler of Ujjain seated in his famous throne unveiled on opening day- the creation and beautification cost Rs. 67 million ($1 million).
• Full prohibition on alcohol in the city for the full month of the mela. 
• Alongside the religious gathering, a month-long Simhasth Kala Utsav was organized to showcase folk and religious dance/play/songs/music in six different venues in the mela zone involving hundreds of artists/musicians from all states of India.  Also, Global Yoga Convention, Yoga Seminar, International Spiritual Film Festival and 3-day Vaicharik Mahakumbh (Kumbh Mela of Philosophy/thoughts) were organized.     
• 350 scientists and engineers from Department of Electronics & IT, Government of India conducted a research project on 30-minute-early warning system for stampede risk- they collected information using GPS trackers and wearable devices.  Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research is a collaborator.      

For those who missed the event this year, the next Simhasth Kumbh Mela will be held in Ujjain from April 9 – May 8, 2028.  And those who are busy during that time frame, they may consider the next one- April 27 – May 25, 2040. J       

 

April 21 & 22 (pre-event reporting)

 

 

• Desh duniya ko lubha rahi hain Avantika Puri- Simhasth Ujjain mein milegi aloukik anand ki anubhuti

[The country and world is being tantalized by the city of Avantika (ancient name of Ujjain)- divine pleasure will be experienced in the Simhasth event in Ujjain]

 

• 427 saal ke baad shubh yog ki tribeni

[Astrologers say that after April 30, 1589, there has never been such confluence of auspicious factors and astronomical alignments for 427 years until April 22, 2016; it will increase attachment towards religious and cultural values]

 

• Ab sikshak sadak par baithkar sraddaluo ka sahyog karenge- 1250 sikshako ko help desk aur takniki chattro ke sath lagaya mukhya margo par

[1250 teachers will assist pilgrims on the road- they will man helpdesks on various main roads- they will be assisted by two technical college students armed with laptops at each location]

 

• Jab Sant’o ne diya ek dusre ko aashirvaad- Seth Muralidhar Mansinghka Yatri Niwas me hua adbhut milan

[When saints blessed each other…]

 

• Dutt Akhara Ghat- sabse pehle Juna Akhara nahayega- Simhasth 2004 ke kram anusaar hoga Shahi Snan, Ram Ghat par sabse pehle Agni Akhara snan karega

[Saints of Juna commune will take the first bath in Dutt Akhara Ghat; the sequence of Simhasth 2004 will be followed for the royal bath of the saint communes; Agni commune will take first bath in Ram Ghat]

 

• Shahi Snan ke liye aney lagey sraddhalu- police ke nakebandi se 7-8 km paidal chalne ko ho rahe majbur

[Pilgrims have started coming for the royal bath- due to police barricade they have had to walk 7-8 kms]

 

• Bara Udasin ne bikhera jalwa, Agni Akhara bhi nikla shan se

[Bara Udasin commune of saints take out 2-km long procession in morning to show off the grandeur; Agni commune too takes out grand procession in the evening with 20 tractors, palki, band, horse, camels]

 

• Amrit snan ke liye raat 12 baje khali karaye ghat

[6 hours before first royal bath of saints, police administration clears out general pilgrims from the bathing ghats at midnight]

 

• Kinnar Akhare ko jan manyata- Kinnar Akhare ki Simhasth ki pehli peshwai dekhne umri bhir, deshprem aur paryabaran sangrakshan ka diya sandesha- dil khol ke di duyae, bante note

[The commune of Bisexuals-Transexuals take out their first ever procession in Simhasth; crowd swells to watch; message of patriotism and ecological protection conveyed; generously bless the crowd and distribute money]

 

• Shahar mein ek mah tak sharab bikri par pratibandh

[Ban on liquor sale for one month in the city]

 

• Har tin minit mein Indore ke liye bus’e- 40 rupiya hoga kiraya

[Bus service to and from Indore every three minutes (Indore is 55 km from Ujjain- nearest airport and major rail head)- Rs. 40 will be the fare]

 

• 10 hazar shraddhaluo ne ki Bhasmaarti ke darshan- aam din mein 2 hazar hotein hein shamil

[10,000 faithful watch the ceremony of ablution of Lord Shiva (Mahakaal- reigning deity of Ujjain) with crematorium ash- two thousand come to watch on regular days]

 

• Hanuman Jayanti aaj- Palki mein nagar bhraman karenge Bal Hanuman

[Today is Hanuman Jayanti- the deity of baby Hanuman will be taken around town in palanquin]

 

• Nau ratno ke sath biraje Samrat

[35 feet tall and 30 ft wide statue of Ujjain’s brave and famous emperor Vikramaditya dedicated to citizens; his statue is accompanied by statues of nine “gems” of his court including poet Kalidasa; the beautification cost Rs. 67.3 million]

 

• Shahi Snan ke sath prarambh hogi khuni naga’o ki diksha

[The process of indoctrinating new ascetics in to Naga commune will begin with 108 dips in Kshipra River…those who are indoctrinated in Ujjain are termed Khuni Nagas…before this they have to serve their Guru for three years and abide by all discipline of the commune…after indoctrination they have to perform their family’s and their own last rites according to Hindu custom]

 

 

April 23 & 24 (post-event reporting)

 

 

• Amrit Avgahan: 10 lakh se jyada logo ne kamaya punya- Kshipra ke zero bacteria jal mein Simhasth ka pehla shahi snan

[Over 1 million people take holy dip in Kshipra river’s zero bacteria water in the first royal bath of Simhasth Kumbh]

 

• Anupam, Adwitiya, Abishwaraniya- saadi ke dusre Simhasth Mahakumbh ke pehle shahi snan mein chalka bhakti ka amrit

[Beautiful, unprecedented, unforgettable- in the second Simhasth Kumbh mela of the century, nectar of devotion brimmed over in the first shahi snan]

 

• Akhado ne dikhaya shahi tej

[The saint communes showed royal power]

 

• Simhasth mein koi VIP nahin, CM se hua shuruat

[There are no VIPs in Simhasth, starts with Chief Minister- he went around without read beacon and follow car]

 

• 50 gm chandi sikke se 13 akharo ka dhwaj pujan

[The head of all 13 saint communes were presented with a 50 gm silver coin on behalf of the Mela organizer.  As per tradition, the flag of the commune is worshipped by the  administration.  The coin has the Simhasth logo on one side and photo of reigning deity Mahakaleshwar on the other side]  

 

• Sant’o ne dharm ko banaya karobaar- Ma Adi Shakti/Bakwas na karein mahila Mahamandaleshwar- Computer Baba

[Controversy: Leading woman saint of Niranjani Akhara says many of the male saints have made a business out of religion- women saints should stay away from it.  She felt that actions of Asaram Bapu and Nityanand were not saintly.]

 

• Ek dubki ke liye chalaya 10-12 km

[Due to police barricades, pilgrims had to walk 10-12 km]

 

• Ek mah ki sharab shahi snan par hi pi gaye Kaal Bhairav

[The Kaal Bhairav deity, to whom wine is offered as prayer offering, drank one month’s quota of wine in a day, due to visit of 30,000 pilgrims as compared to an average of 1,000 pilgrims each day]  

 

• Pehle Shahi snan mein 100 log lapata, 20 hi milein

[On the first day, 100 people lost, only 20 found]

 

• Kadi suraksha ke bawjud sahar mein kar gayi jeb

[Despite tight security, instances of pickpocket in city]

 

• Murde ki bhasm arpit nahin kar sakte toh naam gobar bhasm aarti kar dein

[Kapalik Bhairavananda Saraswati, receipient of President’s Award/Holland’s Global Peace Award, protested against the recent practice of offering ash made from cow dung (as opposed to ash from crematorium) to Mahakaal, saying it is anti-Tantrik and unreligious]

 

• Hitech control room se ghat o par nazar

[Over two dozen officers kept watch on the bathing ghats through 16 screens (each covering 32 locations) using feed from 670 cctv cameras]

 

• Shahi snan se shuru huya yagna, chalega 108 saal

[In Maun Tirtha Ashram on Ganga Ghat, a mega fire prayer ritual started on the shahi snan day, which will run for 108 years]

 

• Kadoro ka business chor kar lagein hain sewa mein

[Karan Mittal- owner of Mital Corp, industrialist Mangilal Ishwar, hospital owner Krishnakant Dhoot- are few among several who have devoted themselves to serving the pilgrims- with quotes such as “got the opportunity after 12 years”, “nothing is bigger than serving the Guru”, and “serving pilgrims give peace”]

 

• Pashupatinath se Mahakaal pahuche Shakti ka jatha

[delegation of woman saints from Nepal traveled from Pashupatinath Temple to Juna Akhara for Simhasth]

 

• Sant o ne uthayi Pradesh mein sharab bandi ki awaz

[In context of Ujjain being declared dry from the full month of Simhasth Mela, the saints have raised the demand of permanent prohibition of alcohol in the state]

 

• Height of penance- Avdhoot Radhikanand performs “Surya Sadhna” for 9 hrs under scorching heat [the saint worships sun under sizzling heat from January-June and performs Varun Sadhna from October-December sitting in ice cold water]

 

• Recitation of Vedic hymns marks beginning of Simhastha Kala Utsav

Asia’s Largest Cattle Fair- Sonepur Mela

2014 was a placid year for Timorous Traveler’s local festival tourism calendar.  Except for a chance visit to a Gajan festival in Bankura district, travel experiences remained confined international tourist destinations.  Australia travelogue is completed; there are pending travelogues on attending Durga Puja in New York and being in Bourbon Street in New Orleans, which is always in Mardi Gras mode.  But closer home, the “chosen one” finally happened in November- trip to Asia’s largest Cattle Fair at Sonepur in Bihar.

It was destiny’s choice that work came up in Patna on November 6- the day of the auspicious Kartika Poornima (full moon night of the 8^th month of the Hindu calendar).  November is when the festival calendar in India starts getting exciting.  Many of these festivals are river/lake centric and pilgrims take a dip in the water with the faith that it will lead to salvation.  My experience at Varanasi on this day in 2011 is captured in http://pedantictraveler.blogspot.in/2011_11_01_archive.html    

 I started for Patna on November 5 by Akat Takht Express which leaves from Sealdah Station in the morning.  A funny incident happened at the station. While waiting for the train, I briefly stepped out of the station area for a smoke, when a few taxi drivers accosted me with offer for a ride, as they do for every inbound passenger.  Many of the taxi drivers in Kolkata are Biharis.  I told them I am waiting for my outbound train, and I am going to their state to see the Sonepur Fair.  A surprise and reverence immediately dawned on their face hearing this.  All of them know the fair and evidently it is very close to their heart.  A few more cabbies gathered around me and started volunteering information about the place and the event.  One of them in a morose voice blamed his destiny and said that while people from Kolkata are going there, he is stuck here.  For those ten minutes, I was a star and a hero to them.  After a relaxed 7 hour train ride with a co-passenger who was returning from his U.S. posting for his next assignment in a bank branch in Bihar, I reached Patna in the evening.  The station and the road were unusually crowded even by local standards.  It was hard to convince taxi drivers to take me to the hotel, which was less than 3 km away.  Finally, I managed to convince one and started my customary chat with the driver on the way to know about the place and the current affairs there.  My intention was to visit Sonepur, which is only 25 km away, at break of dawn of the next day to witness the ritual bath of pilgrims at the confluence of Ganga and Gandak rivers and return to the hotel by 8 am to be ready for the business events starting at 10 am.  From my previous travel experiences, I knew that this is going to be a momentous show of faith by the teeming millions.  My driver vehemently vetoed the plan, saying that million people are expected to head in that direction throughout the night, and tremendous congestion is expected on the bridge on the river which leads to the site.  Most likely, the last five kilometers will have to be covered on foot since vehicles will be banned to deal with the rush of pilgrims.  Hearing this, I dropped the idea.  Prudently so- I read in the papers later that an estimated 700,000 people visited the local Shiva temple and took the holy bath that morning. 

After completing my work in Patna, I set out for Sonepur on Nov 8^th morning.  It was a hazy day, and even at 10 am the visibility was poor, which made me worried about the quality of photos I would get.  Sonepur is about 25 kilometers across the river Ganga from Patna, the capital of Bihar.  The mighty river and its adjoining flood plane is bridged by the 9-km long Gandhi Setu.  The condition of the four-lane bridge is not good.  One flank of the bridge was closed for major repair, and both-way traffic was crawling through the other flank.  It took me about an hour to reach the fair ground.  Sonepur Cattle Fair starts on Kartika Purnima and continues for almost a month.  The peak time is however the first week, after which the momentum tapers off.  It is also known as Harihar Kshetra Mela, named after the temple of Hariharnath (Shiva) where the pilgrims offer oblations after the holy dip in the river.  The Fair is spread over an area of 500 acres at the confluence of the rivers Ganga and Gandak.  It is reputed as the largest cattle fair of Asia and has an ancient history. 

My trip began from where the car dropped me at 11 am- in front of the main administrative and tourism office.  The first visuals to greet me were an impressive gate leading in to the fair ground; a large hoarding announcing the fair and a semi-open cultural program auditorium- empty in the morning- aesthetically built, impressively large and well-guarded.  A water sprinkler ambled past me, spraying water on the road for dust control. 

The crowd was not large at that hour, but was building up slowly.  The Railways set up a Rail Gram in a sprawling area.  It had a toy train ride, exhibit booths, stalls and most importantly a large open canteen with plenty of seats.  It was perfect place and time to try some litti-chokha (spicy wheat balls stuffed with powdered gram or lentil and clarified butter added to it, served with a spicy sauce), which is a traditional dish of Bihar-Jharkhand area.  Then I started my sojourn in to the fair ground.  The first feeling is that there is a riot of colour everywhere.  The cosmetics vendors are selling multi-colored vermilion, threads, bangles, nail-polish; the toy vendors are selling colorful plastic items; and the buyers are mostly women dressed in bright colored sarees and carrying colorful bags.  Even the food items being sold are mostly colorful.  Contrast is created in between by the vendors selling flattened and puffed rice, heaped on a plastic sheet placed on the ground.  I also found a very interesting clay whistle painted in black.  It was a thick L-shaped contraption which blurted out a strong and shrill noise equivalent to a police whistle when air is blown at one end of it.  Evidently, the poor rural women who make and sell these got the physics absolutely right.  Nothing short of a rural innovation, it is sold dirt cheap for Rs. 5/piece. 

There was no guided direction to the different sectors of the sprawling fair ground- so I walked aimlessly for a while clicking pictures of whatever I found interesting.  Large family units arrived by noon, with the family patriarch often barking instructions to the women folk.  There were several women-only groups too- buying things of their choice and enjoying their fleeting moment of freedom from daily household chores.  I noted that women here love bright colors (in contrast to the men folk, who wore predominantly white) and have amazing ability to balance head-load while keeping their hands free for shopping.  I also noted with amazement that men, evidently from poor rural background, were walking around with rather large trees and holding it as if it was their child.  Clearly these were to be planted once they reached their village.  The love and gentleness towards nature stood in contrast to their otherwise tough demeanor. 

I strolled in to a sector marked as Art & Crafts Village.  It had stalls of various self-help groups from Bihar.  Exquisite products made from bamboo, cane, brass and clay were on sale at extremely reasonable prices.  Attractive blanket, jute products and silk items were also available. 

I became so engrossed in the enthralling sights and sounds of the fair that I almost forgot that the main attraction is the animal trade.  When I recalled, I hurriedly strolled towards the dog and bird market (sold in the same sector).  On the way, there was a solitary stall selling variety of fish.  Its prize display was a fish named Arowana (they spelt it as Aruana)- priced at Rs. 20,000 ($333).  I later found that sale offer prices on OLX for this fish varied from Rs. 650 to 27,000!  The bird and dog enclosure had birds on one row and dogs on the other.  Bird species of pigeon, parrot, love bird, cockatoo and finch were on sale.  The asking price of parrots was Rs. 900 per pair, pigeons Rs. 100.  The dog side had more variety- starting with small Bhutiya pups to Pomeranians to Labrador to Alsatian to Dachshund to Dalmatians.  The condition in which the dogs were kept was abysmal.  The visitor and customer profile was unusual. 

After coming out of this sector, I walked up to the area where bullocks were being sold.  The area was sleepy- it was around noon and animal keepers were lazing in their tents with no customer in sight.  There were less than 50 animals seen on the ground.  Reportedly 1781 bullocks were sold in 2013 and 5680 in 2012.  Evidently the fall in demand is commensurate with the growth of mechanized farming and transport in the country.  Even in remote areas, farmers are opting for tractors.  I chatted up with one of them and learnt that the price could be around Rs. 60,000 ($1,000) for one.  While talking to me, he was rubbing salt inside the mouth of the bullock.  Apparently, it increases the appetite of the animal.  Coming out of this area, I stopped at a vendor who was selling metal patches which would mend a metal bucket or utensil.  There I met with a dwarfish man in saffron who happily allowed me to take his photograph as he played the flute on condition that I will send him a photograph to his postal address in Nathchak Village in Bihar. 

My next and most fulfilling stop was at the sector where horses were being sold.  It was quite a walk finding the “ghora bazar” as locals call it.  As soon as I entered, I was greeted with the sight of rows of horses lined up in orderly rows in small groups.  Most of them were pony-to-mid sized.  The sector was buzzing with activity.  Grooms were tending to the horses in their care; exciting customers moving around checking the animals.  I sensed an extra buzz at a distance and followed it.  This turned out to be my best moment at the fair.  Behind rows of excited onlookers I discovered a few hundred meter long and 8 meter wide clay track on which tall, well-built horses were being raced by the most uncharacteristic jockeys.  The person racing the horses were either completely rural, dressed in pagri (headgear made of long cloth), kurta (flowing robe), dhoti (long unstitched loincloth worn- a traditional dress, now predominantly a rural attire) and slippers.  But they sure rode their horse well.  In the relatively short track, they managed to notch up good speed, complete with a u-turn at the end; and had no problem finding space for 3-5 horses racing simultaneously at the track.  As it happens only in “Incredible India”, hundreds of people were lined up at both sides of the unfenced track and horses were racing past the people with a wafer-thin margin.  Once I saw someone go around advising people softly to step back with a philosophical warning that “these are horses, not cars”.  The audience was enthusiastic, appreciative, disciplined and no one got trampled in the one hour I stayed there.  Each horse was being raced for a fair length of time, after which a new horse with a new jockey replaced it.  Evidently the purpose of the effort was to impress upon the prospective buyers about the quality of the horses so that it fetches good price.  I was fascinated by the ambience of the place- this was India’s Hindi heartland at its best.  My non-local demeanor was ignored after a quick curious look- possibly my kurta helped to partially integrate while my backpack and camera gave me the invincible journalistic aura which our Fourth Estate wear on its sleeves.  When I naively asked whether there are enough customers in Bihar to buy horses, the man laughed and told me that people buy horses for hobby and to show their stature.  He apparently knew of a rich man who even bought a cow to feed milk to his horses!  After my questions were answered, he asked me one question and completely demolished my pride about knowing enough about my city.  His simple question was where do the Rajputs in Kolkata stay? 

While I was here, a school boy latched on to me for a while for no rhyme or reason.  He was roaming in the fair alone like me before he would go to his relative who was selling something.  After overcoming my initial suspicion, I chatted up with him and even got each other’s photo clicked.  He seemed to have found me interesting or impressive; but I was in no mood to get locked up with him and hence I shook him off after a brief chat.  I wandered around for a little more time and soaked in some random interesting sights.  It was past 3 pm and I set off for the Hariharnath Temple (dedicated to Shiva) before it would be dark.  A helpful man whom I simply asked for direction escorted me through the local roads and in to the temple, talking to me all the while.  He retired from Bihar government service and stays in the neighborhood.  The temple has ancient history and mythology associated.  The architecture of the current temple is neither impressive nor ancient; however it is a major attraction for pilgrims who come for the devotional bath in the river followed by prayer offering to Shiva- the reigning deity of the temple.

My next sojourn was in the “haathi bazar”- elephant market.  There were about 20-odd elephants, each decorated with a bright cloth slung over its back.  The caregiver was seen sitting by the side of the elephant, lovingly and patiently handing out a bunch of tall grass every time the truck was swung towards him.  One elephant was bought two buckets of water- like a naughty child it drank from the distant bucket first and then finished the bucket placed near it.  Another adolescent elephant was a star attraction, it was accepting money in its truck and was mild mannered enough for tourists like me to pose for photographs while touching its trunk.   The number of elephants on display was nothing compared to the legend of this fair which said that Maurya emperors send their men to buy the best of elephants in and around 300 BC.  In modern India’s Wildlife Protection Act, capture and trade in indigenous wildlife species elephants is illegal.  Elephants are in Schedule I, which theoretically gives them maximum protection at the same level as tigers and lions.  But that is in India, and this is Bharat.  Therefore, elephants are still brought and displayed with an evident intent to sell.  However, the sale happens in a wink and a nod method.  When I asked a mahout what is the price of an elephant, he said only the owner knows.  When I asked the owner, his stock answer to tourists like me was “we do not sell elephants, we have bought them for puja”.  Indeed. 

By the time I finished with the elephants, it was dusk.  I was amused to overhear an IT domain conversation in Bengali at a tea shop where I stopped for a cup of tea too.  It turned out to be a group of two IT professionals from Kolkata who came as tourist, but they did not plan their travel well and were lamenting not being able to see much since they arrived at 2 pm.  Soon it was dark and I was back at the heart of the fairground.  In the haze of dust and smog pierced through powerful floodlights and cacophony of sounds of all kinds, the place looked even more surreal.  A major attraction for the locals is the “theatres”, which are often raunchy dance performances.  Even in the morning I saw excitement building up among the male crowd near the theatre arenas, which open in the evening after 6 pm.  I did not have time to experience one; I would definitely have gone if I was staying at the venue for the night. 

At the same time, the cultural auditorium was now full to the brim, with a dance program being staged there.  I had a nice conversation with the Bihar Tourism Department staff who was manning the spacious stall inside the auditorium arena.  They were extremely helpful, providing me with brochures and even offering me a seat in the sofa inside as I was waiting for my car to navigate the traffic to come and pick me up.  I congratulated them on organizing the fair so efficiently.  Evidently, the Department and its supporting agencies have put their heart out in making the event a success.  Huge amount of money was spent in creating infrastructure such as lights, pathways, water supply as well as in organizing the splendid cultural programs in the evening.  To meet the requirement of high-end and foreign tourists, the Department has also created a Tourist Village with cottages costing around Rs. 5000 ($85) per night.  This is however only the rate for the first week of the fair, after which the rate tapers down to Rs. 600 ($10) in the last week.  Police arrangement was visible and efficient.

Lastly, I cant help mention that the men at the fair presented a fascinating sight.  They exuded a curious mix of manliness in a feudal Indian way, but also a softness which is rarely visible in our urban gender-leveler ecosystem.

 

Overall, the Sonepur fair is a wonderful experience.  A successful tour of the fair requires a few things- overcoming the fear of unknown; an open mind cleared of various urban prejudices; stamina to walk extensively and preferably aimlessly; familiarity of local language to interact with the local population, and an eye for finding beauty in simplicity.  It can be a challenge for many.  Possibly this is the reason why very little pre or post participation information is available about this event from authentic sources, although there are some excellent photographs taken by renown photographers who saw it through their camera but could not imbibe the people flavor of the place.  I am just glad that I got a chance to visit this fabulous event, which once again transported me momentarily from India to the ancient Bharat, where the soul of India still seems to live.  

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