By God's Grace

Allahabad is synonymous with Kumbh Mela, which has been attracting both religious and curious visitors for centuries. Neha Gupta Kapoor reports on how the city is developing

O ur boatman is old. He is wearing a cotton dhoti without a shirt, and has an elongated vermilion mark on his forehead. His ribs are exposed, but his arms have enough strength in them to row us far into the Yamuna river and back to the shore. As he jumps out of the water to push the wooden boat towards the sandy riverbank, young children, not more than ten years old, rush to greet us. They pull out snakes (often seen around Lord Shiva’s neck) from their cane baskets, asking if we would like to donate for the reptiles’ blessings. Some of them speak flawless English, despite never receiving formal education. They’ve picked up the language from the flow of tourists here.

We’re in a hurry. It’s getting dark and the walk back to the parking lot (a roughly allocated area on the sands) is dimly lit by scarce street lights. We take care not to step on cow dung. These animals roam freely and the nearby temple feeds them, because the cow is a holy animal for Hindus, more revered in North India and the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), of which Allahabad is the seventh most populous city.

CASH COW

Hindus form 76.03 per cent of Allahabad’s population, as per the Allahabad City Census 2011 data; Muslims form 21.94 per cent. The city, one of the oldest in India, is ranked high on religious importance by Hindus who visit to pay their respects to or take a dip in Triveni Sangam, which is the confluence of India’s two holy rivers, Ganga and Yamuna, and the mystic Saraswati river. This sacred riverbed is the venue for Kumbh Mela — one of India’s largest riverside congregations of pilgrims, god-men and tourists — held once every 12 years in Allahabad. Nationwide it occurs every three years at four pilgrimage locations: Haridwar, Allahabad (Prayag), Nasik and Ujjain.

In 2013, the year Kumbh Mela was last held here, Allahabad saw an influx of 8.51 crore tourists, making up about 37 per cent of UP’s total tourism for that year. This was an increase of more than 50 per cent visitors to Allahabad from the previous year. In 2014, the figures dropped by around 40 per cent again. The website, uptourism.gov.in makes it a point to state: “The total Indian and foreign tourist (18.57 crore) visits in Uttar Pradesh in the year 2014 is reduced in comparison to year 2013 because of Maha Kumbh Mela/Snan Allahabad in year 2013.”

Such is the magnitude of the Mela that between January and March 2013 alone, the months of Kumbh Mela, UP Tourism calculated 7.86 crore visitors to Allahabad. This includes 3.5 lakh international tourists. Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore and the UK are major source markets during this time.

It’s not just devotees who visit; many plan a visit out of sheer curiosity for what this internationally famous religious fair is all about. The first time Kumbh Mela is officially known to have occurred was in 1870 in Allahabad; however, there are mentions of a “riverside festival” in earlier texts that date as far back as 1695. Descriptions are vivid, and foreigners have gone to great lengths in jotting detailed accounts of what unfolded before them. Today, the Mela has grown to be a muse for photographers too. International publications such as The Wall

Street Journal, TIME, and The Atlantic have carried elaborate photo essays on the celebrations. Firsttime visitors find themselves lost in the unfamiliar sights unfolding around them: a crowd of naked Hindu holy men returning to camp after an early morning dip in Triveni Sangam; self-proclaimed gurus — their bare bodies covered in ashes and a cloth around the groin — shouting verses from the Hindu holy book; effusive rituals on the riverbanks with lamps, marigold flowers and bells; Tandavam or Nadanta performances, dance depictions of Lord Shiva; His followers meditating in odd positions, some for days, others for weeks and a few since years, or so they claim.

During Kumbh Mela in 2013, Allahabad earned Uttar Pradesh about `12,000 crore. Just before the festival started, taking from past trends, The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham) of India estimated that Kumbh Mela would generate employment for over six lakh people across India — mainly local hospitality and medical businesses, the national airline industry, and tour operators.

These numbers pretty much make up for the lack of tourism-dependent revenue generated by Allahabad in the remaining 11 years and nine months until the next Kumbh Mela. A smaller version of Kumbh Mela, known as Ardh (half) Kumbh Mela is held every six years only at Allahabad and Haridwar. India’s Union Government expects tourist numbers for the next Ardh Kumbh Mela, to be held in 2019 in Allahabad, to reach 15 crore.

During Kumbh Mela, the crowd at Allahabad’s railway station can be intimidating for the unprepared. The city airport, however, remains empty, with just Air India operating between Allahabad and Delhi — one daily service and an additional double daily service on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The nearest international airport is in Lucknow, which is four hours away by road. Varanasi Airport in India’s spiritual city, which is closer and at a distance of 130km receives domestic flights, some of which are international connections via Delhi and Mumbai.

Allahabad, in comparison to Varanasi and Lucknow, receives fewer number of tourists annually. Limited air connectivity is one reason for this, and the second is poor road conditions, which is a problem that runs through the state.

TOURIST APPEAL

Karan Anand, head of relationships at tour operator Cox and Kings points to the fact that about 80 per cent of Allahabad’s annual tourism is made up of pilgrims. “In order to attract more tourist categories, the art and culture of the city can be explored further.” He says that just like its neighbours, the city too has interesting historic monuments such as Allahabad Fort, Allahabad Museum, Jawahar Planetarium and Khusro Bagh. Unfortunately, on my

Riverside rituals are perennial in this part of the world. For someone who isn’t familiar with these proceedings, it is an interesting sight to witness.

recent visit, it was apparent that these sites haven’t been maintained.

Anand adds that tourists on leisure trips to Uttar Pradesh do not usually include Allahabad on their itinerary, “and those who do, custom design their packages with us.” These are most likely the ones who travel the 231km stretch between Varanasi and Lucknow on road, via Allahabad, as I had done on my recent road trip between the three cities.

Abraham Alapatt, president and group head of marketing, service quality, financial services and innovation at Thomas Cook India confirms this: “Our internal research-consumer analytics at The Thomas Cook India Group reveals that pilgrim tourism is not limited to seniors. Families and India’s millennials who take a keen interest in exploring the history and culture of the mystical land too find the city interesting. Given Allahabad’s significant location on the pilgrim circuit (the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers), the city offers a strong potential for the holidayer who chooses to explore the culture and rituals alongside the ghat, while appreciating the historical perspective of the destination.”

Riverside rituals are perennial in this part of the world. For someone who isn’t familiar with these proceedings, it is an interesting sight to witness. Alapatt says, “We have received queries from travellers wanting to visit the complete sector that is Allahabad, Varanasi and Khajuraho (group of medieval temples in Madhya Pradesh). In light of increased focus and pro-tourism initiatives from the Government of India’s tourism department (organising the daily aarti, cleaning up areas near holy rivers, regulating timings and arrangements for the rituals in a planned manner, infrastructure and traffic management), we see Allahabad as offering greater scope for pilgrim tourism and beyond.”

In preparation for Allahabad’s next Ardh Kumbh Mela in 2019, the government is proposing an Allahabad-Varanasi Ganga waterway. At a press conference held in Delhi in June, Union Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari said, “The Allahabad to Varanasi stretch will be developed as a national waterway, which will service steamers for transportation of pilgrims [even after the Mela].” He openly encouraged partnership with private players to operate steamers on this route. The minister confirmed that dredging on the stretch has already been started by The Inland Waterways Authority of India.

In the presence of the state’s new chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, Gadkari added that the state government will upgrade the road running parallel to the Ganga river flowing between Allahabad and Varanasi. Reports prepared before the launch of the project are expected to be ready by end-2017. A six- lane bridge over the Ganga river flowing through Allahabad is also in the offing, a project worth `300 crore. On completion, it will link Allahabad to Lucknow, Raebareli, Pratapgarh, Sultanpur, Faizabad, Kanpur, Delhi, Varanasi and Kolkata. Simultaneously, the existing two-lane National Highway-96 from Pratapgarh to Allahabad will be widened to four lanes. OTHER REVENUE STREAMS

Allahabad is one of the cities that falls on the 3,360km stretch of the dedicated freight corridors (eastern and western). The project is run by the Ministry of Railways to boost the economy of India by connecting major construction hubs and financially important cities. Both eastern and western corridors will use higher horse power engines for the commercial transport of goods in specially designed wagons with larger capacities. They will also help in speedier delivery of freight.

At an Assocham conference on Dedicated Freight Corridors-Challenges and Opportunities, held in 2015, Minister of State for Railways, Manoj Sinha had expressed his confidence in the AllahabadMughalsarai sector being completed faster than the others. As of now, work on the dedicated freight corridors is expected to finish before the end of 2020.

Narrowing down the focus on the eastern corridor routes, World Bank has identified the area around the Allahabad-Varanasi line as a “growth cluster”. This means the areas within proximity to these railway lines are more likely to develop as industrial sites. Subsequently, the UP state government has proposed 1,200 acres to be developed as an integrated industrial township in the city. It will be labelled as New Allahabad and include homogenous buildings, wifi connectivity and strong 4G network.

Earlier this year, the 2017 elections voted BJP’s Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath into power. He hasn’t said much yet about the progress of this project initiated by his predecessor, Akhilesh Yadav, president of the Samajwadi Party.

Until then, Allahabad’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Institute (MSMEDI) continues to play a vital part in supporting the State Government’s efforts in boosting the industrial environment of UP. It works closely with entrepreneurs by providing facilities and training in machining, grinding and fitting at workshops.

In the 2015-2016 Annual Progress Report, director of MSME-DI, RS Barapatre stated that in a joint effort with Branch MSME-DI, Varanasi, the institute, “undertook 123 job works benefiting 94 micro and small enterprises”. This is an ongoing progress, one that has brought Allahabad amongst the top 300 fastest growing cities in the world (positioned at 130), compiled by London-based City Mayors Foundation.

FUTURE

Allahabad has much catching up to do in terms of attracting visitors when Kumbh Mela is not in progress. However, the urgency with which the government is planning its infrastructural development, the city isn’t lagging much behind in reaching its renovated new self. This growth, as we can see, is directly or indirectly because of its river. It works as an important passage for transporting freight and passengers. Pilgrims visit for a dip in Triveni Sangam. Tourists find the visible confluence of the three rivers to be an interesting sight. Had it not been for the holy confluence of rivers, Kumbh Mela would not have chosen Allahabad as one of its four important venues. And without the Mela, Allahabad would not have been on the international map, for centuries. Moreover, it is that accidental drop of nectar from God’s fingers into the Triveni Sangam that makes it holy.

Thank God for the river….