VR kiosks, live streaming of shahi snans on anvil
Yogi govt has renamed Ardh Kumbh as ‘Prayagraj Kumbh 2019’
PRAYAGRAJ : If you miss Kumbh Mela 2019, you can still witness the grandeur of the one-of-largest gatherings on Earth just at the click of a mouse or a smartphone swipe.
The shahi snan will be streamed live on the Kumbh App and on the official website — www.kumbh.go.in
Also, this will be the first time the Kumbh will be captured live for pilgrims on virtual reality (VR) headsets. The digital leap is the brainchild of the Prayagraj Mela Authority.
“We have made arrangements so that anyone can watch Kumbh live on their laptops, desktops and mobile phones and this can be done either through the website or the app, which we recently launched,” said deputy Kumbh Mela officer and media in-charge Rajiv Rai.
“Shahi snans and other important events during the mela will be available as VR content and can be viewed with or without headsets,” said Rai.
Besides, Kumbh Mela authorities are setting up VR kiosks at multiple locations across the Mela ground.
“Pilgrims and visitors can have the experience of a lifetime by viewing the Mela in virtual reality at kiosks. They can also take home VR headsets and view the snan as VR in the comfort of their houses with their mobile phones,” said Rai.
The VR headsets would be made available at a nominal cost of Rs 250 and buyers can view major events even after the completion of the religious event.
The virtual reality videos will also be available on the official
website and the official mobile application of Kumbh.
Mela authorities have roped in experts for live broadcast with feed from hundreds of state-of-the-art cameras, installed at different points of the city and Kumbh mela ground.
The live feed will be sourced from the integrated command and control centre at the Kumbh mela area. This will be used for live broadcasts across the world too, said Rai.
LUCKNOW/PRAYAGRAJ:: The 49-day mega pilgrimage fair, beginning on January 15 at Prayagraj, is caught in a strange controversy: Is it Kumbh 2019 or Ardh Kumbh 2019? The Yogi Adityanath government is branding it as ‘Prayagraj Kumbh 2019’.
However, the opposition, which has been attacking the government over the name change, and most of the saints, continue to call it ‘Ardh Kumbh.’ Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to the mega religious fair as Ardh Kumbh during a rally at Prayagraj on December 16, 2018.
Samajwadi Party (SP), the most vocal opposition to the BJP government, has been attacking it on the event’s name. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, in a single tweet on Wednesday, twice called the event ‘Ardh Kumbh’ and said the government should not do politics over it.
In an earlier statement he had said: “See, now, they have changed Kumbh’s name. They should know history and traditions. They are publicising the Ardh Kumbh as Kumbh.”
UP BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said: “If the government is making efforts to attract more and more people from India and aboard to the fair, then why is the opposition so upset. It is not any government or any party’s Kumbh. It is a matter of religious faith and tradition. It is the job of the government to make arrangements there as best as possible.”
It all began in December 2017 when chief minister Yogi Adityanath, while launching the logo of the fair, had announced that the state government would call the ‘Ardh Kumbh’ as ‘Kumbh’. In the same month, the government brought ‘Prayagraj Mela
Authority Bill in the UP assembly and changed the name from ‘Ardh Kumbh’ to ‘Kumbh’ and also ‘Kumbh’ to ‘Maha Kumbh’.
Yogi had citied a Yajurveda mantra “Om Poornamadah Poornamidam...”, and had explained “the vedic mantra says that nothing is incomplete in Hindu philosophy. The word ‘ardh (half)’ doesn’t fit in this philosophy.”
Now, both the central and state governments are calling the mega pilgrimage as ‘Prayagraj
Kumbh 2019’.
The mega fair that is happening now, happens every six years and traditionally has been called ‘Ardh Kumbh’. The one that happens every 12 year has been called ‘Kumbh’, and ‘Maha Kumbh’ happens every 144 years.
Samajwadi Party leader Ram Govind Chauhdhary, the leader of opposition, had said “They are violating the Vedas and Puranas”.
Congress’ Intellectual Cell chairman, Sampornanad says: “Kumbh is our tradition. It should not be redefined in any different manner. Present Kumbh’s traditional nomenclature is Ardh Kumbh.”
Also, most of the saints associated with the mela say they continue to call it Ardh Kumbh.
Camping in his Sector 16 Tent City camp in Prayagraj, Shri Mahant Maheshwar Dasji said: “It’s true that the government has renamed Ardh Kumbh as Kumbh and Kumbh as Maha Kumbh, but for us saints it still remains the same as always. Be it in talks among us or even discussions, we refer to it as Ardh Kumbh. So you can say that for saints the ‘Sarkari Kumbh’ remains Ardh Kumbh.”
He is from the Panchayati Akhara Bada Udasin, one of the 13 recognised monastic orders of the country.
Dasji said the fairs are organized on the basis of calculations made on the placement of celestial bodies as per established norms and processes being followed for hundreds of years.
“This cannot be changed with a mere resolution, bill or government order,” he added.
Sant Shri Balak Yogeshwar Das Maharaj, head of the Ati Vishnu Mahayagya Samiti, Badrinath says: “It’s all wordplay to make the event look grander. But as far as saints are concerned, this indeed is Ardh Kumbh as it has been for ages.
The Sanatan Dharm follows traditions and customs as per ancient holy scriptures and this cannot be changed. Though, for government use, we too have started writing Kumb in official applications.” He is Mahamandaleshwar of Digambar Ani Akhada, another of the country’s ancient monastic orders.
SP spokesperson Richa Singh said it was for the first time that a sacred fair like Ardh Kumbh and Kumbh were being politicised.
“This is being done by the BJP and its state government to gain political benefit. The BJP does not believe in the Indian Constitution that it wants to change and now is also playing with the cultural and religious beliefs of millions,” she said.
Singh said that in 2013 also a grand Kumbh was held in Prayag that attracted praise from all.
“That fair was held under the SP regime and we ensured a fair that left the pilgrims, saints and tourists happy. However, this time it is being held shoddily and recently a boat with visitors capsized where rescue equipment was found lacking. Just a few days back an NRI woman was eve teased and harassed besides locals and poor roadside vendors being harassed in the name of the fair,” she added.