Kumbh ends after PM’s request to keep it ‘symbolic’
NEW DELHI: Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed that the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar “should only be symbolic” amid an unprecedented increase in Coronavirus cases across the country, Swami Avdheshanand Giri — one of the top seers in the country — announced an early end to the month-long mega festival for Juna Akhara.
Modi tweeted that he spoke to Swami Avdheshanand Giri over the telephone and enquired about the health of saints, many of whom have contracted the infection, and also conveyed his appreciation for their cooperation with the local administration.
“I prayed that two ‘shahi snan’ have taken place and Kumbh (participation) should now be kept symbolic. This will boost the fight against this crisis,” the Prime Minister had tweeted in Hindi earlier on Saturday. Responding to Modi’s call, Avdheshanand urged people not to come to the Kumbh Mela for bathing in large numbers due to the COVID-19 situation and to follow the rules.
Saving one’s and other’s lives is sacred, he added.
The ongoing Kumbh, which has seen people from different parts of the country attending the auspicious event in large numbers, has drawn flak from various quarters as the number of cases has zoomed at a rapid pace in the past few weeks. The event has also reported the Coronavirus cases in large numbers.
The ongoing Kumbh has already been shortened this year to just one month from April 1 to 30 due to the pandemic. In normal circumstances, the event, which comes once in 12 years, is held from mid-January to April.