Walking with a rucksack on her back, the tall lady in her 50s had no grudges about crossing the mud piles and brick stones lying hither and thither on the way. Greeting everyone with a smile at the Ganga ghat, she kept aside her bag and plunged into the chilling waters on Friday morning. Reciting with folded hands ‘Om Namah Shivaay’ she remained silent for a few minutes.
Ardh Kumbh Mela may be lacking the lustre and sheen of Purna Kumbh, but still it beckons many Ganga lovers from abroad. The Purna Kumbh mela draws sadhus and their followers from foreign countries like Netherlands and Russia. But, Ardh Kumbh mela has only a handful of them coming from the foreign lands.
The lady Meesha from Bulgaria who instantly became the cynosure of eyes told The Pioneer ,“It is a question of faith, the feeling of connection with the God. It doesn’t matter what the test reports of water quality reveal. When we take a dip in the Gangi (in her typical accent), the faith makes us forget the physical parameters of body and mind.”
Meesha feels rejuvenated coming to Ganga every time. “I came to Rishikesh at Mahesh Yogi’s Ashram. I visited Har Ki Pauri too. I am happy visiting Haridwar on the first bathing day,” she said.
Meesha has decided to stay back till March in Rishikesh and take holy dips on special days during the Ardh Kumbh. She keeps visiting countries of different faiths. Popularity of Indian yoga and culture had motivated Meesha to visit the Yoga capital of the world, Rishikesh and announcement of Ardh Kumbh mela came as an additional incentive, said Meesha.
Notably, the Kumbh Mela of 2010 had witnessed foreigners from over 100 countries and Yoga Kumbh planned this year in the first week of March at Rishikesh expects a similar kind of international participation.
Speaking to The Pioneer, founder of Parmarth Niketan Chidanand Muni said, “In conjunction with the state tourism department, we are planning for Yoga Kumbh from March 1 to 3. The visitors to the Ardh Kumbh mela would get to know about benefits of yoga too. Visitors from over 100 countries, including Brazil, Australia, Austria, England, the USA and England, would have free yoga lessons from the teachers.”