Source : INDIATV NEWS
By Tuesday evening, more than 3.5 crore pilgrims and ascetics had taken a holy dip at the Triveni confluence of Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati at the planet’s biggest religious congregation in Prayagraj. Never before in world history had such a humungous multitude of pilgrims congregated at one place to offer religious prayers. For the rest of the world, this was incredible, unimaginable, and unique.
The number of pilgrims who took a holy dip on Makar Sankranti can equal the population of several countries. Experts from big universities and management institutes have reached Prayagraj to study the complex nature of crowd management so that the event can pass smoothly without a hitch. Purna Maha Kumbh will continue for 45 days in Prayagraj and there are two more big ‘Amrit Snans’ pending, when more crowds will congregate. By January 29 (Mauni Amavasya), the number may cross six crore.
If one adds the population of 52 countries, it will touch 3.5 crore. The number of pilgrims who took a holy dip on Tuesday was more than this figure. Managing a huge crowd of 3.5 crore is not a matter of joke. Adequate police force was deployed to control crowd movement. I feel that one cannot control such a humungous crowd only with the help of technology. It needs careful planning, better use of human resources, correct calculation about a number of expected pilgrims, arrangements according to needs, correct analysis about emergencies, and last, but not least, strong willpower. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath did this because of his determination and willpower.
The arrangements for Kumbh Mela had begun two years ago. Yogi personally visited Prayagraj frequently, kept a personal and close watch on every requirement, posted his most capable officers at the venue, and did proper planning, and the result was: the first ‘Amrit Snan’ on Tuesday passed off peacefully without a hitch. The credit for this goes to Yogi Adityanath’s government, his officers, police personnel, volunteers and ‘safai karmacharis’. The work is not yet over. More than a month and a half are left, and one prays that everything passes off peacefully.
For the pilgrims and ascetics, it was an experience of a lifetime. The heady atmosphere at the dawn of Makar Sankranti in Prayagraj, with hundreds of Naga sadhus walking with swords, spears, tridents and maces in their hand, followed by their ‘akhada’ chiefs and ‘Pithadheeswaras’, was a sight to see. Helicopters were arranged to sprinkle flowers on the ascetics.
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