In November 2024, newspapers prominently carried a report saying that “the title of Mahamandleshwar (high-ranking Hindu seer) would be conferred on 370 Dalits by the Juna Akhada during the Mahakumbh. On the afternoon of 20 January 2025, I reached the Juna Akhada’s camp in Sector 20 of the Mahakumbh Mela area. The sants representing different states were seated in their respective tents. A huge number of devotees were gathered to see Kada Baba Radhey Puri, a Hath Yogi who has been keeping his right hand raised for the past 14 years. Brihaspati Giri Maharaj was sitting on a piece of stone floating in a tub of water. He claims that the stone, made by Nal-Neel, was used for the construction of Ram Setu. Jhule Baba Rupesh Puri was meditating perched on a swing.
One by one I asked sants of the different factions about Dalits being raised to the status of Mahamandleshwar. But all of them skirted the question. Then, I spotted a team of three journalists (two men and a woman) from Dainik Bhaskar passing by. I began following them. They entered a tent at the edge of the Akhada. I, too, went inside. Mahant Someshwar Puri and Mahant Thanapati were the occupants of the tent. For the unversed, Mahant Someshwar Puri is the guru of IITian Baba Abhay Singh, whose interviews have gone viral on social media. It was Someshwar Puri who had initiated Abhay Singh into the Juna Akhada. Be that as it may, the Bhaskar journalists touched the feet of Thanapati Baba, who was seated on an asana, and sat down on the floor. Baba was in a foul mood. He admonished the Bhaskar team, saying that the media was floating “rubbish” videos of the IITian Baba. “But Bhaskar has done nothing like that,” the leader of the team protested mildly. He, then added, “The image of Juna Akhada has been tarnished by him [Abhay Singh], hence for damage control, you [Mahant Thanapati] should give an interview, which would be carried by Bhaskar in all its editions in three different languages and would also be published on its digital platform.” Meanwhile, a tanker, stationed right at the door of the tent, began sucking faecal waste from clogged toilets using a pipe. The noise and the stench made conversation difficult. The leader of the Bhaskar team, however, did not relent: “Baba, this is also a necessary job.”
“Yes, it has become necessary in the last two Kumbhs,” the Baba responded, adding, “This is my seventh Kumbh [held once every 12 years]. Earlier, there used to be an open ground where the members of the Akhadas defecated. In the morning, Mehtars [the caste associated with manual scavenging and sanitation] used to clean up the area and in the afternoon, we would sit down in a row on the same ground to have our meals.” He went on, “But this Kumbh is very neat and clean. There is no dirt. Sanitation workers are working day and night, sweeping the grounds and taking away garbage.”
Meanwhile, Mahant Someshwar Puri excused himself, saying he had some urgent work to do. As he walked out of the tent, I followed him. I asked him about Dalit Mahamandleshwars. He refused point-blank to answer my question. In fact, no one in the Akhada wanted to talk about it.
Ultimately, I left the Akhada, with my question still unanswered. I gave up chasing that lead, and instead started exploring the participation of the Dalit community in the Kumbh. The entire Mela area is dotted with huge flex boards and hoardings carrying pictures of the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The slogans emblazoned on the boards and hoardings read: “Sanatan Garv, Mahakumb Parva (Mahakumbh festival is pride of Sanatan)”, “Punya phalein, Mahakumbh chalein (Coming to Mahakumbh is reward for one’s good work)” and “Janm-janmantar ke punya khilein, aao ham Mahakumbh chalein (To earn reward for this and subsequent births, let us go to Mahakumbh)”. Does the situation on the ground reflect the theme of these slogans? I ventured to find out.
Kumbh has been presented as the pride of Sanatan. No wonder, in keeping with their status in the Varna hierarchy of Sanatan (Hindutva), the participation of the Dalits (Atishudras) in the Kumbh has been mostly limited to sweeping, cleaning toilets and removing garbage. Taking a short break from their work, four sanitation workers were sitting under a huge hoarding, proclaiming Kumbh as the pride of Sanatan. Ramesh from Kamasin village in Banda, Uttar Pradesh, has been hired for sanitation work along with three of his relatives. He has also brought his children along. Ramesh said that he was being paid Rs 410 per day. Fuelwood is not provided to them to beat the chill. He has been given a ration card and they are getting rations at the rate of Rs 45 per unit. They have been charged Rs 5 each for the ration card. His children are studying in the school at the sanitation workers’ colony. He said that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was to inaugurate the Sanitary Colony but the work was still incomplete, so he did not come. Chunnilal said that half of Mahakumbh is over but work at the colony of sanitation workers is yet to be completed.
According to government figures, 14,000-15,000 sanitation workers, divided into 850 teams, have been deployed at the Kumbh venue. Among other things, they are responsible for emptying 25,000 garbage bins. It is estimated that 390 metric tons of garbage is produced every day at the Kumbh, meaning a total of 17,440 metric tons in the 45-day duration of the event. They are also responsible for cleaning the toilets. Male and female sanitation workers from 28 districts of Uttar Pradesh, including Banda, Mahoba, Jaunpur, Pratapgarh, Bhadohi and Mirzapur, and also from Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand, have been deployed for keeping the Kumbh area clean. The government claims that 1.5 lakh toilets and urinals have been built in the Mela area. Ganga Sevadoots are responsible for keeping them clean. Needless to say, the Ganga Sevadoots are from Bhangi, Mehtar and Valmiki castes. Dilip Kumar Mishra is the headmaster of the primary school built beside the sanitation workers’ colony for the children of sanitation workers. He says that 261 children have been enrolled in the school, which will be in operation till 26 February.
The sanitation workers, the organizations working for their rights and civil society members have long expressed concern that the education of children of sanitation workers, who come from distant districts or even other states, to work in Kumbh or Ardhkumbh, suffers due to their long absence from their homes.
Though the government has opened a school with a headmaster and five teachers for one and a half months for the children of sanitation workers, one can see the children playing around the place where their parents are working. That is because the Mela is spread over a large area and it is difficult for the sanitation workers to leave their children at the school, kilometres away from their workplaces. After all, not only the structure housing the school, but also their ties with and confidence in the school staff, is temporary. It is next to impossible for them to leave their children in a school where the students don’t know each other and the teachers don’t know the students. Moreover, the school opens at 9 am and closes at 3 pm. After the closure of the school, there is no place where the small children can stay if their parents are working at a distance. That is another reason why most sanitation workers prefer to take their children along wherever they go.
Besides sanitation, Dalit workers are also engaged in building, repairing and cleaning the roads made of chequered plates in the Mela area. Santosh Bharatiya is filling the gaps between chequered plates with sand using a shovel. He comes from a Dalit caste and has come to the Mela with his friends and family members from Milkipur village in Sultanpur district. He has been hired for Rs 500 per day by a contractor. The construction of the road at the first gate of Bridge 19 in Sector 7 is still incomplete. Labourers are unloading chequered plates from a truck and laying them. A huge turnout of devotees is expected on Mauni Amavasya, so they are under pressure to complete the job.
Then, people from the Kol community have been deployed for making madha (huts) for the Babas. The sloping land between Nagvashuki and Bakshi Baandh is being used for the purpose. Dozens of workers are making madhas using sarpat (a long grass) and bamboos and these are being transported to the Mela area in vehicles. These madhas are being used to build ashrams for the Babas. The workers are from the Koraon Tehsil of Prayagraj district and have been hired for Rs 500 per day. Rajendra Kol says that he has been working since 30 December 2024 and that work would continue at a feverish pace till Mauni Amavasya. They will then return to their village. They are also working under a contractor.
The beggars on the Nahavan Marg (roads leading to bathing ghats) are mostly from the Mushar community, especially the elderly, children and women. They are from Jaunpur, Bhadohi and Benaras. Small girls of the Nat community can be seen performing stunts throughout the Mela area. They walk on a rope tied between two wooden poles, balancing themselves precariously, for hours. Their parents stand below, singing and pleading with the passers-by to see the stunt and give some cash.
“We have come to the Kumbh to fill our stomachs,” says Hriday Lal Nat. His 8-year-old daughter is standing on the rope with the help of a wooden stick. The younger one, 2-3 years old, is sitting on the sand, trying to stop the covering on her head from slipping. Hriday Lal says that he is able to earn Rs 500-700 per day. His home was gutted in a fire accident. During breaks between these melas, he travels through the rural areas, performing stunts.
In Sector 20, housing the Akhadas, Divya, 7, is walking on a rope. Her mother, Rajni, standing below, refuses to talk much. She says that if she talks, it will distract her daughter and she will fall.
Dalits are providing various services in the Mela area. But do they have a share in the businesses being run on the Mela premises? I randomly inquire hawkers and pavement vendors selling sprouted grams, sugarcane juice, groundnuts, groceries, toys, tea and so on on the Nahavan Marg and around tents of the Kalpavasi (devotees who stay in the Mela area for the entire duration of the Kumbh) about their caste. Pratapgarh’s Suman Sonkar, seated on a sack on the pavement, is vending sprouted grams. She comes from the Khatik community. Similarly, Sandeep, selling sugarcane juice is from a caste of sanitation workers. Sunita, from the Mallah community, is from Nayi Jhunsi and is selling Pual Aanti (straw pads) for Rs 25 apiece. People make their bed using these pads. Sunita doesn’t own any land. She bought straw from farmers of the village where her parents live.
In Sector 16, a Kewat woman is selling clay ovens, cow dung cakes and wood. She comes from Daraganj, which is a part of the Mela area. When I try to click her picture, she demands Rs 100. She says that unnecessary inquiries affect her business. Ram Lal Yadav from Tharwai police station area of Prayagraj district has come to the Mela with a camel. He charges Rs 50 for a camel ride over a distance of 200 metres.
There are tea-sellers galore at the Mela but a young man, dressed up as a Sadhu, selling tea has been drawing attention. A crowd has gathered around his stall. His name is Deepak Thakur and he comes from the Begusarai district of Bihar. He says that he has employed 10 children. Deepak has served as the pradhan (head) of his village for two terms. Banjaras from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, are selling rudraksh garlands and making tattoos. The video of a girl Mona from the community is viral on social media. In the earlier Kumbhs, people from Hathras and Jalaun could be seen selling heeng (asafoetida) and alta (a red paint which women apply to their feet). But they are nowhere to be seen this time. Muslims (Pasmanda) are nowhere to be seen. That is because the Akhadas officially and the state government unofficially have banned the entry of Muslims and other non-Hindus into the Mela area.
(Translation from the original Hindi by Amrish Herdenia)
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