Maha Kumbh a template for people to come together for nation’s development: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said researchers in the spiritual field will study the enthusiasm of millions of Indians who participated in the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj and will find that India, proud of its heritage, is now moving forward with new energy. He said he is confident that the nation has become “stronger” after witnessing the scenes at the Maha Kumbh.

“I believe this is the beginning of a new era, which is going to write India’s new future,” he said blog after the conclusion of the Maha Kumbh. He said the gathering should serve as a template for people to come together for the nation’s development.

“Just as in the Maha Kumbh of unity, every devotee, whether poor or rich, young or old, from within the country or abroad, from the village or the city, from the East or the West, from the North or the South, of any caste or ideology, all came together for the great Yajna of unity. This memorable scene of One India, Great India became a grand celebration of self-confidence among millions of citizens. Now, we must come together for the Maha Yajna of a developed India,” he said.

He said through the Maha Kumbh, the people of India and the world witnessed the immense power and grandeur of India’s potential. Modi added that Indians should now move forward with this self-confidence and unity to fulfil the resolve of a developed India.

“This is a power of India that our saints in the Bhakti movement awakened in every corner of the nation. Whether it was Swami Vivekananda or Sri Aurobindo, each one made us aware of it. Mahatma Gandhi also felt this power during the freedom struggle. If, after independence, we had understood this vast power of India and directed it towards the welfare and happiness of all, this power could have become a tremendous force for a post-colonial India. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do that at the time. But now, I feel satisfaction and joy knowing that the same power of the people is uniting for a developed India,” he said.

He said the scenes at the Maha Kumbh made him believe that Indians have become stronger in the last 45 days, “...My faith in the bright future of the nation has become stronger manifold...The way 140 crore countrymen made the Maha Kumbh of unity in Prayagraj a great identity of today’s world is amazing,” said Modi, who took a dip at the confluence of three rivers in Prayagraj on February 5.

“When the consciousness of a nation is awakened, when it breaks all the shackles of the mentality of slavery of hundreds of years and starts breathing in the air with a new consciousness, then a similar scene appears, as we saw in the Maha Kumbh of unity in Prayagraj since January 13.”

He said the Maha Kumbh has become a subject of study for modern-day management professionals, and planning and policy experts. “Today, there is no comparison to such a massive event anywhere else in the world; there is no other example like it. The entire world is amazed at how, at the banks of a river, at the Triveni Sangam, such a large number of people, in the millions, gathered. These millions of people had neither formal invitations nor prior information about when to arrive. They simply set out for the Maha Kumbh... and by taking a dip in the sacred Sangam, they were blessed,” he wrote.

The Uttar Pradesh government said as of Wednesday 660 million visitors took the dip at the Sangam. Special arrangements such as additional flights, trains, and buses were pressed into service to help devotees and visitors reach Prayagraj.

Modi said on January 22, 2024, during the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, he spoke about the connection between devotion to God and patriotism, and in Prayagraj, the awakened consciousness of the nation was witnessed. “This Maha Kumbh was a Maha Kumbh of unity, where the faith of 140 crore citizens of the country came together at one time through this one festival,” he said.

He said the images of men, women, and children from across regions were “heartwarming” and the participation of India’s youth in the Maha Kumbh sends a very strong message. “It reaffirms the belief that India’s younger generation is the carrier of our values and culture, and they understand their responsibility to take it forward, remaining determined and dedicated to it,” he said.

Modi underlined the unifying sentiment of the Maha Kumbh and said the number of people who visited Prayagraj set a new record. He added people who returned from the Kumbh took the Triveni Tirth (water) with them for those who could not travel. “This is something that has never happened in the past few decades. It is something that has laid the foundation for many centuries to come,” he said.

Modi, who represents Varanasi in the Lok Sabha, praised the Uttar Pradesh government and the administration for the arrangements made to cater to the millions of people who turned up in Prayagraj. “The number of devotees who reached Prayagraj was far greater than what had been imagined. One reason for this was that the administration had estimated the numbers based on previous Kumbh experiences. However, nearly twice the population of the United States participated in the Maha Kumbh of unity and took the sacred dip...”

As a member of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh, he said he was “proud to say that under the leadership of [chief minister] Yogi [Adityanath] Ji, the government, administration, and the public worked together to make this Maha Kumbh a success.”

“Whether at the Centre or the state, there were no rulers or administrators—everyone was a servant, filled with devotion. Our sanitation workers, police personnel, boatmen, drivers, and food preparers all worked with full devotion to make this Maha Kumbh a success. Especially, the residents of Prayagraj, who, despite facing many challenges, served the devotees with unmatched dedication during these 45 days, deserve our deepest gratitude. I express my heartfelt thanks and congratulations to all the residents of Prayagraj and the people of Uttar Pradesh.”