HISTORICAL FACTS: Kumbh event - Caught on Camera

What Happens to River Fish and Turtles When Lakhs Wade In for Two Days

A river does not experience a mass pilgrimage the way a road does. The road gets crowded, then empties. The river absorbs the crowd chemically, biologically, and physically, and carries the evidence downstream for days after the last pilgrim has left. What Dissolved Oxygen Has to Do With a Human…

Times Life · 1h ago

The Lutyens blind spot: Mark Tully saw the English media’s disconnect with ordinary Indians

In 1991, Mark Tully, by then the face of the BBC in India and one of the most recognisable foreign broadcasters covering the country, turned a critical gaze towards the English-language news media in India.

Newslaundry · Jan 29

Ganga purity study was shady from the start. But media amplified it unquestioned

On February 20, the Uttar Pradesh government issued a statement which quoted a Padma Shri awardee scientist to “debunk doubts” about the purity of Ganga water amid the Mahakumbh. This came days after the Central Pollution Control Board had pointed out that faecal coliform levels in the river were 13…

Newslaundry · Mar 4, 2025

Mahakumbh waters unsafe for bathing: A report finds faecal bacteria 13 times over safe limit

A Central Pollution Control Board report filed in the National Green Tribunal reveals that at several ghats in Prayagraj, where crores of devotees are attending the Mahakumbh, the water is unfit for bathing. In some locations, faecal coliform levels – indicating human and animal waste – were 13 times the…

Newslaundry · Feb 18, 2025

‘There has been an awakening’: ancient sects on the rise in Modi’s India

Some 400 million devotees will attend this year’s Kumbh Mela festival. Pilgrims and politicians explain why it’s bigger than ever

The Guardian - UK · Feb 16, 2025

India's Hindu Mega-festival Supercharges Economy

The unfathomable scale of the world's largest religious festival in India overshadows many nations in size -- and for the economy, its impact is just as dramatic.

International Business Times · Feb 12, 2025

Maha Kumbh: President Murmu takes holy dip at Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj

The President was received by the UP Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath upon her arrival at Prayagraj. Read further on Dynamite News:

Dynamite News · Feb 10, 2025

Reverence for the sacred waters of the Ganga and belief in its power to wash away sins bring millions to India’s Maha Kumbh festival

Millions of people have been visiting Prayagraj, a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, to take part in the Maha Kumbh festival – a six-week-long event that began on Jan. 13, 2025.

The Conversation · Feb 5, 2025

Akhilesh laments on Maha Kumbh stampede: "Log punye kamane aaye the aur apno ke shav lekar gaye"

Akhilesh Yadav was participating in the debate on the motion of thanks on the President's Address. A must read on Dynamite News:

Dynamite News · Feb 4, 2025

Maha Kumbh: What preps in Prayagraj for Basant Panchami Amrit Snan tomorrow? Full details...

After the stampede-like situation on Mauni Amavasya January 29, the State Government has made eleborate arrangements for Basant Panchami to avoid any such unpleasant situation. Must read further for details on Dynamite News:

Dynamite News · Feb 2, 2025