In A Swirl Of Humanity, A Chance Encounter With A Saint
Kurt Vonnegut once said, "What makes life worth living are the saints. ... They can be longtime friends or someone I meet on a street. They find a way to behave decently in an indecent society."
And so it is with Gyanesh Kamal, a man I met at India's Kumbh Mela, one of the oldest festivals on Earth. To the uninitiated, this spiritual spectacle is a discombobulating din of prayers, loudspeakers and pilgrims so ceaseless it disorients the senses.
Tens of millions of Hindu pilgrims gather every 12 years for this festival that plays out on the banks of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in the northern city of Allahabad. Considered to be the world's largest religious festival, the Kumbh Mela lasts nearly two months, with the final bathing day this year on March 10.
On a recent visit, I randomly wandered into the compound of one akhara, or Hindu sect, that dates back 800 years, in search of someone who could enlighten me on the mysteries of this noise and devotion.
Out of nowhere a voice beckoned: "Can I help you?"
I swirled around and found a bear of a man, bespectacled and wrapped in layers of clothes that accentuated his girth.
His invitation began what was to be an eight-hour lesson in Hinduism and humanity.
A Lesson About Fire
Kamal, 56, said the basic tenet of Hinduism is "to know what you are." That earth, water, sky, air and fire are the five elements that life embodies, including the human body.
"Fire?" I asked incredulously.
"Love is a fire," he said, "cruelty is a fire, affection is fire. ... Fire is the beginning and the end in Hinduism. When fire came, man became civilized."
Enlarge image i