Monday12 Mar 11:33 AM

Kumbha Mela Slideshow + Burning Man
While investigating this controversial piece at Time, which highlights Swami Agnivesh's protest of blind faith and superstition at the Kumbh Mela —and in Hinduism at large — I stumbled upon something much cooler: this absolutely stunning slideshow on the 2007 Ardha Kumbha Mela featuring photographs and narration by Prashant Panjiar.
I love how the piece paints the Nagas as "rock stars" over the lovely, grungy guitar noodling.
Photographs from the Melas always remind me of Burning Man, but somehow Panjiar's slideshow inspired a full-blown, albeit perverse, daydream —to combine the two festivals. The full Kumbh happens six years from now at the beginning of 2013 —right at the dawn of the much ballyhooed end of history— an event horizon that Souljerky pal Daniel Pinchbeck has been cheerleading in his most recent book.
In some ways, the Burning Man festival is an infant kin to the Kumbh, the grandfather of massive human gatherings. They both involve rootless, tribal, cosmopolitanism; pilgrimage, ritual, nakedness, & tents...
On the other hand, it could be a really bad idea...
Image Credits: Images 1-3 by Prashant Panjiar for Time, Inc. ©2007; & images 4 & 5, ©Tristan Savatier.
Here's a few more posts about Kumbha Mela at Souljerky.
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Wed 18 Apr 2007 at 10:31AM
HelloWorld
Peace people
We love you
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Please be nice.