Maha Kumbh Mela is the largest religious gathering in the world, occurring once every 12 years. It is believed that divine nectar (अमृत - amrita) flows in the veins of the sacred rivers of India during this time. It is hosted in Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nashik on a rotational basis. The Maha Kumbh Mela spans over two months (Paush - Magh) and features four to six major bath (शाही स्नान - Shahi Snan) events on designated days according to Indian calendar. Bathing in the holy river on these auspicious days supposedly grants spiritual purification. Although the Kumbh Mela has a tradition of about 2000+ years, The Shahi Snan concept is said to be introduced in Akbar's Era, as the king would take a dip in the holy waters himself. 

Millions of people gather for this occasion, tolerate the unruly crowds, unhygienic conditions, unreliable accommodation and food, risk stampedes, and other overcrowding-related hazards in order to pay their respects, cleanse their souls, and attain spiritual merit. The local hygeine and law-and-order systems are pushed to their limits during these two months. Even then, there are millions more who covet going but are unable to go. They make donations to local priests and temples and offer prayers remotely, often requesting some kind of Prasad. Devotees who cannot go, often feel a Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO), even a misplaced religious guilt, sometimes.

Do you have a deep sense of FOMO about missing the Mahakumbh? Are you too busy to go to Prayagraj? Do you have physical limitations for traveling that far? Do you not have enough money to cover the travel expenses? Do you spend much time watching the Kumbh Mela coverage on TV, wishing you had a chance to take a holy dip yourself? Do you have angst for crowds but have great faith in the benefits of ‘Shahi Snaan’? Do you truly believe that even though the Triveni Sangam water is not practically hygienic, it is unquestionably holy? Worry no more, we have a perfect solution for you! 

In a stroke of ‘entrepreneurial genius’, a new advertisement has surfaced, and gone viral on social media, promising that a mere photocopy of your face will be enough to absolve your sins. Just take a nice photograph of yourself and send it to us on WhatsApp, we will take a print, and our representative will take a holy dip on your behalf in the Ganges, holding your photo. Pay us a meager amount of just Rs. 500 for our service, and we will bring back an abundance of pious, spiritual merit for you!

Enterprising minds have figured out how to cleanse your soul without you ever having to leave the comfort of your homes, or without having to take a break from your domestic/professional responsibilities. Gone are the days when you had to brave the chaotic riverside crowds, extremely unhygienic waters, and unkempt lodging to attain salvation. What a deal! What fantasy! 

The belief in gaining spiritual merit through rituals is so deep-rooted in our public psyche, that we strive to attain salvation by any direct or indirect means. When we learn about impending visits to holy places by some relatives or friends, we voluntarily tell them to pay respects on our behalf, often adding a monetary token of our devotion. There are many of us, who send monthly or annual donations to religious places of worship, and ask the local priests to perform rituals like Abhishek / Pooja in our names, believing that the good merit and holy blessings from the rituals will reach us directly.

And this very tendency lies at the root of the ‘holy scam’ currently going on. Clearly, they understand the urban devotee’s plight - too busy to step out, yet too guilty to ignore religious obligations. This ‘noble service’ ensures that your ancestors, watching from the heavens, do not shake their heads in disappointment as you skip yet another important religious gathering.

The concept is time-tested. People are bound to fall victim to it. They will desperately want to believe in the schemes. Some would devoutly pay thousands of rupees for every person in the family. And truth be told, some would try to scam the scammers by sending a group photo in order to ‘get a discount’! 

The idea is innovative, I’ll give them that! After all, we live in an era where for the right price, we can get almost everything done without leaving the comfort of our homes. These people are simply offering the ‘Ultimate Work from Home Salvation Package’, nothing less. Today, we can work from home, have groceries, necessities, and indulgences delivered at a click, we can even date or maintain relationships virtually, why should salvation require physical presence? Especially when the concept itself is metaphysical?

The Remote Salvation Advertisement

If this works, it opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Why stop at just one holy dip? Why not introduce a premium package? For example, with Rs. 1,000, an ‘Extra Sin Cleansing. For Rs. 2,000, a ‘VIP Dip’ - perhaps with a slightly longer submersion time or a special prayer chanted on your behalf. A video recording of the dip at an extra charge. Couple or Family discounts, Large Group Discounts, for 10,000 a complete package of participating in ‘Shahi Snaan’ on all the important days and at all the holy places concerned… Perhaps a ‘Mahakumbh NFT’—where a blockchain-verified image of you taking a dip is created and stored in the cloud, ensuring digital redemption for eternity. With a few AI-generated chants and a VR simulation, soon we might not even need a real river - just a metaverse version of it. Imagine logging into ‘HolyDip.io’ and watching a 3D-rendered version of your own photocopy float in a sacred CGI river… The possibilities are endless when Faith Meets Fintech!!

Jokes and fantasies aside, this incident sheds light on a much larger issue: the commercialization of faith. The blending of religion and business is nothing new, but as technology evolves, so do the methods of extracting money from the faithful. While faith is personal and deeply rooted in belief systems, there is always someone ready to capitalize on it.

I am truly appalled at the sheer audacity of the proprietor! How dare they take advantage of people’s simple faiths and emotions? This is an awful scam shamelessly, unapologetically advertised in the open. But you know what’s worse? That the atmosphere in our pious country is conducive to such a ‘brilliant business idea’. Even if the so-called proprietors do what they promise, it’s definitely a scam. Simple people like you and me can easily understand that. And yet, it is simple people like you and me, who help these ‘businesses’ thrive. 

First of all, our beliefs have to be subjected to uncomfortable questions. Only then can we question these fraudulent mechanizations. 

For an eternity, agents and middlemen have existed between devotees and divinity. Priests offering ‘special blessings’ for a ‘special fee’, the so-called holy men promising prosperity with the right fee, temple trusts and tour operators selling ‘VIP darshan’ packages, are not new. Truth be told, the business of religion is as old as religion itself. What is fascinating and repulsive at the same time is, how modern technology has merely given these age-old practices a digital makeover, and how we, the ‘modern people’, are getting fooled into believing in pseudo-rituals, yet again!!!

- Rucha Mulay
kartavyasadhana@gmail.com

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