Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said no other event in the world conveys a more powerful message of harmony and unity than Maha Kumbh where anyone can take a dip in the Ganga irrespective of identity.
People across the world are in awe after watching the scale on which the Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj has been organised, he said, speaking after inaugurating the Hindu Spiritual & Service Fair, also known as Hindu Adhyatmik Seva Mela, at the Gujarat University grounds here. Ambassadors of various countries requested him for “invitation cardsâ€, said the senior BJP leader. “I told them there is no formal invitation for this mega gathering, because crores of people converge here on their own at a specific time as per the alignment of the planets,†Shah added. They could not believe that 40 crore people gather at a place without any invitation, he said. When asked who organises the whole thing, “I told them what the government does is very small in comparison to what religious leaders, saints and their organisations do for the people going there,†said the minister.
“Kumbh gives a message of harmony and unity because no one asks which religion, sect or caste you belong to. You will get food without any discrimination and go back home after taking a holy dip. No other event in the world conveys a more powerful message of harmony and unity than Maha Kumbh,†Shah said.
Despite such a large number of pilgrims gathering, no one lives in hotels because everyone gets accommodation in the tents on the banks of the Ganga, noted the Union minister. Such arrangements have been there for ages, even during the Mughal and British rules and when Congress was in power, he noted, while urging the people of Gujarat, especially the younger generation, to visit Maha Kumbh. He himself will visit Maha Kumbh on January 27 to take a holy dip in the Ganga, Shah said.
