Heer Donda

In my sight was a melee,
one that I had never seen.
10 million travelling in the same direction,
to witness, following
144 years,
the ethereal site.

The beaming sun was a blanket covering us all.
Mothers restlessly carried their small children,
middle-aged men held sacks on their heads,
and excited foreigners scrutinised the scene.
Everyone strived to complete the final kilometers.

Different it was:
The usual cacophony of traffic,
now a repeating rhythm of footsteps.
An area without internet; no phones to distract.
Disconnected from the daily echoes of a busy life,
we stood where time had lost its influence.

Relief spread through the crowd,
like waves along a shore.
People failed to notice the pearls of sweat
rolling down their faces,
as the water was finally in sight.

Some chatted with their relatives,
inundated with happiness.
Others prayed before the horizon,
lost in self-thought and reflection.

People immersed themselves,
at the point where they all met:
Ganges, Yamuna and Sarasvati.

Amid the thick wall that modernisation created,
it was relieving to know the faith can still break through,
as humanity reunited to celebrate and cherish.

The Maha Kumbh Mela—a transcendent moment.