VOL 6: abstinence, penance, charity

What does one do at the Kumbh? Surrender completely. Even if it is only for the duration of the Mela. This sentiment forms the basis of kalpavas, a practice exclusive to the Mela held in Prayag.

Abstinence, Penance, Charity form the belief system of the kalpavasis, practitioners of this ideology. They are ordinary people who forgo their lives as they know it, to be at the Mela, detached from the profane. Acts of prayer, service and devotion are rolled into a daily regime and followed dutifully. Gestures of charity are encouraged to bridge the gap that separates the privileged from the poor. In addition to the voices of the kalpavasis, this book contains vivid accounts of an anthropologist, an NGO committed to providing free medical aid to the Kumbh attendees, a prominent priest and a man determined to unfurl his cures from the back of a bike.