By Saket Suman

[Nasheman news] Prayagraj Hundreds of hoardings carrying the images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath dotted the streets of the holy town as millions from across India and abroad have descended here for the religious, spiritual and cultural congregation taking place barely three months ahead of the 2019 general elections.

The Kumbh Mela, which opened formally in the early hours of Tuesday with the first of the six ‘shahi Snan’ (royal bath), and is expected to draw over 15 crore pilgrims this year, is a sea of saffron and slogans such as “Modi tum sangharsh karo, hum tumhare saath hain” (Modi you lead the fight, we are with you) and “Mandir wahin banayenge” (temple will be built at the disputed site in Ayodhya) rent the air at the site.

Notably, both Modi and Yogi have waxed eloquent on the preparations for the holy dip, which according to legend, opens the doors to heaven. The Kumbh Mela administration officials told IANS that Yogi has resolved to provide an unforgettable pilgrimage experience to crores of devotees visiting Kumbh.

They say that Yogi has laid special emphasis on “blending the grand traditions of Kumbh with the deployment of modern techniques and solutions” so that the kalpavasis, spiritual gurus, dignitaries, foreign visitors and the pilgrims have a “life emancipating experience” during their visit to Prayagraj.

At a press conference on Monday, Prayagraj Commissioner Ashish Kumar Goyal told reporters that the state government is fully dedicated to providing a unique and fulfilling experience to visitors, highlighting that “there is no shortage of budget, we have sufficient funds”.

He maintained that the Chief Minister is personally monitoring the Kumbh Mela, and has advised officials to do everything that is needed.

The Kumbh is also the world’s largest religious congregation of its kind, making it a potential political playfield for the BJP that has a strong voter-base among the Hindus.

The 2019 Kumbh Mela is organised on a much wider scale than its previous editions and multiple tent cities, along with lakhs of new toilets have cropped up along the banks of the holy river Ganga. The historic city was also recently renamed from Allahabad by the BJP government.

Displayed here are multiple life-size hoardings welcoming pilgrims to Kumbh and they carry images of Modi and Yogi on either side with their messages. 

Such hoardings and posters are among the first sights that visitors arriving in the city encounter, and on the way leading up to the Sangam — the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna rivers and the mystical Saraswati — visitors are introduced to the various programmes and campaigns introduced and promoted by the BJP government.

One example of this is a massive yellow-coloured hoarding that appears near the Parade Ground on Kali Road, about 3 kms before the Sangam, that sings praises of the bonhomie between the Yogi-led Up government and the Modi-led NDA government at the centre. It states that in keeping with the piousness of the Ganga, the state of Uttar Pradesh is marching forward.

The hoarding, whose similar variations also appear in other parts of the city, states that Modi has allotted Rs 146.87 crores and Rs 52.76 crores towards Prayagraj District Sewerage Project and Prayagraj District Sewerage Network Project, respectively. The hoarding carries smiling pictures of Modi and Yogi on either sides, with the achievements of the BJP government inscribed at the bottom.

Another similar hoarding reads: “Ek dubki aastha ki, ek bhaav sadbhav ka” and displays a saint offering water to the Sun god. The smiling pictures of Modi and Yogi on either sides of the hoarding keep the visitors company here as well.

The Kumbh administration has built pontoon bridges that lead the visitors to the five-kilometre bathing ghat at Sangam. These bridges can only be reached after passing through the by-lanes of the city, which are dotted with hundreds of such hoardings and posters at regular intervals.

While several such hoardings in multiple colours and sizes attract the visitors visually, there are occasional political sloganeering in the praise of the two leaders that reverberate the Kumbh nagri.

Organised processions of men, women and sadhus were seen late on Monday evening, hailing lord Ram and calling for the construction of a grand Ram Temple at the disputed Babri Masjid site. Such slogans, almost routinely, shift from singing the praises of gods to those of PM Modi.

Visitors too seem to have entered the election mood as political conversations and predictions can be heard at roadside tea stalls and dhabas. This gathering of Hindu pilgrims also becomes significant for its political implications as Congress President Rahul Gandhi had recently set on a Mandir-hopping exercise before the state assembly elections.

The Kumbh Mela, 2019 is being held from January 15 to March 4, with six important bathing dates. Makar Sankranti, which falls on Tuesday, was the first of these dates for bathing, and officials expect over a crore devotees to take the holy dip on the first day of the fair.

[Nasheman news] New DelhiResidents in the national capital woke up to a misty morning on Tuesday as the minimum temperature settled for 6 degreeS Celsius, a notch below the season’s average.

“It was cloudy in the morning along with mist. There will be haze and smog later in the day with no chances of rainfall,” an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.

According to the IMD, the cold wave situation is going to continue for the day owing to which the maximum temperature in Delhi is likely to hover around 19.5 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season’s average, while the minimum may settle at 5 degrees.

However, there was improvement in the air quality as the quality index improved to ‘poor’ from ‘very poor’ on Monday. 

According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index at 9 a.m was 213 which prominent pollutant particles being PM 2.5 and PM 10.

At least 13 trains headed towards the national capital were delayed due to fog.

On Monday, the minimum settled at 8 degrees Celsius, a notch above the season’s average.

[Nasheman news] Prayagra Thousands of devotees took a holy dip here at the Sangam — the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna and the mystical Saraswati rivers — on Tuesday morning, on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti and marking the onset of the Kumbh Mela.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged devotees to participate in the Kumbh Mela, which is organised at a much wider scale this year than its previous editions, to witness India’s spiritual, cultural and social diversities.

Elaborate security arrangements were in place and pontoon bridges have been constructed to lead the visitors to the 5-km bathing ghat at Sangam. 

Security personnel have been deployed at all entry and exit points of these bridges to maintain law and order.

Soon after midnight, throngs of devotees who have gathered here for the fair from within the country and abroad, began proceeding towards the bathing ghats. Loud religious chantings as well as melodious singing of ‘bhajans’ reverberated through the by-lanes of the city for most of the night.

In an absolute electrifying setting, visitors reached the ghats that were lit up like Diwali in a hue of multiple colours, amid heightened security and waited for the “Shahi Snan” (royal bath) to begin.

The moment arrived just before dawn when, with prayers in their breath, the visitors took the holy dip in the water as cold as ice.

About 13 ‘akharas’ will be participating in the “Shahi Snan” on Tuesday with each being allocated about 45 minutes by the Kumbh authorities. The ceremonial bath is drawing huge crowds as devotees continue to arrive here in large numbers.

Prime Minister Modi posted a video on Twitter shortly after the “Shahi Snan” ceremony began, marking the official beginning of the fair.

The “Shahi Snan” is considered among the most significant components of the Kumbh Mela, and is supposed to begin at a certain hour.

The Kumbh Mela is held every six years, while the Maha Kumbh takes place every 12 years.

According to officials, about 15 crore devotees are expected to partake in the pilgrimage, which, according to legends, opens the doors to heaven.

Over 40,000 LED lights have been used by the administration to light up the bathing ghats as well as illuminate the historic city.

The Kumbh Mela will reach its culmination on March 4, which alo marks the Maha Shivratri, the last of the six dates for “Shahi Snan”.

[Nasheman news] SrinagarAn intense cold wave hit the Kashmir Valley on Tuesday, bringing down temperatures several notches below the freezing point

An official of the MET Department said the weather would remain generally cloudy during the next 24 hours.

The valley is presently witnessing the 40-day long period of harsh winter cold called the ‘Chillai Kalan’, which started on December 21 and is likely to end on January 30.

The minimum temperature was minus 5.8 degrees Celsius in Srinagar on Monday while in Pahalgam and Gulmargm it was minus 12.3 and minus 10.0, respectively.

Leh town recorded minus 17.5 degrees Celsius while Kargil had minus 19.2 as the night’s lowest temperature.

At minus 26.6 degrees Celsius, Drass was the coldest in Jammu and Kashmir.

Jammu city recorded 3.5 degrees Celsius, Katra 5.3, Batote 1.5, Bannihal 3.2 and Bhaderwah minus 1.8 as the minimum temperatures.