What: In 2013, a team of skilled designers, filmmakers, photographers and scriptwriters collaborated with Anugraha (a design and publishing initiative) and spent a little over six weeks at the Mahakumbh in Allahabad (Prayag), documenting one of the biggest faith gatherings on earth.
<img title="Pilgrims with their belongings walk through the mela streets, view from from atop the Shastri Bridge (Volume 2: History, Mythology, Belief). Pics courtesy/ Anugraha" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2015/jul/22Pilgrims.jpg" alt="Pilgrims with their belongings walk through the mela streets, view from from atop the Shastri Bridge (Volume 2: History, Mythology, Belief). Pics courtesy/ Anugraha" /> Pilgrims with their belongings walk through the mela streets, view from from atop the Shastri Bridge (Volume 2: History, Mythology, Belief).&nbsp; Pics courtesy/ Anugraha
It took place on the banks of the Sangam &mdash; the confluence of the holy rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. The Madhoor Group funded the project. Now, the team has put together The Kumbh Mela Experience, a three-day event featuring an exhibit preview from the book launch, documentary screenings, dance performances and curated talks.
<img title="Night shot of the Kumbh Mela, Allahabad, 2013 (Volume 1: Place, Time, Astronomy)" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2015/jul/22Kumbh-Mela.jpg" alt="Night shot of the Kumbh Mela, Allahabad, 2013 (Volume 1: Place, Time, Astronomy)" /> Night shot of the Kumbh Mela, Allahabad, 2013 (Volume 1: Place, Time, Astronomy)
How: The central exhibit showcases photographs, stories and excerpts from Being In It And Being Of It, a contemporary visual handbook divided into eight volumes comprising different themes of the mela. The books will be launched at the event.
<img title="Women in community kitchens offering their service by making meals for mela attendees. (Volume 4: Seva, Sadhana, Satsang)" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2015/jul/Women-in-community-kitchens.jpg" alt="Women in community kitchens offering their service by making meals for mela attendees. (Volume 4: Seva, Sadhana, Satsang)" /> Women in community kitchens offering their service by making meals for mela attendees. (Volume 4: Seva, Sadhana, Satsang)
From an Australian farmer who trotted across continents with his family to build his very own boat for the Kumbh to Mauni Baba, who has taken a vow of silence for 30 years and communicates only through writing, the books (with 1,600 images) cover a range of stories.
<img title="A milkman pours a litre of milk into the Ganga from atop the Shastri bridge before he begins his day&rsquo;s delivery to his customers (Volume 7: Faith, Fate, Worship)" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2015/jul/Ganga.jpg" alt="A milkman pours a litre of milk into the Ganga from atop the Shastri bridge before he begins his day&rsquo;s delivery to his customers (Volume 7: Faith, Fate, Worship)" /> A milkman pours a litre of milk into the Ganga from atop the Shastri bridge before he begins his day&rsquo;s delivery to his customers (Volume 7: Faith, Fate, Worship)
<img title="On a cold night, eager disciples hearing a sermon from their Guru as the Kumbh landscape transforms into a mega university for its duration (Volume 5: Guru, Disciple, University)" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2015/jul/kumbh.jpg" alt="On a cold night, eager disciples hearing a sermon from their Guru as the Kumbh landscape transforms into a mega university for its duration (Volume 5: Guru, Disciple, University)" /> On a cold night, eager disciples hearing a sermon from their Guru as the Kumbh landscape transforms into a mega university for its duration (Volume 5: Guru, Disciple, University)
<img title="The banks by the Sangam curtained into colourful quadrants as morning bathers dry their clothes (Volume 8: Services, Sellers, Spectacle)" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2015/jul/kumbh-2.jpg" alt="The banks by the Sangam curtained into colourful quadrants as morning bathers dry their clothes (Volume 8: Services, Sellers, Spectacle)" /> The banks by the Sangam curtained into colourful quadrants as morning bathers dry their clothes (Volume 8: Services, Sellers, Spectacle)
<img title="Householders lead a life of Kalpvas (renunciates) for a month, leaving behind the comforts of worldly life, living by the banks of the Ganga. (Volume 6: Abstinence, Penance, Charity)" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2015/jul/kumbh-3.jpg" alt="Householders lead a life of Kalpvas (renunciates) for a month, leaving behind the comforts of worldly life, living by the banks of the Ganga. (Volume 6: Abstinence, Penance, Charity)" /> Householders lead a life of Kalpvas (renunciates) for a month, leaving behind the comforts of worldly life, living by the banks of the Ganga. (Volume 6: Abstinence, Penance, Charity)
Conversations At The Kumbh Mela, a 56-minute long documentary directed by Yashodara Udupa, will also be screened at the event. Other highlights include a classical dance performance by Miti Desai, a musical performance by Carnatic and Hindustani Classical vocalists Vedanth Bharadwaj and Bindhu Malini, as well as a presentation by Gangadharan Menon.
Where: From July 25 to 27, 10 am to 6.30 pm At: Warli Gallery, Nehru Centre, Discovery of India building, Worli. For the full schedule, Log on to: www.facebook.com/events/130175797314837 RSVP info@thekumbhmelaexperience.com Call: 25065355

In 2013, a team of skilled designers, filmmakers, photographers and scriptwriters collaborated with Anugraha (a design and publishing initiative) and spent a little over six weeks at the Mahakumbh in Allahabad (Prayag), documenting one of the biggest faith gatherings on earth

Documenting the Kumbh Mela at Allahabad in 2013

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