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Home , Kumbh Mela

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing & Management Review______ISSN 2319-2836 APJMMR, Vol.3 (8), AUGUST (2014), pp. 9-13 Online available at indianresearchjournals.com

A CASE STUDY ON KUMBHMELA – THE MARKET PROMOTER

R VAIDEHI

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF MBA, VELAMMAL ENGINEERING COLLEGE, AMBATTUR-REDHILLS HIGH ROAD, VELAMMAL NAGAR, CHENNAI.

Purpose of the case:

 To discuss why kumbhmela is the most famous religious gathering & how well this natural market promotes various sectors.  To illustrate the marketing mix in place.

The dusk was moving away as a gloom of darkness was taking its position. There was a gentle drizzle in the air and the breeze was flowing across. Mohan had a puff over his cigar and a gentle sip on his cup of tea as he turned towards his pack of cards. “Ram”, as he gently uttered,” the tradition and culture in is taking a new shape nowadays. It is very much evident from the drastic shift in attire, people have nowadays”. “Off course Mohan, things are changing. The preferences, taste choices, attitudes of people are moving towards modernization. It is inevitable”. Kiran put forth his words as he took a club of ace from the pile. “But still people want to continue with the traditions that their ancestors have left. Festivals, ceremonies, rituals are all part of their life. They still provide importance to these programmes despite their routine work. They have a firm belief on these attributes and want to carry on the tradition along with them”, said Ranjith, as he took a card from the pile. “A number of festivals have been part & parcel of hindu tradition from time immemorial.

To name a few are Makar , Gokulashtami, etc. They depict culture by the methods they are celebrated.” Kiran provided his view as he was looking for a card in spade,” But there is one festival in India which has made the world to look back. Being celebrated once in 12 years, people throng in millions to take a holy bath in river .Over the bridges over the river, there are tens of thousands, shouting, chanting, singing, thrusting spears and tridents into the air, some painted orange, some wrapped in pink or saffron robes, some naked, some wearing crowns and capes, some bearded, some with swords, some with long matted hair, some adolescent, some old enough to have seen British rule, barefoot and hobbling forward, possessed by some mysterious mystical glee, down, into the Ganges they come.” Ram provided his viewpoint. “It’s Kumbhmela. Am I right” responded Mohan. Ram immediately replied “Yes, you are right. And its history & marketing attributes are relatively interesting to discuss with”. Ram went on with providing the history & other attributes of Kumbhmela.

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing & Management Review______ISSN 2319-2836 APJMMR, Vol.3 (8), AUGUST (2014), pp. 9-13 Online available at indianresearchjournals.com

1. HISTORY: The KumbhMela derives from , which tells of the ancient sky-borne struggle between gods and demons over a pot, or kumbh, which contained Amrita , the immortal nectar. During the ferocious battle a few drops sloshed from the kumbh and fell to four locations on the Ganges: , , Nasik and . To commemorate this holy event, the KumbhMela is held every three years, rotating among the four cities, meaning that each city hosts every 12 years. Home-made movies of the Mela play on shop televisions along the street. It is the same video burned countless times onto writable DVDs. It shows hundreds of Naga , completely naked and covered in ash, gathered in a circle. In the center two men swing swords around in the air as if attacking invisible bees. Occasionally they rush at each other and clang the blades together, and then fall apart, convulsing as if possessed by demons. It is the final night of the festival and these events, played over and over again, happened months ago. The main feature for the during the is the ritual bath in the river by pilgrims. Other activities include; feeding holy men, women and the poor, singing religious songs and prayers, scholarly and spiritual debates. The most arresting visible element of the Kumbh mela is the presence of the holy men and women, normally living in isolated spots in the remote areas of the Himalayas, denying all trappings of the material world, often naked and covered in grey ash, the holy men or sadhus descend for the mountain retreats and attend the mela. The observance of Kumbh Mela dates back many centuries in Ancient India, to the Vedic period, where the river festivals first started getting organised. In Hindu mythology, its origin is found the one of the popular creation myths and the Hindu theories on evolution, the episode (Churning of the ocean of milk), which finds mention in the Srimad Bhagavatam, Purana, the and the .

2. A GLOBAL MEETING ON ASTROLOGY For the first time in the history of Prayag, there was also a "Jyotish Mahakumb," or a global meeting on the science of Astrology from January 19 to 21. This was held at the Prashasan where more than 2,000 of the world's top astrologers, gem therapists, occultists, clairvoyants, etc., participated. It was organized by the Prachya Vidhya Jyotish Adhyanevam Anusandhan Sansthan (PVJAAS) with the primary motive of promoting a scientific slant to an age old science that is often shaded in mystery or controversy. In light of the fact that the main bathing days and the time of the Kumbhmela is calculated astrologically, such a gathering would seem most appropriate for the Mela.

3. TRIVIAL OBSERVATIONS:

3.1) VIRTUAL COVERAGE OF THE MELA: Like no other year before, this Kumbhmela was also given much coverage over the internet. There were many sites that had coverage, but there was a special site at: www.webdunia.com. Unfortunately for us English speaking people it was in Hindi. Nonetheless, for those in India this site provided the means for the faithful to witness the sacred aspects of the festival, such as a "virtual bath," for those who couldn't attend personally in over 150 countries. The site was also updated every four hours with new stories, photographs, and information. Furthermore, the Kumbhmela also had two cyber cafes that provided online information about the city, the

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing & Management Review______ISSN 2319-2836 APJMMR, Vol.3 (8), AUGUST (2014), pp. 9-13 Online available at indianresearchjournals.com festival, accommodations, weather, and to help people, such as media personnel, to communicate outside.

3.2) MEDIA COVERAGE: Not only was there virtual coverage, there was more media coverage than ever before. Such big names as the BBC, CNN, Stern magazine from Germany, NHK Japan Broadcasting, and Mainaichi Broadcasting System from Tokyo were covering the Mela. The major news organizations started arriving on January 2, when registration started. Other journalists and photographers also arrived later. Over 30 tents were provided for the visiting journalists, with most of them reserved in advance. The spiritual channel, Aastha, was present with a 125 member crew with ten cameras, after having been granted the rights to telecast the daily events of the Mela.

3.3) CONVEYANCE: AIR: The nearest airport (135 kms) is connected by Indian Airlines flights from Agra, Bhubaneswar, Mumbai,Delhi,Khajuraho andLucknow.

RAIL: Allahabad is an important rail terminus connected by rail with all the major cities in India.

ROAD: Allahabad is connected by road with the major cities in India. Important road distances from Allahabad are:- Agra 483 kms, Delhi 612 kms, 227 kms, Lumbini 406 kms, Khajuraho 294 kms, Varanasi 127 kms.

BUS SERVICE:

Direct buses are available from Allahabad to Chitrakoot, Ayodhya, Varanasi, Lucknow and Kanpur. This promotes the growth of transportation industry.

STAYING THERE:

There are many tent colonies springing up in and near Allahabad. Many of them promise activities like classes, Kerala herbal oil massage and naturotherapy, a resident astrologer, crafts, live performances and even an internet connection. The rates of these luxury tents range from Rs 1000 to Rs 2000 for Indians and $25 to $ 50 a day for foreigners. With the throng of tourists and devotees likely to descend this year you'd be better off if you get an advance booking. This promotes the growth of small entrepreneurs and tourism industry.

3.4) SPIRITUAL TOURISM:

Joining them are the spiritual tourists who come to India in search of self. In the hustle, bustle and devotion that permeates the place they manage to find a semblance of self. In the

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing & Management Review______ISSN 2319-2836 APJMMR, Vol.3 (8), AUGUST (2014), pp. 9-13 Online available at indianresearchjournals.com earlier years there was not much difference between the prince and the pauper and they were all a part of the crowd. This year however, there are big players in the picture. With giant tour and travel companies like Thomas Cook and Cox & Kings putting it in their tour itinerary, tourists are unlikely to face the problems they did earlier. At a distance from the maddening crowds, apart from other comforts, these special tents are even equipped with money changing facilities.

3.5) TRAFFIC PROBLEMS: For one thing, as you can imagine, there were serious traffic problems within the city of Allahabad. Some local workers could no longer drive cars to work because of the number of people on the streets of the city. They had to resort to using bicycles to get to work for several weeks. As groups of 10 to 50 pilgrims would come by train, bus or cars and make their way to the KumbhMela camps in unending processions, the city could do nothing but cope and make way. The train and bus stations were filled with arriving and waiting pilgrims milling around or sleeping in whatever space they could find. Trying to get out of Allahabad was sometimes more difficult than trying to get in. As the time drew closer to the Day (the new moon), more and more people were streaming into the KumbhMela grounds. There had been seen a four-fold increase in vehicular traffic since the 1989 Mela, and certain vehicles used in the past, like bullock carts, were no where to be seen. By the time Amavasya arrived, no cars or trucks were allowed into the grounds or to drive along the streets of the Mela grounds for a day. There was room only for the huge crowds.

3.6) SECURITY AND THE POTENTIAL FOR TERRORISTS: In view of the fact that there would be as many as 70 million people visiting the KumbhMela and taking bath in the waters at the sangam ( of the Ganges, and Sarasvati) over the course of the 41 day festival, there were plenty of police and military keeping guard. Thousands of police, military personnel, and volunteers stood guard against any militant attacks or other dangerous incidents. They also used 10 minesweeper vehicles to comb the grounds, six teams of naval divers to monitor any suspicious activities under the water, as well as sniffer dogs to help watch for any danger to the pilgrims. For terrorist organization, the festival is considered a soft or easy target because of the sheer size of it. Naturally, it may have been fairly easy to get in and cause a major disaster against the numerous pilgrims in any part of the festival. It also would have been one of the most cowardly and deceitful ways of attacking Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist pilgrims who had congregated for the festival. In the attempt to watch for snipers, 20 highly sensitive closed circuit television cameras were also used. These could photograph a person from 1.5 kilometers away, even under street lights. The use of underwater nets was also used to sieve out any underwater mines which may have been placed in the river by the militants to reach the sangam, where most of the people would be.

4) POLITICS AT THE MELA: Naturally, there could not be the avoidance of politics being played out at the Mela, although few pilgrims took notice. During the visits of VIP, just being in the vicinity puts the security personnel under even more stress than they are already, especially when she wanted to tour some of the Mela grounds and meet a number of the religious heads. History has shown when visits by VIPs have caused

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing & Management Review______ISSN 2319-2836 APJMMR, Vol.3 (8), AUGUST (2014), pp. 9-13 Online available at indianresearchjournals.com stampedes when people tried to see them. That is why Jawaharlal Nehru, when a Prime Minister, suggested the VIPs keep out of such Melas. They gained favor simply by its sensitivity to the needs of the people.

5) POPULARITY OF THE KUMBHMELA: Every year there were hundreds if not thousands of Western tourists and pilgrims who attended, seeking an amazing experience of Indian culture, or maybe . Even the hippies of the Rainbow Festival had their camp near the woods. However, even the stars of Hollywood were said to have visited or had wanted to. It was the British tour operator Cox & Kings who had made the arrangements for most of these people and confirmed the visit, but would not give names for security reasons. They said they brought in as many as 600 premium guests, as they called them, from around the world, but mostly from the U.S., the UK and France. The Indian tour company Travel Corporation of India are also selling the Kumbhmela as a great value for their itinerary to experience the quintessential exotic East. Tour operators have included special discourses by spiritual leaders, along with consultations with astrologers, for premium clients. If a person has not previously booked a tent at a camp or , the hotels are usually completely booked up on the main bathing days. Even many of the camps were full. Sometimes a person could find a room in one of the hotels in the city, but often they were very basic, and with the demand so high, a room that normally would have cost Rs. 200 could now fetch Rs. 1200. Besides, getting from a hotel to the Kumbhmela grounds can be difficult, especially on the main bathing days, and adds extra cost if you take transportation. Sometimes you can't even find a cycle ricksha. It is better to simply stay at the Kumbhmela itself.

6) ONE SAD THING ABOUT THE KUMBHMELA: Millions of people attend the Kumbhmela, and many of these are family groups that come together. Often the sons and daughters bring their parents to share in such a traditional and time honored custom as the . However, it was found at this Mela some sons and daughters or daughters-in-law, had brought their parents only to leave them to die there. Five women and seven men over 70 years were reported to have been dumped here by their sons and daughters- in-law. Unreported cases were expected to run into the hundreds, mostly because such old people are embarrassed that their relatives have done this. While others accept the fact that they have been abandoned by their off-springs because they are not wanted. Some don't want to go back to their relatives because they know they will be beaten, and probably abandoned again at some time. Some are forcibly taken to the Mela and then ill-treated and later deserted. Still others are not even taken to the Mela grounds, but simply dropped off at the Allahabad train station while their son or daughter disappears, abandoning them. Not knowing what to do, some simply want to go to any akhara or camp for consolation and spend the rest of their short lives in and , singing and chanting the Lord's holy names. Ram ended sharing his experience with his other three friends. The others felt really astonished by the features & importance associated with the festival.Ram also cited that taking a holy bath in ganges during kumbhmela would wash away their sins & would act as the curator for a number of diseases. The marketing environment created around the non-man made market was still a surprise for everyone.They finally came to the understanding that “If Mecca is for Muslims,Kumbhmela is for ”.A tinge of smoke was evolving from the ash-tray with a number of burnt cigars.