A DAY IN BASE CAMP: Kumbha mela blog 4/4

by Karen Dabrowska, London, UK

In the morning Tushita went to bathe in the Sangam again. I decided to stay in the camp not wanting to get caught in the hot mid day sun.  There was a welcome cup of coffee in the tent café followed by some time in the reception with wi-fi and blog typing.

Tea and coffee tent

Supplies tent with mineral water

There was no coca cola or fruit juice but the camp was well stocked with water and biscuits and Ayurvedic products.

People were coming and going, reception was always busy.

I walked around the camp city admiring the luxury mud huts with air conditioning  and made my way to the hut near the river. For some reason access was blocked by a corrugated iron fence. It was a great place to commune with nature and the architect of the universe. An enthusiastic young man came to talk to me about sanatana dharma – again half in English, half in Hindi.

Luxury mud hut with air conditioning

I spoke at length to Niva from London who brought her 80-year old to the kumbh. She set up the art of inner joy. There was also a charming lady Chetna Kumari from Vihangam Yoga who hosted the fireside chats.

It was a  quiet day but time seemed to pass quickly. Felt sad the kumbh mela would soon be over for me.

On the last morning in the camp there was a yagna fire ceremony which took nearly an hour. There was something magical and serene about offering the ghee on a spoon attached to a stick to the fire. The  young men patiently showed me how to offer the ghee. They enjoyed showing a total new comer to these rituals the ropes.

After the ceremony it was time to take the taxi to Prayagraj Junction for the train to Lucknow. But the taxi never arrived because it would have been impossible for a car to drive down the roads lined with pedestrians. A bike was the only option. It was neither safe nor comfortable and my idea of a slow careful ride and the driver’s idea of a slow careful ride were certainly not the same.  But the polite young man kept asking me if I was alright.  More than an hour on a bike felt like an hour on a horse.

The main entrance to the station was closed but the guard looked at me and opened the gate. “This time your white face helped,” Tushita said. “Most of the time it means the prices double.”

The train station was like every Indian train station I have seen. Lots of people. No signs indicating where a train might be going. People sitting on the platform. I asked why there were no indicator boards with the destination of the train. “You are in India madam,” came the reply from the guard who looked at me as if I had asked a silly question.

There were several train with pictures of the kumbh but no one was in a hurry to use them. Tushita told me they were free trains laid on by the government.

The first class, modern train was wonderful: comfortable seats, plenty of room for luggage. Snacks and water. I later learned that these had to be ordered in advance and Om certainly rose to the occasion. Three hours passed quickly and we were in Lucknow. A rickshaw sped through the traffic like a bat out of hell and we reached the hotel to a most welcome shower.

It was like waking from a dream: a dream with 620 million people all brothers and sisters sharing a deeply personal journey.

About the author:

Hindumitra Karen Dabrowska lives in London, UK. She first became interested in Sanatana Dharma in 2020 after reading Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. In 2022 she visited Babaji’s cave where Yogananda’s master was initiated into kriya yoga. She found India an enchanting, fascinating and welcoming country which she has been visiting twice a year since 2022. She then visited Rishikesh and in it the Vasishtha Cave home of Vasishtha one of the seven immortal saints. In February 2025 she felt it to be a great honor to go to the kumbh mela a very personal spiritual experience shared with millions of people. In her own words "I felt I was part of one gigantic family and we all embarked on a pilgrimage together."

In 2023 she listened to a talk at Laxmi Narayan Temple in West London by Hindumitra Dr Malladi Srinivasa Sastry, founder of Hindumitra Foundation, and was inspired by his clear presentation of the concepts of Sanatana Dharma. The talk was a condensed version of his ten-lesson course “Bring out the best in you – the Sanatana Dharma way” which she studied online. She kept in touch with Dr Malladi by email and WhatsApp and when he heard that she was planning to visit south India in January this year she was invited to Visakhapatnam to see the activities of Hindumitra. There was a fascinating visit to Dimili village where young people gave a performance of traditional dancing and art forms. Hindumitra is keen to promote the preservation of cultural traditions. She also took part in a major Hindumitra event with the theme the world is one family in Visakhapatnam public library where Hindumitra Karen ji spoke about her spiritual journey with Sanatana dharma. The programme attended by over 100 people was very full with a discussion about Hindu parenting and folk culture performances and demonstrations. Residing in UK, Hindumitra Karen ji actively contributes to the spiritual work of Hindumitra and is currently attending weekly classes on Bhagavatam by Hindumitra Dr. Malladi Srinivasa Sastry.