Prateek,
How far is this from your home and when did you get there? How on earth do you find a place to stay? Where does all the sewage go from 50 million people? do they need to come every day and then can they go home or do they need to stay until the main festivities in a week or so? What happens to the folk that run out of money or get sick. This would be expected to demand massive infrastructure preparation just to provide the basic essentials of life.
Give us an idea of the role of the Federal/Central Government, religious parties, local government and politicians or do they just stand aside and let the bedlam self-organize?
Asher
Hello Asher,
It is a massive organisational excercise. This place is 220km north of Delhi, the holy city of Haridwar,fourty km away from Rishikesh, a town made famous by the Beatles. I was going through the claims of the government for arrangements, the whole sewer system has been upgraded. Power and communications have been improved. The biggest challenge is crowd management and security and the always looming threat of terrorism. Fifty million won't land on one day, The fair began on the 13th of Jan and will continue till April 28th. There are some 'super' auspicious dates when the holy men descend. It usually gets crowded on these days. These dates being, 12th Feb, 13th March ,14th and the 28th April. Believe me there is a crowd of photographers too. Its hard to keep one out of the frame!
Most simply pitch tent if that's what you can say, with barely a sack for belongings, under a tree or a shrub. Many find a place to stay in a vast number of charitable homes called 'ashrams'. These places are all over in Haridwar, infact many more than I had estimated. There are also three star or less small hotels for people like us. Not flash but decent and airconditioned. Its an important tourist destination after all. Much like Varanasi( I haven't been there although I was born there).
A bigger spectacle would be the Kumbh at Allahabad. That place has a confluence of two great rivers of India. It is much more open with everything going on at the sandy beaches of Ganga and Yamuna.Its due in 2012.
People travel in all manner. Buses, tractor trolleys,trains, cars, horses and some on elephants too. Haridwar is a normal small town. Well connected by a highway from Delhi. I'm going there on the 11th, driving. Hopefully I'll get a permission to take pictures this time.
