Latest revision as of 01:48, 23 April 2021

[edit] 2015: In brief

The Times of India, Aug 30 2015

Picture courtesy: The Times of India, August 30, 2015

Picture courtesy: The Times of India, August 30, 2015

Umesh Isalkar, Tushar Pawar & Himanshu Nitnaware

Wine, Worship & Wi-fi

Nestled in the hilly Trimbakeshwar temple area, where a light drizzle every few hours calms down even the Kumbh buzz, are pockets of wi-fi zones where pilgrims sit cradling laptops and high-end digital cameras.Plush AC cottages, with spaghetti and baked beans on the lunch menu, are offering the “complete Kumbh experience“, including a guided tour through the religious congregation and also a joy ride -aboard a helicopter over Nashik and Trimbakeshwar.

All this, of course, at a divine cost.Brand Kumbh is also drawing visitors to the wineries in the area that have started recording a steady rise in footfalls from earlier this month. Insulated from the dry days during the shahi snans, given their location beyond Nashik civic limits, owners say on the wishlist of many Kumbh visitors is first worship, and then wineries.

The Nashik Kumbh of 2015 is separated from the last event not just by 12 years. From a religious congregation in its last avatar, the Kumbh is now a mega event pegged to generate business worth Rs 15,000 crore, an estimate that covers hotels, airlines, and transport among other key services. On the Kumbh bandwagon are half dozen websites hardselling the a dozen websites hardselling the event. And they seem to be doing a good job. Wongwiss, a designer from Bangkok, made his accommodation bookings online. Here with a Kumbh veteran Niphon Saengpueng, Wongwiss says he is enjoying the “exciting experience".

[edit] Giving water for Kumbh snan in parched Maharashtra illegal: HC

The Times of India, Sep 15 2015

Swati Deshpande

Shahi snan is last in list of priorities: Court

The Bombay high court frowned upon the Maharashtra government's “illegal“ decision to release water for the shahi snan during the ongoing Kumbh Mela in Nashik and asked it to consider taking steps to reduce the amount of water to be released on September 18.

A division bench of Justices A S Oka and V L Achliya admitted a petition filed by H M Desarda, an economics professor from Pune, that sought an order to quash the state's “populist decision“.

The petitioner, who ar gued in person, informed the court that the release of water does no service to any religion, but the precious natural resource could be utilised better in a state which is reeling under a drought. “There is a ack of resource literacy ,“ professor Desarda said later.

“The government has a policy which categorises its priority list as regards supply of water. As per the policy, supply of water for drinking purposes comes first and supply of wa er for such shahi snan purposes comes in the last and fourth category. When the state is reeling under drought what you (government) have done is illegal,“ the HC said.

The court posted the matter for further hearing on September 21 and asked the government to reconsider its action before releasing more water.

The Kumbh Mela started on July 14, 2015 and the shahi snan occured on September 13 and the last one on September 18, 2015.The government has allowed 1tmc for each event.

[edit] See also

Kumbh Mela (general)

Kumbh Mela, Allahabad

Kumbh Mela/ Mahakumbh, Nashik

Kumbh, Nashik and Trimbakeshwar: 2015