Pilgrims arriving to take a holy dip in Sangam, the confluence of Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers, on the occasion of Maghi Purnima during the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. — AFP
THE unfathomable scale of the world’s largest religious festival in India overshadowed many nations in size – and for the economy, its impact was just as dramatic.
“Business boomed everywhere for everyone across our city,” said taxi driver Manoj Kumar, whose northern Indian home of Prayagraj swelled from its normal seven million residents dozens of times over.
Religion, politics and the economy are deeply intertwined in India – and the six-week-long Hindu festival of the Kumbh Mela gave one of the clearest examples.
The Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi poured in funds for large-scale infrastructure upgrades.
“We saw an unimaginable transformation of our city,” 37-year-old Kumar said.
Pilgrims taking a holy dip in Sangam, the confluence of Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers, on the occasion of Maghi Purnima during the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. - AFP
“There were new roads, bridges, additional flights and trains, new hotels and restaurants, and an unmet demand for workers.”
The Kumbh’s extraordinary scale provided a major job boost, with millions of visitors splashing out on accommodation, transport and food.
Kumar’s daily earnings shot up to around US$250, roughly eight times as much as usual.
“I had some of the busiest 18-20 hour workdays of my life with little or no rest,” he said.
“But I was not alone in benefiting – this was a life-changing event.”
The state government – led by firebrand Hindu monk Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state and a key leader in Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party – controlled lucrative service contracts for its running.
Hindu pilgrims having their meal at a community kitchen during the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. — AFP
It is impossible to independently verify government statistics of a religious celebration that critics say was cashed in on by Hindu nationalist leaders to burnish political credentials.
That included the reported more than 435 million pilgrims to have taken a ritual river dip that organisers say is based on artificial intelligence assessments from surveillance camera networks.
It also included the whopping US$24bil projected to contribute to the economy – that’s the equivalent of more than the population of the United States and Canada splashing out the entire annual GDP of Armenia.
They are staggering statistics even for the world’s most populous nation of 1.4 billion people.
Devendra Pratap Singh, president of Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand states, put the figure as even higher – at about US$30bil.
“Our economy will obviously grow because of this mega event,” he said.
A policeman monitoring the crowd during the Maha Kumbh Mela via screens set up at the Integrated Command and Control Centre in Prayagraj. - AFP
“We saw its benefits at every stage, with impacts on transportation, hotels, food, and every other sector.”
With the festival funnelling religious tourism on a vast scale, local reports say the state was also expected to rake in US$3bil in additional government revenues including taxes and fees.
“How gods drive India’s consumer economy,” The Economic Times newspaper said in a report.
“The Kumbh is the most visible part of a big driver of India’s economy, the festival cycle.”
Major household brands saw the Kumbh as ripe for opportunity, setting up shops and pouring in advertising.
In the crowded tent city along the river banks, where pilgrims came to take ritual dips, an army of vendors sold everything from food and clothes to prayer items, flowers and festival memorabilia.
Hindu pilgrims charging their mobile phones at a charging point at the festival. — AFP
Sanjeev Singh, from Adityanath’s office, says the Kumbh Mela made global festivals look small – pointing to Brazil’s Rio Carnival with some seven million participants.
“The sheer scale was mind-boggling,” Singh said. “This was phenomenal.”
Hotel owner Deepak Kumar Mehrotra, 67, said his two properties were fully booked. “Demand really shot up,” Mehrotra said. “People across all strata were really getting good business.”
Rooms, if available, were going for up to 10 times their regular rates – with top-end hotels charging US$900-US$1,200 per night – almost as much as the annual per capita income in Uttar Pradesh state.
Meeting demand was also a challenge, with chefs, drivers and electricians in high demand.
Travel agent Shahid Beg Romi, 62, who runs Sangam Travels, said businesses struggled to “adjust to this drastic change in the footfall” in Prayagraj.
“Even small areas 80km outside Prayagraj were packed,” Romi added. “People stayed and commuted to the Kumbh from there.”
The impact was felt in other Hindu pilgrimage sites in the state, including Ayodhya and Varanasi, with devotees journeying on to pray there too.
“Such mega-events obviously create new growth and work opportunities,” he said. — AFP
