Opinion by Leher Kala
It is only fitting that during the greatest Hindu festival on earth, replete with colourful processions of devotees singing and dancing while wielding ceremonial spears, some unique characters emerge, their complicated backstories revealing how the Kumbh Mela can be a spiritually elevating experience.
Since there’s absolutely no guarantee that existential contemplation will yield positive results, to the contrary, there’s a grave risk that going inwards could create chaos sinking one further into gloom — no wonder most of us have quietly reached the conclusion that some questions are better left unanswered. PTI/FIle
Jan 26, 2025 07:30 IST First published on: Jan 26, 2025 at 07:30 IST
It is only fitting that during the greatest Hindu festival on earth, replete with colourful processions of devotees singing and dancing while wielding ceremonial spears, some unique characters emerge, their complicated backstories revealing how the Kumbh Mela can be a spiritually elevating experience. The hitherto unknown, 30-something Abhay Singh, now known as the “IIT-ian Baba” has become a sensation in the last fortnight after a video of him dancing with reckless abandon went viral on YouTube. Kitted out in the typical orange garb of a sadhu with matted hair, beaded malas and vermilion smeared all over, Singh is mesmerising for the sheer joy he exudes (though depending on one’s own level of cynicism, he might seem slightly stoned or slightly unhinged; or both).
In an interview, it emerged that Singh is an aerospace engineering graduate from IIT-Bombay. At the reporter’s comment on his unusually long nails, Singh smiled disarmingly and said he wanted to tap into the power of Maa Shakti, in other words, the feminine within the masculine. Curiosity abounded on how someone so qualified seemed to have renounced conventional life, of domesticity and a regular career. “I attended lectures on postmodernism and Socratic thought alongside my science subjects. Throughout, I have wanted to know, what is the meaning of life? That’s what brought me here,” said Singh, in a benign, gentle tone, entirely unfazed by the loftiness of his purpose.
It’s always a little startling to be faced with someone thinking more deeply about life; most of us get through our days focussed on routines and responsibilities. We do what we’re supposed to, reacting instinctively to solving problems, valiantly performing our duties. Actually thinking about existence falls way down low on the agenda. Partly, that’s because the dilemmas that arise as a consequence of our own choices are incredibly hard to fix. Far easier then, to just get on with it and switch off by watching Netflix. Besides, saints and philosophers have been pondering life’s great question for time immemorial—the relation of man to the infinite—without much clarity. It is worth remembering that after writing Anna Karenina and War and Peace, Tolstoy went through a spiritual crisis, convinced he had accomplished nothing. If staggering artistic originality cannot instill life with meaning, does it even exist and is it worth pursuing?
Since there’s absolutely no guarantee that existential contemplation will yield positive results, to the contrary, there’s a grave risk that going inwards could create chaos sinking one further into gloom — no wonder most of us have quietly reached the conclusion that some questions are better left unanswered. Which is precisely what makes an anomaly like Abhay Singh so intriguing, and endearing. After IIT, he drifted into photography and in 2014, he put together a project titled The Last Page of Notebook, a haunting visual narrative of the lonely struggle of engineering aspirants in Kota. It’s a national curse that students are sold on the pipe dream that resolve and determination will lead to that coveted seat — post which everything will be great! As a culture, we revere the slog before success but alas, securing a 731 rank in JEE didn’t inure Singh from feeling profound disillusionment. At least it sent him down a different path of exploration.
Post the several lakh hits for Singh, some notoriety at the Kumbh was perhaps inevitable; Juna Akhara’s chief patron Mahant Hari Giri claimed he threw Singh out for being a bad shishya. Singh noted wryly, “Now that I’ve become famous, he’s made himself my guru.” Who knows if the truth he seeks will reveal itself where the mighty Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers merge. Vitally, the answers lie more in the search, notwithstanding the occasional misstep, to see the world anew.
The writer is director, Hutkay Films
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