National Geographic produced a 45 minute documenatry on the 2013 Kumbh Mela. It's fascinating to watch, but we should warn you that since most pilgrims take off their clothes before walking into the Ganges, there is a fair amount of nudity in this.
News coverage of the train station stampede mentioned at the beginning of the article "Karma of the Crowd."
As far as we can tell, this is not the train station in Allahabad, but this video does give you an idea about how overcrowded the trains and stations in India can be, even without a giant festival going on.
This video (which is not in English) shows footage of the Maha Kumbh Mela from 1954, which was the first to be celebrated after India acheived its independence from Britain. Though the video doesn't address it, this is also the festival at which a stampede killed almost a thousand people.
There are several words that appear in this reading and in the support materials that are not Engllish words. These words are in Sanskrit and Hindi, and we've listed them with their definitions below.
Akharas: Hindu religious organizations
Ghats: sets of stairs leading down to the Ganges
Kalpwasis: pilgrims who stays for the whole duration of the festival
Kumbh: pitcher
Maha: largest
Mela: gathering, meeting, or fair
Sangam: (literally, confluence) holy bathing area where the Ganges,Yamuna, and the mysthical Saraswati meet
Interested in knowing more? Check out these other readings. We won't necessarily talk about them in book club, but they'll help you learn more.
"Kumbh Mela Festival is Proof That Crowds Can Be Good For You" In this January 2013 article from the UK's The Guardian, Stephen Reicher (who appeared in our article) talks about his time studying the crowds at melas and what he learned there about the psychology of crowds
"What Urban Planners Can Learn from a Hindu Religious Festival"
In this article by Tom Downey, which appeared in Smithsonian Magazine in September 2013, the Maha Kumb Mela is studied to see what its design can teach people who plan how cities are built.
At the bottom of the article are some additional photos of the festival.
"A Prayer for the Ganges" This article by Joshua Hammer, which appeared in Smithsonian Magazine in November 2007, discusses the pollution in the Ganges River.
"India's Holiest City" This article by Whitney Dangerfield was published by Smithsonian Magazine in September 2007 and talks about another holy city along the Ganges, Varanasi. Many Hindus go to Varanasi to die and be cremated and have their ashes spread in the Ganges.
"Kumbh Mela: Case Study In Chaos Attracts Harvard Business School" Here's an article published in the International Business Times in February 2013 about researchers from Harvard who attended the Maha Kumbh Mela, and what they were there to study. Note you must be logged into the library for this link to work.
"You Won't Prevent Future Riots by Disregarding the Psychology of Crowds" In this August 2011 opinion piece from the UK's The Guardian, Stephen Reicher (who appeared in our article) and Clifford Scott discuss how an understanding of the psychology of crowds is necessary for the government to respond appropriately to the urban riots in Britain.
Click here to listen to Karma of the Crowd
Photograph by Alex Webb, "Karma of the Crowd," National Geographic.
See photos from the National Geographic magazine article we read for book club by clicking this link:
Photograph by Alex Webb, "Karma of the Crowd," National Geographic.
Read about the National Geographic photographer who took the pictures for this article, and how he managed to get images that convey the vastness of a crowd of millions.
The Kumbh Mela in Allahabad hosts many millions of pilgrims over a roughly eight-week period. See a map of what it looks like from over head.
Another religious pilgrimage mentioned in the article is the Hajj, an annual Islamic pilgrimmage to Mecca. This image is of Al-Haram Mosque at the start of 2008's Hajj, which had a reported attendance of 1,700,000. The Hajj in 2014 had an estimated attendance of just over 2,000,000.
Title: "Hajj 2008"
Author: Al Jazeera English - https://www.flickr.com/photos/aljazeeraenglish/
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/32834977@N03/3085843162
License: CC BY 2.0 - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
The Bhagavad Gita is available for checkout from the FSCJ Downtown Campus. Follow this link for more information. Note you must be logged into the library for this link to work.
Here are some of the things we'll be discussing about this reading. The first set of questions are to test your understanding of the reading.The second set are to make you think a little more about the Maha Kumbh Mela. We've put those in the forum in case you want to talk about them a little more.
Comprehension:
1. The festival is held at the meeting place of three rivers. What are their names?
2. What is the common Western belief about crowds?
3. Why does Stephen Reicher believe crowds are important to society?
4. Why do the Kumbh Mela pilgrims bathe in the river?
5. What types of crowds have Reicher and his colleagues studied?
Think About It
1. How do you think it would feel to experience Kumbh Mela?
2. Which perspective on crowds (Western or Reicher) do you think is correct?
3. Do you agree with Reicher that the stampede may have been caused by the crowd’s lack of psychological bond?
4. Lisa Berkman believes Americans have become “increasingly isolated socially.” Doyou agree? If so, what do you think causes the isolation?
5. Would a festival like Kumbh Mela be able to take place in America? Where? What issues might occur?
6. What have your experiences been like as part of a crowd? Have you ever felt the psychological bond of a crowd? If so, where?
