Catholics lend helping hand to Kumbh Mela pilgrims
A Catholic-run hospital and a college in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have offered free meals to Hindu devotees as millions gather to attend the Kumbh Mela, dubbed the world’s largest religious gathering.
Father Vipin D’Souza, director of Nazareth Hospital, said they are glad to lend hands to the pilgrims.
The hospital, in collaboration with the Allahabad Diocesan Commission for Interreligious Dialogue, sponsored free meals outside the hospital premises on Jan. 29 and Feb. 3 as thousands of devotees passed by a road leading to the Kumbh Mela venue, about five kilometers away.
“We decided to organize the free meals for the devotees as they have been walking more than 10-15 kilometers to reach the place,” D’Souza told UCA News.
“Recognizing the needs of the weary pilgrims, we planned to give them tea, snacks, and other food items. We gave free medicine to some and treated four Hindu monks in our hospital for free,” he said.
He added that between 25,000 to 30,000 pilgrims received various services from the hospital.
Kumbh Mela (festival of the Sacred Pitcher) is a major, centuries-old Hindu pilgrimage that involves bathing or taking a dip in a sacred river, such as the Ganges. It occurs once every 12 years.
The 45-day-long festival began on Jan. 13 on the confluence of the Ganges-Yamuna-Sarasvati rivers at Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad), the largest city in Uttar Pradesh state.
Hindus believe the ritual dip liberates them from sins and offers spiritual atonement.
The organizing committee expects Kumbh Mela to draw about 400 million pilgrims this year. According to official estimates, some six million took a dip in the river on Jan. 14 alone.
Like Nazareth Hospital, Catholic nuns and staff of St. Mary’s Convent Inter College offered food and water to devotees on Jan. 28 and Jan. 30, said Archit Banerjee, a college official.
Banerjee said they wanted to ensure the devotees focused on the spiritual journey without worrying about basic necessities.
Christian activist Minakshi Singh said the generous gesture of Christians during the Hindu festival dismisses the long-running propaganda from Hindu hardliners, which accuses Christians of religious conversion.
“It sends the message that Christians only believe in peace, love, and service to mankind,” said Singh, secretary of Uttar Pradesh-based charity organization Unity in Compassion.
“This act may prompt people to reflect that Christians are here for service of the people as many Christians people have faced persecution in the state, the highest numbers in the country,” she noted.
With an estimated 200 million people, the majority of them Hindus and 19 percent Muslims, Uttar Pradesh is India’s most populous state.
Christians make up about 0.18 percent but face a high level of persecution at the hands of Hindu hardliners, rights groups say.
Last year, the state recorded 209 anti-Christian incidents, the highest in the country, according to United Christian Forum, a Christian group based in the national capital New Delhi.
