By Teresa Guerra
‘Kumbha Mela! Teresa, you can go for that.’ One evening at the dining table, Swami Yogatmananda-ji uttered these words… My eyes lit up, heart raced, mind filled with hundreds of happy pictures of India… and my pilgrimage to Kumbha already began! I had heard millions of people go to this event. Little did I know what ‘millions of people’ look like, feel like, and function as devotees. I was in for a grand adventure.
Kumbha Mela ('festival of the Sacred Pitcher') occurs every 3-4 years and rotates between four holy cities in India. In 2025, the site was Prayagraj, the confluence of Ganga-Yamuna, from Jan 13 to Feb 26. I was assigned a 5-day slot, Jan 26-31.
I applied for leave, got in touch with the Ramakrishna Mission (RKM) Kumbha Mela Camp organizers, and Swamis from other RKM centers that I planned to visit after Kumbha. Itinerary was arranged, tickets bought, and several hectic weeks with interludes of joy, gave way to Jan 24, the day I started from Providence for Prayagraj.
The only car that I could rent was electric, and I had no experience with it. Swami Y and all my brothers and sisters at the center came to see me off and helped me figure out how to drive, and how and where to charge. After making pranams to Thakur, Maa, and Swamiji at the altar, I received blessings from Swami Y. He said prayers for my safe and uplifting pilgrimage. Finishing the last bit of work, driving in heavy traffic, & returning the car, and finally checking in at Logan airport, became a lesson in patience and forbearance.
I landed in Delhi at 3:00 a.m. After getting through immigration and baggage claim by 4:00 a.m., I went to a kiosk to get a SIM card. The system was down, and so neither SIM card nor free-WIFI were available. I had to call the hotel to pick me up. There were no free public phones. The guy at the kiosk connected me to WIFI which allowed me to call the hotel at 5:00 a.m. The hotel driver said he would pick me up in 12-15 minutes. I went outside to wait for him. There was no internet connection outside. I didn’t want to get internet access through my US phone plan, but I had no choice. However, I couldn’t connect to WhatsApp outside while waiting for the taxi driver.
I also tried calling the hotel, but my phone plan would not allow me to call an Indian phone number. It was 5:35a.m., no taxi driver to be seen. I asked a woman that was walking by to please call the hotel; she did, and the fun part was that the taxi driver was waiting for me inside and I was outside. We connected, and he brought me to the hotel. We arrived by 6:00 a.m. I slept until 8:35 a.m., took a quick cold bath (the hot water heater didn’t work, or I didn’t know how to use it) and got ready. I went downstairs, had breakfast, and took a taxi to the airport. I again tried to get a SIM card, and it was still not available. They asked me to try at the Prayagraj airport. At least I had WIFI at the airport that day.
You will see…this is all part of Divine Mother’s plan! To be continued...
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