The Maha Kumbh 2025: A Postcolonial Assertion of India’s Civilisational Power

Introduction: A Civilisational Spectacle Rooted in Tradition and Innovation

Held in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, the Maha Kumbh 2025 is the largest human congregation in history, with over 500 million pilgrims in attendance over 44 days​​. This extraordinary event represents the spiritual heart of India, a civilisation that has sustained itself for millennia. The Maha Kumbh is not just a religious festival but an assertion of India’s ability to seamlessly blend its ancient cultural ethos with state-of-the-art technological advancements. It is an organisational marvel, with an infrastructure that temporarily transforms Prayagraj into a city larger than most global capitals.

Yet, the global media often views such grand spectacles through an orientalist lens, reducing them to scenes of overcrowding and chaos​. Tragedies, such as the stampede at the 2025 Maha Kumbh, are disproportionately highlighted, while the event’s remarkable logistical success is largely ignored​. This selective portrayal perpetuates colonial stereotypes, undermining India’s governance capabilities and its ability to host large-scale events with efficiency and order.

This essay explores how the Maha Kumbh 2025 acts as a postcolonial assertion of India’s civilisational power by challenging colonial narratives, showcasing indigenous governance, and positioning itself as a spiritual and technological leader.

Breaking Colonial Stereotypes: Reclaiming India’s Narrative

Throughout British colonial rule, India was portrayed as a land of superstition and disorder, incapable of self-governance. This narrative, popularised by works like Katherine Mayo’s Mother India, justified colonial control by portraying Indian society as inherently chaotic and in need of Western intervention​. Even post-independence, Western discourse has often depicted India’s large religious gatherings as unmanageable spectacles, reinforcing the notion that the country lacks the organisational discipline required for modern governance.

The Maha Kumbh 2025 fundamentally challenges these outdated perspectives. The event covers 40 million square metres, with over 200,000 tents, 500,000 toilets, and AI-powered surveillance​. QR-based digital payments facilitate smooth transactions, while AI chatbots provide real-time guidance to pilgrims​. A massive security force ensures order, and the temporary city dissolves seamlessly after the event, leaving no trace behind.

However, despite these feats, international media disproportionately focuses on isolated incidents, such as the tragic stampede, reinforcing a narrative of Indian mismanagement​. In contrast, similar disasters at Western events, such as the Hillsborough disaster in the UK or the Love Parade stampede in Germany, are framed as unfortunate accidents rather than national failures​. The Maha Kumbh 2025 exposes this double standard, proving that India is more than capable of organising large-scale events with precision and efficiency.

Modernity on India’s Terms: The Fusion of Faith and Technology

One of the most compelling aspects of the Maha Kumbh 2025 is its ability to integrate modern technology without compromising its spiritual core. Western models of progress have often posited that modernity necessitates the abandonment of tradition. However, the Maha Kumbh presents a different trajectory—one where ancient rituals coexist with AI-driven governance, digital infrastructure, and sustainable environmental practices​.

AI-powered security cameras and drone surveillance manage crowd control, ensuring safety for millions​. Digital payments facilitate economic transactions, providing a boost to local businesses. Virtual reality experiences allow global audiences to witness the sacred rituals, extending the festival’s spiritual reach beyond physical boundaries. Such technological sophistication contradicts the colonial-era assumption that India’s deep-rooted spiritual traditions are incompatible with progress.

This ability to blend tradition with innovation challenges the idea that modernity must follow a Western blueprint. Instead, the Maha Kumbh 2025 showcases an alternative model of progress—one that draws from India’s civilisational strengths rather than discarding them​.

Economic and Cultural Sovereignty: The Power of Indigenous Systems

Another postcolonial stereotype that the Maha Kumbh 2025 dismantles is the notion of India as an economically dependent nation. The colonial economy was designed to exploit India’s resources while portraying it as inherently poor and reliant on Western aid​. Even in modern discourse, India’s economic rise is often scrutinised through a lens of scepticism.

The Maha Kumbh 2025, however, demonstrates India’s economic self-sufficiency. The festival has generated an estimated ₹2 lakh crore (£19 billion) in revenue, creating over 8 million jobs​. Unlike global events such as the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup, which rely heavily on state funding, the Maha Kumbh thrives on indigenous economic activity. Small traders, artisans, and service providers benefit immensely, proving that India’s traditional economy remains robust and self-sustaining.

Additionally, the event serves as a platform for cultural diplomacy, attracting pilgrims from over 100 countries and visits from foreign dignitaries​. By showcasing India’s spiritual and cultural depth on a global stage, the Maha Kumbh reinforces India’s soft power, positioning itself as a civilisational beacon rather than a mere nation-state.

Reversing the Colonial Gaze: India as an Organisational Powerhouse

For centuries, India was the subject of scrutiny under the colonial gaze, with its traditions judged as archaic and its governance dismissed as inadequate. However, the Maha Kumbh 2025 reverses this dynamic, compelling the world to acknowledge India’s capacity for large-scale organisation and spiritual leadership.

Unlike state-controlled mega-events such as the Beijing Olympics or the American Super Bowl, which require enormous state intervention, the Maha Kumbh is an organically driven gathering​. Managed through a decentralised network of government bodies, religious institutions, and volunteers, it exemplifies a uniquely Indian form of governance—one that is both efficient and deeply rooted in cultural traditions.

Moreover, the international media’s selective focus on negative aspects, such as the tragic stampede, exposes an enduring colonial bias​. While similar incidents at Western events are analysed with nuance, those at Indian gatherings are often framed as proof of systemic failure. This discrepancy highlights the need to reclaim India’s narrative and assert its achievements on its own terms.

Conclusion: The Maha Kumbh as India’s Postcolonial Declaration

The Maha Kumbh 2025 is more than a festival; it is a civilisational statement. It refutes colonial stereotypes of India as a land of disorder, proving that the nation is capable of orchestrating the world’s largest gathering with unparalleled efficiency. It challenges Western models of modernity, demonstrating that tradition and technology can coexist harmoniously. It asserts economic independence, showing that India’s spiritual economy is a formidable force.

Above all, the Maha Kumbh reclaims India’s narrative, shifting the global discourse from one of scrutiny to one of admiration. No longer is India merely being observed; it is setting an example for the world. The event serves as a powerful reminder that India’s strength lies not only in its economic and military capabilities but in its civilisational continuity—a force that has withstood colonialism, modernisation, and globalisation.

In a rapidly evolving world, where nations struggle to balance heritage with progress, the Maha Kumbh 2025 offers an alternative vision—one where a civilisation does not need to discard its past to embrace its future. It is a testament to India’s enduring legacy, a declaration that its traditions are not relics but pillars of its ongoing journey as a global powerhouse

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The Source’s Authority and Ownership of the Article is Claimed By THE STUDY IAS BY MANIKANT SINGH