The much-awaited Ardh Kumbh Mela 2019 at Prayagraj has now been made all the more special. President of India, Ramnath Kovind arrived at Prayagraj to attend the holy gathering, where he not only performed the iconic Ganga Aarti but also had a word with the local sadhus, while he inaugurated the ‘Gandhian Resurgence Summit’.
The President and his wife arrived at Bamrauli airport, where they were received by the Governor of UP Shri Ram Naik, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya among others. The entourage then proceeded to the Sangam area, where President Kovind performed the Ganga Aarti.
In his address to the media, President Kovind seemed elated as he said, “The Kumbh is an important part of India’s spiritual and cultural heritage. It is a happy coincidence that along with the Kumbh, the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi also falls this year.”
But why is this visit so unique? Why is President Ram Nath Kovind’s visit to the Kumbh festival at Prayagaraj being so much talked about? This is because the President of India visited the Kumbh Mela after a staggering 66 years, the last visit made by former president Rajendra Prasad in 1953. Yes, after 66 years, an Indian President has visited one of the most iconic festivals of Sanatan Dharma. This fact has been confirmed by the official Twitter account of the President of India, as shown below:-
President Kovind visits Sangam in Prayagraj. This is the first visit by a President to the Kumbh Mela since the visit of President Rajendra Prasad in 1953. pic.twitter.com/JVQPpd2T0a
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) January 17, 2019
While this is glorious without any doubt, the intervals between the visits of any Indian President pose a major question to one and all: WHY? Why did it take more than six decades for any Indian President to visit the iconic Kumbh Mela? What or who forced the other Presidents to refrain from attending this holy gathering that added to the prestige of India?
Was it some unavoidable task that prevented them from doing so, or was it the done to please the pseudo-seculars, that saw an innocuous Kumbh Mela as a threat to the secular image of the President?
The second reason can be more probable, since any Sanatan festival, no matter how lovely and joyful, has been looked down upon with contempt by the Lutyens’ brigade. Even Rajendra Prasad, who had last visited the Kumbh Mela, couldn’t escape their wrath, when he chose to go ahead with the reconstruction of Somnath Temple, despite stiff opposition from the then PM Jawaharlal Nehru and his cronies.
As such, it is extremely welcome that President Ramnath Kovind has dared to break this unwanted tradition, but made the occasion special with his presence in Prayagraj. We hope that he continues to break such unnecessary protocols that have been imposed arbitrarily by the left-liberal intelligentsia, who once called the shots in the Central government.