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2019 Preparation? Indian Diaspora Meet at Varanasi, Holy Dip At Ardh Kumbh

Arun Kumar Das |
It seems that the Modi govt. is planning to showcase its Hindutva credentials by converting the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas into a Hindu pilgrimage.
 Ardh Kumbh

Image Coutesy: Kumbh Mela Allahabad 2019

It appears that the Modi govt. is set to utilise the annual convention of overseas Indians - Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) – for the upcoming general elections in 2019. The convention will be held in Varanasi, PM Modi’s constituency, and there are plans to ferry the delegates by a special train to Prayag (Allahabad) to join the Ardh Kumbh and take a holy dip at the Sangam in the last week of January next year.

The three-day event will be held from January 21. First started in 2003 by the then NDA govt., the PBD is marked by a convention in which overseas Indians participate. It is organised by the external affairs ministry.

Besides holy dip at Prayag, the delegates will also be travelling to the national capital to witness Republic Day parade at Rajpath on January 26. While political pundits will describe it as showcasing its Hindutva credentials ahead of the General Elections, BJP-led government is going ahead with full preparations for the 15th PBD event.

Indian Railways is making arrangement for operating special AC train service for about 5000 delegates expected to participate in the global meet being held at the holy city represented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Comprising mostly NRIs and PIOs, the participants will be facilitated on a pilgrimage to Allahabad on a special train ride from Varanasi for taking dip at the Ardh Kumbh in Prayag, a first of its kind holy treat for Indian diaspora.

Amid the Sadhus, Nagas, and Babas chanting prayers and millions of people taking a dip in the holy water, the PBD delegates will witness the Kumbh Mela, the largest religious gathering in the subcontinent.

According to the programme, PBD delegates would be boarding the special train to Allahabad from Varanasi on January 24. They would be taken to the confluences of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Sarswati rivers at Prayag to be part of the Kumbh mela.

All necessary arrangements including tent accommodation at the fair site are to be made for the PBD participants.

The three-day PBD convention at Varanasi is being organised by Ministry of External Affairs in association with the Uttar Pradesh government from January 21, 2019.

Railways is making special arrangement to make the journey comfortable for visitors offering choicest food and service on the AC train, said a senior Railway Ministry official.

The official said keeping the VIP guests food habits in mind IRCTC, railways’ catering arm, will offer specially made dishes onboard to make the train journey a pleasant experience.

The theme of the 15th PBD Convention is "Role of Indian Diaspora in building a New India."

"Many of you may never have been to India. I invite you all to come to India for the Kumbh in Prayag next year," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on last month while addressing the Indian community in Indonesia.

Though the aim of the PBD is to attract investments and encourage the Indian diaspora to be part of India’s “growth story”, it is unclear how much investments these NRIs and PIOs have brought to the country since the PBD began more than a decade ago.

Notwithstanding, the government will showcase a different kind of experience for delegates ranging from the sight of bare body Naga Sadhus smeared with ash to the Shahi Snan (royal bath) to joyous evening prayer (aartis).

Some of the themes for the upcoming PBD sessions are being decided to be around "role of diaspora in capacity-building and artificial intelligence" and "how diaspora gives back to India and their role with respect to the challenges in India".

Having great importance for Hindus, Kumbh Mela in India is celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm over a stretch of 2 months. Devotees take a dip in the holy water at the confluence as it is believed that doing so washes away one’s sins and brings the person one step closer to Moksha (freedom from the world)).

 (Arun Kumar Das is a senior journalist. He can be contacted at [email protected])

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