So much has been written, photographed, filmed, spoken of the various Kumbh Melas...to the point that, with a few exceptions, I've become somewhat blasé about this monumental religious event. In fact, when I'm asked if I'd consider leading a photo expedition-workshop to a Kumbh Mela, I can barely stifle a yawn or even worse, an eye-roll.
However, Faith Connections, Pan Nalin's trailer of the Kumbh Mela, re-ignites the spark of interest that is shared by many to document the event.
Pan Nalin is an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary maker, and is best known for directing award-winning films like Samsara, Valley of Flowers, and Ayurveda: Art of Being. He traveled to the Kumbh Mela, one of the world's most extraordinary religious events. He meets remarkable men of mind and meditation, some facing an inextricable dilemma; to embrace the world or to renounce it.
The above trailer is also connected to a splendid website Faith Connections, which provides links to a few stories from the Kumbh Mela. You'll view and read the stories of a young runaway kid, a sadhu, a mother desperately looking for her lost son, a yogi who is raising an abandoned baby, and an ascetic who smokes cannabis.
This is highly recommended to those who've never been to a Kumbh, and to those who've been once or more.
