I am a 24 year-old Argentinian, who visited India recently along with a group of 15 of my countrymen. Delhi was our first destination, but we were headed to Varanasi and then Haridwar, where we would live one of the most sublime experiences of our lives: the Kumbh Mela. My vision of what it would be had been largely shaped by pictures on Google. However, once we reached, it would be putting it mildly if we said that it was quite an experience. Parts of it were more like Coachella than a religious festival. After several attempts to cross the key bridge were unsuccessful, we decided to do something very Argentinean: integrate ourselves with the musicians who accompanied the parade of floats carrying the sadhus. Contrary to what we thought, no one insulted us; no one wanted to get us out of there. We would say that in India being a foreigner can evoke something beautiful and pure. In that massive celebration this was even more clear. The Kumbh Mela was an experience difficult to forget. We have returned greatly enriched.
Rocio Pelesson,
San Isidro, Buenos Aires, Argentina