India 2013

My decision to travel to India for the greatest pilgrimage of all time in 2013 was made unexpectedly less than a month before departure while having dinner with a friend.
Maha Kumbh Mela is the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth, during which participants bathe or take a dip in a sacred river. Bathing in the Ganges is believed (by devotees) to release one from sins and free them from the cycle of birth and death.

After dinner, he talked to me about a pilgrimage in India, an event that represents a challenge, an unforgettable experience, a life lesson. Everlasting moments and lessons which will forever be carved in our mind.
I had no knowledge of this Hindu pilgrimage called the Maha Kumbh Mela; we didn’t go over the details, we bought the tickets without knowing where we would sleep, how we would arrange transfers, or what would happen. It was a quick decision, without much consideration or second guessing. After a week of emails, negotiations, and rushed decisions, we had a travel plan quickly put together that would take us to acknowledge the Kumbh Mela. The following days, we planned a few stops to make throughout our 42-days stay; our plan was to spend 6 nights in Allahabad for the pilgrimage and a few scattered nights while traveling from Patna to Delhi by car, so that we could fully immerse ourselves in every moment and capture the real essence of this staggering new culture.

This is why I decided to include a separate section that is rich in images and information about my experience. My way of thinking, living, and photographing was greatly influenced by that trip. I am grateful for my travel companions Paolo and Andrea, who joined us at the Kumbh Mela without today’s technology (the phone never worked due to a wrong SIM card), as well as for our guide, Aftap, who was a wonderful person with a rich culture and spirituality, and he had just the right amount of madness to lead us into unusual moments as tourists.