Maha Kumbh tragedies: When life imitates a modern time literature 

Watching the distressing news of stampedes and tragedies related to the Maha Kumbh Mela, I was reminded of Padma Shri and Sahitya Akademi Award winner Vikram Seth’s novel, A Suitable Boy, and its depiction of the Pul Mela—a fictionalised version of the Kumbh Mela. The novel masterfully captures the overwhelming scale of the gathering: millions moving as one, bound by faith, devotion, and an almost hypnotic sense of purpose. But beneath this spiritual fervour lies an ever-present undercurrent of chaos.

He describes how the sheer force of the crowd becomes an unstoppable tide, ultimately leaving bodies trampled in the dust while authorities scramble helplessly to restore order. The tragedy unfolds through the eyes of Maan, a young man drawn to the spectacle for adventure and experience—until he is confronted with a nightmarish reality. The sight of lifeless bodies and the anguished cries of those who have lost everything shakes him to the core. His story is fictional, but how different is it from today’s reality? It could be any of us—you, me, a friend, a sibling, a parent, or a child.

Now, picture a real-life Maan—perhaps with a name we hold dear—standing at the edge of the vast crowd, drawn in by curiosity or devotion, only to be swallowed by an uncontrollable surge. Imagine a mother like Rupa Mehra—the ever-anxious matriarch character from the novel—frantically searching for her lost child, her heart pounding with fear. These characters feel timeless because they are. Today, they have different names and different faces, but their pain remains unchanged. Somewhere right now, a family is desperately searching for a missing loved one. A father is sifting through the chaos, hoping for a miracle. A friend who came for the experience is realising—too late—that they may never return home.

It is deeply unsettling to acknowledge that, nearly 70 years after the events depicted in the novel, so little has changed. Despite advancements in infrastructure, modern technology, and supposed improvements in crowd control, we continue to witness the same horrific scenes. The cries of the injured, the frantic search for the missing, the helplessness of officials who once again underestimated the power of human desperation—the tragedy repeats itself.

This novel is not just a work of historical fiction; it is partly a reflection of a present-day reality we refuse to accept and learn from. It reminds us that history does not merely repeat itself—it stubbornly refuses to evolve. The same volatile mix of devotion, desperation, and disorder that led to disaster then is still at play today. Time moves forward, yet we—the people—remain the same. History does not just repeat itself; it wears new faces, but its lessons remain painfully unlearned.

In Memory of the Victims

To those who lost their lives, may their souls find peace. To the families searching for their loved ones in anguish, may they find strength in their darkest hours. And to the survivors who will carry the weight of this tragedy, may they find healing in time. Peace!