The Kumbh Mela (congregation), organized after every 12 years in four cities of India, Haridwar Ujjain, Nasik, Allahabad on the bank of sacred rivers Ganga, Shipra, Godavari, and confluence of Ganga and Yamuna respectively. This is the largest congregation of faith and can be considered as one of the biggest religious events on our planet earth. A dip in the holy river during this period is regarded as very auspicious and believed to purify one’s soul and lead to the righteous path. The Mela begins on the auspicious day of Makar Sankranti that falls on 14th January and draws to close around mid April. It draws millions of pilgrims over the course of this period including Ascetics, Saints, Sadhus, Sadhvis, Kalpvasis, and foreigners from various countries of the world. In the holy city of Hardwar, on the bank of sacred river Ganga, Kumbh Mela, was successfully organized in the year 2010. Managing millions of pilgrims in a small city was an arduous task due to geographical and other hurdles. As a Chief Minister of State Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal “Nishank” was instrumental in organizing the event successfully. The success of Haridwar Kumbh congregation was highly appreciated on various fronts and won several accolades including a nomination for the prestigious Nobel prize. Taking cognizance of the repeated demands from India, UNESCO has declared Kumbh congregation as a world cultural heritage event that is attended by millions of believers of Hindu faith in disciplined and peaceful manner. For this reason, Kumbh 2010 came into the limelight once again, when people were overwhelmed with joy at the sensitivity of the “Nishank” Government to facilitate their needs. This book is inspired by a lecture in ISB Hyderabad where the students, faculty, and the director unanimously vouched for the idea that the story of this festival and its management should see the light of the day and be known to the whole world. Organizing this mega event required various innovative measures and enormous strategic planning and the same need to been shared. The idea is that this present book on the managerial perspective of the Kumbh will benefit all those interested in India’s glorious traditions and will be fruitful for all the stakeholders who are involved in organizing mega-events like Kumbh.

ISBN10-9354867383