Kumbh 2019 – Some perspectives on the planet’s biggest human congregation

The just-concluded Kumbh 2019 is estimated to have attracted as many as 240 million visitors over 49 days. There was much talk of how dozens of brands - from personal care to telecom - looked at the Kumbh as a huge audience. But more than actual conversations or transactions, Kumbh as a platform seems to have been found better suited for piloting of 'innovations', inevitably to be showcased later at industry award shows. A fairly comprehensive account of the sheer variety of brand activations can be seen here: https://www.afaqs.com/news/story/54468_Brands-at-Kumbh-A-story-in-pictures

Having visited the Kumbh this year, I believe that brands can connect with such an audience in a better way if they develop a keener appreciation of the context that such an event represents. Context has a number of aspects:

• Nature of the audience – It is not just huge. It is heterogenous. It is transient. It is chaotic.
• Audience’s state-of-mind – People visit such an event not as consumers who ‘consume’, but for a different quest – mostly spiritual; and in some cases, driven by social media exhibitionism.
• The physical space – This is vast and diverse. Quite unlike anything an event space looks like. For that matter, unlike a typical city or a typical village.
• Emergent trends – This could be by way of a new set of participants (e.g. transgenders making a big debut), something special about the timing (e.g. this year’s Kumbh closely preceding another mega event, the general elections), new technologies (e.g. demo of a VR/AR based product that offers virtual ‘darshan’ of shrines located pan-India; launch of the logo of Ranbir-Alia starrer ‘Brahmastra’ using 150 drones that lit up the night sky)

It would help to go beyond a fascination with the obvious, mammoth scale, and beyond the prism of consumption. We need to look at such a platform from different points of view, to form a holistic picture. Based on personal observation and experience, here are some such perspectives on what the Kumbh was about:

Kumbh was about branding. The dropping of the prefix 'Ardha' from this year's event, and the addition of 'Maha' to the next one, could be seen as shrugging off of an apologetic qualifier, and the full-throated celebration of the here and now. Equally well-timed was the change in the host city's name from Allahabad to Prayagraj. This apparently sought to restore the 'purity' of the city’s original name and heritage, and also reflect the zeitgeist.

Kumbh was about marketing. Nothing ‘commercial’ (read brand-led) came anywhere close to the government’s use of the event. There were hundreds of hoardings talking about government schemes and achievements, pointedly mentioning how they have made a difference since 2014, and weaving in its leadership’s role into the messaging. Fair to say that no government would have missed out on this opportunity, especially with the elections being just round the corner.

Kumbh was about event management. With a budget of over half-a-billion dollars, it was about setting up and managing a city. Sanitation, traffic, connectivity, policing, and more. Those who had last visited the Kumbh some 20 years ago, would find things drastically different - much more comfortable, and much better organised.

Kumbh was about the environment. And I am not just referring to the 1,22,000 toilets that were set up. Thanks to the release of extra water down the Yamuna, and ensuring that sewage treatment plants located upstream were functional, the water at Sangam was quite clean. If there's will, anything is possible. Even in India.

Kumbh was about gender equity. Not only did I not witness any voyeurs, women visitors, too, reported feeling safer at night than they do in some of our metro cities. But the highlight was the Kinnar Akhada. In an ironical tribute, instead of trying to escape, people lined up with offerings, seeking to be blessed by the transgender saints. Invoking mythological references, the akhada also formed an alliance with one of the leading ones, the Juna Akhada, to participate in the 'shahi snan'.

Kumbh was about hierarchy. On the day we headed for our holy dip, the Vice President of India also harboured similar ambition. Leading to unholy traffic jams, diversions, and chaos on the main roads, as also within the Tent City. In a twisted irony fraught with risk, while commoners taking a boat were required to wear the brand new life jackets on hand, occupants of the VIP boats haughtily dispensed with such frivolities. Then there were levels of accommodation - villas, luxury tents, regular tents, and simple dormitories. Hierarchy was again on display in the sequence in which various akhadas took part in the 'shahi snan'. Wicked irony raises its head in the origin of the term and the concept of sequence - it is said this was ordained by the Mughal emperor to prevent any fights from breaking out between the very competitive akhadas.

Kumbh was about curated experiences. On offer were the Aghor Experience, Prayagraj On Foot Experience, Shahi Snan Experience, River Cruise, Aerial Experience by Helicopter, among many others. A leading media group organised a 'passion trail' which packaged the Kumbh experience along with a visit to Lucknow and Varanasi, and lessons providing tips and tricks of street photography.

Kumbh will also be about an alt sequel. This is not much talked about, but apparently many foreigners and young Indians would be staying on in the Tent City, for weeks after the Kumbh is over. So the camp organisers will get some extra business, even as traditional locals whine about what they predict would be the partying crowd recreating Woodstock on the river banks.

Kumbh was ultimately about faith, as it has always been. For centuries, millions of ordinary pilgrims, from far-away villages and small towns, have visited this auspicious synchronisation in time and place - a site of the confluence of holy rivers, at a time when the celestial bodies are aligned in a very special way. In any case, many come every year for the Magh Mela, camping for weeks as Kalpvasis. Only during the Kumbh, it becomes a massive human inflow. Trudging along with their belongings perched on their heads, not bothered about the hype, organisation, curation, and the rest. Only hoping to wash away their sins, and earn a ticket to heaven.

In the above, one can discern some of the challenges and opportunities that such an event represents. Whether it is activation or sampling, a context-oriented approach that goes beyond the demographics, might help brands forge a deeper connect. 

#KumbhMela #ExperientialBranding #BrandActivation #ContextLedCommunication

(Rajeev Shukla is Co-founder & Managing Partner of Resonance Consulting, a branding and communication firm offering services that include Insight Mining, Brand Strategy, Identity & Design, Communication, Employer Branding & Employee Engagement, CSR Advisory. )