The Kumbh Mela, one of the most sacred pilgrimages of Hinduism, is currently in full swing.
The months-long Indian festival features colourful processions and prayers, with devotees travelling from across the world to dip themselves in holy rivers to absolve themselves of their sins.
The festival is held at four riverbank pilgrimage sites – Prayagraj (at the confluence of the Yamuna, Ganges and the mythical Sarasvati), Haridwar (along the river Ganges), Nashik (along the river Godavari) and Ujjain (along the river Shipra) – over the course of a 12-year cycle.
That means the festival takes place at one of the four locations approximately every three years, although the dates vary and are based on the Hindu calendar and the Zodiac position of the planet Jupiter, the Sun and the Moon.
In 2019, 240 million people visited Allahabad during the 49-day Kumbh Mela, making this one of the world’s largest religious gatherings. These visitors come from across India as well as abroad. The Kumbh Mela in 2019 welcomed approximately 1.03 million foreign tourists.
The festival usually goes on over a period of months, beginning in January. It revolves around certain dates that are considered more auspicious for the Shahi Snan, or main bathing ritual. This year, the first Shahi Snan, which translates to royal bath, was on March 11, followed by April 12. The next will take place on Wednesday, April 14 and on April 27.
Here’s everything you need to know about the festival, which has been inscribed on Unesco’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
History and origin of Kumbh Mela
The word “kumbh” is derived from “Kumbha” or pitcher in Sanskrit, while Mela stands for fair or festival, literally making this the festival of the pitcher or pitcher festival.
According to Hindu legend, the festival gets its name from the pitcher of amrita, or nectar of immortality, that was produced by the devas (gods) and the asuras (demons) together.
However, when the gods and demons started fighting over the kumbha with the elixir of immortality, the battle went on for 12 years. During the ensuing fight, four drops of the elixir were spilled on to the Kumbh Mela’s four sites, and that is where devotees now gather to cleanse themselves of their sins and pay tribute to the gods.
There are four types of Kumbh Mela that take place. The traditional Kumbh Mela takes place once every three years, alternating between locations in Nashik, Ujjain, Haridwar and Prayagraj.
The Ardha Kumbh Mela takes place once every six years and only at Haridwar and Prayagraj.
The Purna Kumbh Mela is organised every 12 years. The last one was in 2010 in Haridwar.
Finally, the Maha Kumbh Mela takes place every 144 years, or after every 12 cycles.
What happens during the Kumbh Mela?
One of the most significant aspects of the Kumbh Mela is the bathing rituals in the holy waters on significant days known as “Shahi Snan”.
Led by sadhus or holy men, devotees attend day-long rituals that take place on the embankment of the rivers. Devotional prayers knowns as aartis are sung and drums are beaten.
The religious bathing takes place every day, but the most auspicious time is the night of the full Moon. Devotees believe that bathing in the river on this day helps a person achieve “moksha” or salvation.
What’s different this year?
This year, the Kumbh Mela has already begun on an unusual note. While the festival usually starts in January and takes place over a period of roughly 49 days or three months, this year, Covid-19 regulations have been put in place to curtail it to just a month.
The Uttarakhand high court has mandated that those visiting carry negative PCR test reports while other safety precautions include thermal screening checkpoints and limiting the time for bathing.
However, local reports have noted that authorities are struggling to contain crowds, with more than 2.8 million devotees turning up for the second shahi snan on April 12, and as many as 102 attendees testing positive for Covid-19.
This comes at a time when India is facing a Covid-19 spike, having overtaken Brazil as the world’s second worst-hit country on April 12.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
The five pillars of Islam
Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay
Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.
Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.
Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.
Results
4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m; Winner: MM Al Balqaa, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Qaiss Aboud (trainer)
5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: AF Rasam, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
5.30pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: The President’s Cup Prep – Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mujeeb, Richard Mullen, Salem Al Ketbi
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club – Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud
7pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Pat Dobbs, Ibrahim Aseel
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Nibraas, Richard Mullen, Nicholas Bachalard
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
UAE Premiership
Results
Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 43-27 Dubai Hurricanes
Final
Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, Friday, March 29, 5pm at The Sevens, Dubai
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Try out the test yourself
Q1 Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate was 2 per cent per year. After five years, how much do you think you would have in the account if you left the money to grow?
a) More than $102
b) Exactly $102
c) Less than $102
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q2 Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account was 1 per cent per year and inflation was 2 per cent per year. After one year, how much would you be able to buy with the money in this account?
a) More than today
b) Exactly the same as today
c) Less than today
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q4 Do you think that the following statement is true or false? “Buying a single company stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund.”
a) True
b) False
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
The “Big Three” financial literacy questions were created by Professors Annamaria Lusardi of the George Washington School of Business and Olivia Mitchell, of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Answers: Q1 More than $102 (compound interest). Q2 Less than today (inflation). Q3 False (diversification).
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)
Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)
Cryopreservation: A timeline
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- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
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- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
The specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
