Among the thousands of pilgrims arriving at the banks of Sangam for Mahakumbh 2025, two French women, Marina Das and Maria Chanderth, stand out for their unwavering connection to the Kumbh. For these French nationals, Kalpvas in Kumbh is a never-let-go practice For these two women, the Kumbh is more than a religious gathering—it’s a practice that ties them to …
Divya M sat nervously on a chair, as she watched discussions on cooperative entrepreneurship, a term she could hardly pronounce. Divya, part of a team of women auto drivers that calls themselves Veera Pengal Munnetra Sangam, won the first prize in Coop 2024, a competition aimed at promoting cooperative entrepreneurship. Veera Pengal Munnetra Sangam, registered in April 2024 and currently …
Preparations for the upcoming Mahakumbh-2025 are underway with plans to set up 35 temporary night shelters across Sangam city. These shelters will provide safe accommodation for economically disadvantaged visitors and the homeless, shielding them from the winter chill. The shelters will be constructed within the fair area and will accommodate not only devotees but also the poor and destitute.
“The effort should not show. I wanted to keep Koothu’s intrinsic quality alive, the way I was taught by my father,” recalls Rajagopal. The gurukulam, which they had to close down during the pandemic due to financial reasons, has moulded a new generation of Kattaikkuttu performers, who are also trained in classical music, acrobatics and clowning by the country’s finest …
The Republic Day Parade set to take place in New Delhi on January 26 will witness Sangam city artistes presenting ‘Dhediya’, the folk dance form of Prayagraj, besides ‘Kajri’, a folk song and dance genre of Uttar Pradesh, on the Rajpath. For the ‘Dhediya’ folk dance presentation, director of North Central Zone Cultural Centre of the Union Ministry of Culture …