Visiting Maha Kumbh has given me a lot of strength: Niilam Paanchal

Niilam Paanchal, who visited the Maha Kumbh Mela recently and stayed there for 11 days, says that it was “a completely unplanned trip.” The Hellaro, 21mu Tiffin and Vash actress, who lives in Mumbai now, shares, “I had come to Ahmedabad to celebrate Uttarayan and at that time, I saw people’s videos and photos and decided that I will also visit the Maha Kumbh Mela with my family. However, everyone backed out at the last moment. I requested a railway agent to book a ticket from Ahmedabad to Mumbai. I decided that I would go to Mumbai and then take a flight to Prayagraj once the flight fares were a bit reasonable. However, the agent booked an Ahmedabad-Prayagraj train ticket by mistake. So, I feel that God planned my trip to Maha Kumbh; Mahadev ne mujhe udhar bula liya. My biggest takeaway from the Maha Kumbh experience is that I have realised God has His own plans for us. We must trust it and follow that path. After returning to Ahmedabad, where my mom lives, we found out that she needed major surgery. Visiting Maha Kumbh has given me a lot of strength and it is helping me during this phase.”

Niilam adds, “It was a 24-hour train journey and I thoroughly enjoyed it, as most of my co-passengers were Gujaratis. I didn’t even have any return ticket while going but decided to trust God’s plans. I stayed at a tent there for 11 days and one of my biggest takeaways from the trip has been the wonderful bonds that I forged with the locals there. While I have travelled alone before this too, this was my first solo trip. I experienced two extremes during my stay. There were days when there were no crowds at all, while there was mad rush on the other days. I visited ashrams, interacted with many sadhus and Kalpvasis (devout pilgrims who dedicate themselves to spiritual purification and simple living during the month of Magha) and it was inspiring.”

‘Prayagraj was buzzing with positive energy’

Niilam says that taking the holy dip “was an experience that is tough to describe in words.” She adds, “Prayagraj was buzzing with positive energy and even when there were huge crowds, nobody was complaining. The locals were really helpful, and we should be grateful to the cops and safai karamcharis, who did a fabulous job despite their long duty hours. All of them were very polite and helpful. Once you take the holy dip, something happens; you feel a different kind of energy. The water was pretty cold, but I didn’t feel any discomfort. During the last few days, my family joined me, and we returned to Ahmedabad by road.”