Shortcut to Nirvana: Kumbh Mela

SHORTCUT TO NIRVANA: Kumbh Mela offers a full immersion experience into the“biggest gathering of people in the history of humanity,” the Indian spiritual festival known as the Kumbh Mela. Documentary filmmakers Maurizio Benazzo and Nick Day take you into the heart and soul of the pilgrimage, where a staggering 70 million people come together to camp at the place where Ganges and Yamuna rivers meet to join a third mystical river - the Saraswati. The film follows a group of Westerners and the interpreter they “magically” meet - Swami Krishmanand - as he guides them through the mystical, the mysterious and the surreal. Yogi Times photographer Jasper Johal is included in the film, and he gives one of the best distillation of the significance and essence of Kumbh Mela.

Using aerial photography, freeze frame and a haunting sound track, the film does a good job of capturing the extraordinary scope and incredible sights of this festival which is held every 12 years. Although at times overwhelming and unsettling - one western pilgrim describes the festival as a “constant bombardment of the senses, dirt and noise” - some may be fascinated by the real life Babas, Swamis and Sadhus and the possibility of experiencing this amazing event.

‘Shortcut to Nirvana: Kumbh Mela’ is available on DVD or www.melafilms.com