Maha Kumbh: From insurance to FMCG firms, businesses tap into spiritual mkt

Banks, insurance firms, FMCG majors set up booths; hotel rates, airfares hit the roof

In the stillness where the Yamuna, the Ganges, and the mythical Saraswati meet, a world converges, drawn by the call to purify the soul. The Maha Kumbh is a congregation of many things – devotion, commerce and a curious order in chaos. 

From tent operators charging as much as a luxury hotel room in New Delhi or Mumbai to humble chaiwalas selling steaming hot tea to weary pilgrims, everyone has a role to play in this 45-day spiritual and economic exchange at Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.  

Spread over 4,000 hectares, the Maha Kumbh’s expanse is divided into 25 sectors. The Uttar