Building on missions: What Indian state should learn from the Mahakumbh

If the state can conduct such globally significant events without mishap, surely an all-round improvement in governance is possible?

The Mahakumbh Mela, which began on Monday and will last 45 days, is a triumph of organisational ability and ingenuity. It will likely be the largest human gathering in history; over 400 million visits are expected to take place. Before 9:30 am on the first day of the festival, in fact, six million had already arrived and bathed at the confluence of the two sacred rivers in Allahabad. Those numbers will likely be eclipsed on Tuesday, the day of Makar Sankranti. Managing such a vast throng is an extraordinary challenge, but one that the Indian state somehow manages every time