Chandan Roy Sanyal on Maha Kumbh stampede: Can't imagine what the families went through
Chandan Roy Sanyal, who attended the ongoing Maha Kumbh, expressed sorrow over the recent stampede, calling it ‘sad and shocking’
Actor Chandan Roy Sanyal was attending an event in Lucknow when he received an invitation from the organisers to visit the Maha Kumbh. He refers to it as ‘divine intervention’ that the trip came together for him. As he puts it, “Yeh sab cheezein apne aap ho jaati hain. Mujhe bulawa aaya, toh main aa gaya idhar! I reached on February 10, and got to stay for five days.”
This was his first experience at Kumbh, and he reflects on the sheer scale of the event: “Millions of people were there. I am privileged because I got to fly in an aeroplane, was fetched from the airport, put up in a hotel near the ghat. I saw millions walking on the roads, with their kids on their head. It shows the faith people have.”
The recent stampede at the Maha Kumbh, which claimed the lives of more than 30 people, left many in shock. When asked about it, Chandan expressed his sorrow, saying, “It’s sad and shocking. So many people lost their lives, so many families lost and their source of livelihood. What they went through... I can’t even imagine.” Despite the tragedy, he clarifies that the news did not deter him from going, adding, “I wasn’t apprehensive about going there (Maha Kumbh) though.”
Chandan hails from a religious family, a background that shaped his own spiritual beliefs. He shares, “My mother is very religious, my father was too. They would go to Haridwar, Benaras. In fact, I took some gangajal for her this time. She would take me to the Durga temple when I was a kid, during Durga Puja.” Over the years, Chandan says he’s developed a deeper spiritual connection. “As I grew up, I read Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda and became spiritual. I sincerely respect all forms of religion and faith. I don’t believe in one God, but a divine power, because of whom everything happens,” he wraps up.
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