The Kumbh Mela – a congregation like none other. Millions arrive, drawn by an invisible force, seeking purification in the flowing waters at Prayagraj where the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati meet. The rivers flow ceaselessly, carrying prayers, hopes, and stories – dissolving the burdens of the past, offering renewal. A dip in this sacred confluence is believed to grant emancipation, freeing the soul from its earthly constraints.
But there is another Mela, one that convenes within, and converges where ink meets paper. Thoughts, like devout pilgrims reaching the Sangam, throng to the nib, yearning for release. The ink flows. A thought written down is at once liberated, breaking free from the confines of the mind, much like a pilgrim emerging from the holy waters, reborn.
Both journeys – one through the rivers, and the other through ink – lead to emancipation. One purifies the soul, the other unshackles the mind. To step into the waters of Prayagraj or to set ink to paper is to surrender to a current far greater than oneself. In both, there is release. In both, there is transcendence.
The rivers that merge at Prayagraj lose their individual identities, becoming one. Just like the thoughts that flow from the mind through the pen take shape, finding unity in expression. Everything returns to its essence, a singular truth beyond separation.
Whether in water or in ink, the flow is the same. The journey is the same. And in the end, there is only one.
Brahmam Okate
Pratap Lakshman is an Indian software engineer. While at Microsoft he worked on programming languages and tooling and establishing industry wide standards. He was Microsoft’s representative at Ecma International and served as the project editor of the ECMAScript 5 Language Specification, the international standard that defines the JavaScript programming language, and received the Ecma Recognition Award in 2013. He is currently building large scale cloud computing platforms at EY. He can be reached at https://www.linkedin.com/in/pvlakshm/.
Illustration by Anagha Lakshman.