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NASIK, INDIA, August 4, 2003: The Kumbha Mela, among the largest gatherings in the world, besides attracting devotees, sadhus and exotica-seekers, has its share of media adding to the crowd. There are at least five reporters doing live telecasts at any given point in time. The first to arrive was the NDTV outdoor broadcast van, which is not a van at all but a truck mounted with a dish and all the requisite paraphernalia. The Sahara, Zee OB and Star vans soon followed. Locals and pilgrims throng around the TV crew in a furtive attempt to be on TV at least for a second, even if among 500 faces. Often a brawl will break out between the crew and the people who are “spoiling the frame” or among people who keep jostling each other to get in front of the camera. The question heard most often is, “Is this live?”. Ramkund is the main pond where the ritual baths take place during the Mela. The Godavari flows in from one end and out the other. After three days of heavy torrential rains, the water turned to muddy brown and submerged everything around. Even the main Godavari temple, which opens once every 12 years for the Kumbha Mela, was filled with waist-deep water. The water began rising at the site reserved for the television vans. Their tires became completely submerged and one van became stuck in the steadily rising waters. When the vans looked in danger of being washed away, the local fire brigade warned the TV crews to move their vehicles and equipment.

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