I. Background:

Kumbh Conclave brochure (Concept Note) along with advisory and invited speakers list are attached with this proposal and hosted at https://indiathink.org/kumbhconclave/ https://indiathink.org/itc-in-news.html [ ITC in News] https://www.youtube.com/@INDIATHINKCOUNCIL [ Dialogue Videos] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T7MMSAeVHs (Shri Yogi Adityanath, Hon. Chief Miniter of U.P. for Kumbh Conclave 2018-19]

II. Purpose:

Kumbh Conclave is one of the global dialogues of India Think Council (ITC) curated in the year of 2019 to commemorate and recreate the dialogue tradition of the holy kumbh.

In this conclave we invite the global Indian diaspora, diplomats, religious scholars, policy experts and academicians to share their experiences and wisdom on Dharma and civilization, our shared heritage and culture and its economies of scale.

Kumbh Conclave hosts various technical sessions and roundtables at Kumbh cities and other prominent cities across India on contemporary national and international issues and also reaches out to the various stakeholders for the factual information and updates about the Kumbh.

Pilgrimage and Tourism are very well part of the culture and for a country like India; our diverse culture and heritage provides immense vistas of tourism gateways and avenues to the world apart from intrinsic dharmic values and wisdom of the life sciences. The Kumbh Conclave is inspired by the majestic Kumbh celebration which is one such cultural heritage of India that encounters the spiritual conglomeration of tens of millions of devout pilgrims, religious scholars, philosophers and preachers. Since its inception (early in the first millennium CE or even before that) the Kumbh Mela has become the largest public gathering in the world which is recognized now as an intangible world heritage by the UNESCO.

India has from centuries been a nation of religious diversity and cultural homogeneity. The Indian culture is often defined as an amalgamation of several rituals and traditions that have developed over a history of more than a millennium.

Kumbh encapsulates in itself the idea of India and the essence of Santana dharma which has been the guiding force for rulers of their respective time and period.

The “pop up mega city” (Kumbh Mela) built on the broad sandy flats left by the receding rivers, is laid out on a grid which is constructed and deconstructed within a matter of weeks. Creating a huge encampment of tents (The city of tents) entailing multiple aspects of contemporary urbanism, city planning and management , engineering and spatial zoning (planning Mela city in zones and sectors ), land allocation, an electricity grid, water lines and sanitation system, food and water distribution plans, roads of chequered plate, pontoon bridges , drainage ,hospitals and vaccination centers, police and fire stations and public gathering space, markets and stall , special railway and bus arrangements.

Kumbh being the largest religious congregation on earth, it is the world's best place to experience a perfect example of public administration, city planning, social governance and civic management.

The Kumbh Conclave is similarly designed to enrich and enhance this culture of dialogue and debate amongst the scholars of modern India to discuss on the role of economics, politics, society and culture in good governance which is Dharma. It is a confluence of scholars at Triveni-Prayagraj to discuss the aforementioned aspects in the context of Dharma and righteousness.

It is structured to exhaustively deliberate on the ancient culture and tradition along with contemporary developments in the Indian society for religious celebrations, social harmony and humanity that is associated with such festivals. It also emphasizes on social inclusion and the message of peace. The Conclave will explore Dharma as a means of good governance from spiritual scholars and pragmatic solutions from the policy experts. It is also an opportunity for young intellectuals and students to discover and promote new ideas and visions contributing towards this cultural and ideological assimilation. With this real intent and message of our rituals Dharma, Culture and Development, the conclave would focus on engaging and bringing together individuals from varied sections of the society for the scholarly nectar of immortality to enlighten their minds through ideological churning. Details of Kumbh Conclave since 2019:

1st Kumbh Conclave was held in Prayagraj during Kumbh 2019 in association with the UP Tourism, ICSSR, ICCR, ICHR, Prayagraj Mela Pradhikaran, Prayagraj Nagar Nigam, Allahabad University, Allahabad Museum, MNNIT & MLN Medical College -Prayagraj and others.
https://indiathink.org/kumbhconclave/kumbh-conclave-booklet.pdf
https://indiathink.org/kumbhconclave/

Before Kumbh 2029; a special Kumbh Conclave was organized in Goa to promote Kumbh in Association with UP Tourism and Govt. of Goa and Goa Museum at Kundiam.
https://indiathink.org/kumbhconclave/goa/ 2nd Kumbh Conclave was organized during Haridwar Kumbh in 2021 at Dev Sanskrit Vishwavidyalay – Haridwar and Parmarth Niketan – Rishikesh in association with Uttarakhand Tourism, Patanjali University, IGNCA, ICCR, Harihar Ashram (Juna Akahra) and others
https://www.indiathink.org/kumbhconclave/kumbh-conclave-haridwar.html

Kumbh conclave is largely covered by prominent national media (print and digital), official social media handles of government and noted personalities.
https://indiathink.org/itc-in-news.html [ ITC in News]