What's the Latest Development? Students and faculty from four
separate Harvard University schools are traveling to the Indian
city of Allahabad to observe and collect data from this year's
Kumbh Mela, a Hindu festival lasting several weeks that is being
called the single largest human gathering in history. Starting
today, between 30 and 60 million pilgrims are expected to bathe
in the Ganges River during the festival, purifying themselves
from sin and "[washing] away layer upon layer of karmic debt."
2013's event is especially significant because it's a Purna
("complete") Kumbh, which takes place every 12 years. What's the
Big Idea? Researchers were drawn to this year's Kumbh Mela
because of its potential size, which writer Logan Plaster says
is almost-but-not-quite equivalent to putting the combined
populations of Shanghai and New York City into about 4,800 acres
of land. Among the many different aspects of this "pop-up mega
city" that will be studied include sanitation and clinic
readiness, safety and secur