Indigo CEO’s ‘once-in-a-lifetime experience’ at Mahakumbh: ‘I took the holy dip at 5 am’
Indigo CEO Pieter Elbers visited the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj over the weekend, joining millions of people at the world’s largest religious festival
Indigo CEO Pieter Elbers visited the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj over the weekend, joining millions of people who are at the world’s largest religious festival. Mahakumbh 2025 is particularly special because it is occurring after 144 years under a rare and highly auspicious astrological alignment. The last such occurrence was in 1881, making the 2025 Mahakumbh a once-in-a-lifetime event for devotees and saints.
For Pieter Elbers, too, the Mahakumbh was a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience. He spoke about his visit in a LinkedIn post, saying the sheer scale of the gathering is impossible to grasp.
45 crore visitors in only 45 days
“Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj. Once in 144 years...the largest gathering of mankind on planet Earth!” wrote the CEO of low cost airline Indigo in his LinkedIn post.
He said that the number of people visiting the Mahakumbh this year is larger than the population of the United States. “45 Crores...450 million visitors in only 45 days. The sheer scale is impossible to grasp... similar to Europe's population and more than USA,” wrote Elbers.
Elbers, 54, revealed that on January 26, he visited the Mahakumbh Mela. While he attempted to write about his experience and shared a series of photographs from the Mahakumbh, he said that no word, sentence or photograph could adequately describe the energy of the place.
“Took the holy dip”
“This weekend, on Republic Day I was at the Maha Kumbh Mela, celebrating the confluence of India's culture, spirituality and heritage,” wrote Elbers. “No word, sentence or picture can properly describe this place or the energy.”
The Dutch airline executive said he took a dip in the Sangam at 5 am and found a moment of peace amid the chaos. The Sangam is the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers.
“I took the holy early morning dip at 5am in the sacred confluence of rivers, the holy Sangam with about a million at the same time, surrounded by chants, prayers, devotion and the unity of humanity. Found an inexplicable moment of peace in the chaos.”
“Humbled and grateful to be a part of something so divine, once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will cherish forever,” he said.
He concluded his post with a word of thanks for the Indigo team at Prayagraj airport for the outstanding work in such busy times. Elbers has been at the helm of Indigo since 2022. Before joining Indigo, he was the president and CEO of the Netherlands' flag carrier airline, KLM.