A follower has just entered the tent of Juna Akhara’s first scheduled caste Mahamandaleshwar, Kanhaiya Prabhunanad Giri, at Kumbh Mela . Adorning bright saffron robes, while Giri remains seated on a chair decorated with a carpet, the devotee bends, touches Giri’s feet and seeks the Mahamandaleshwar’s blessings. The devotees then says, “Jai Mahadev, Jai Bheem.’ In a swift motion, Giri’s palm rises on instinct and he poses with the devotee sitting by his knee, for the camera.Taking off a few marigold garlands from around his neck, he says, “I remember in 1999 in Chandigarh, I was not allowed to enter a sadhu congregation for being a Shudra. I was not allowed to touch the feet, note even the toe, of the seers, which I wanted to, to receive divine energy through them. And now, here I am, at the Kumbh Mela, seated on a powerful position of a Mahamandaleshwar, where no scheduled caste has been able to reach, after almost a 1000 years of Sant Ravidas being a Jagatguru.”In another part of the Kumbh Mela area, in sector 12, Mahamandaleshwar of the Kinnar Akhara, Laxmi Narayan Tripathi , is flocked by devotees, some sitting by her feet, others standing in respect as the head of the transgender clan recounts to them her experience of immersing in the Sangam as a part of the Shahi Snan, replete with all the pomp and celebration that’s at par with the 13 akharas that take part traditionally.From transgenders and Dalits entering the alleys of an akhara, even holding lofty positions—that of a Mahamandaleshwar—and being part of a Shahi Snan with pomp and respect, Kumbh this year is an impression of ancient inclusion redefined in current times.It is a kumbh of inclusivity. Like the Sangam (confluence) of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, the transgender, the scheduled caste and tribe have all converged in Kumbh (pitcher) this year, as a positive change to keep the country looking forward, while keeping traditions intact.Having faced violent casteism all his life, Giri basked in the pride of the moment, that he said was kept away from his caste, and was now a reflection of equality in religion. “Sanatan Dharm is inclusive in its root but the Manuvaadi-Brahmanical system sidelined us and subjected us to discrimination through centuries. It is after thousands of years, that SC/ST/OBCs and kinnars (transgenders) have received their due and it is because of the revolutionary courage shown by the Juna Akhara,” said Giri.Giri continued, in between blessings his followers, “This is in its real essence, a Kumbh (pitcher) of inclusivity where a scheduled caste has been made a Mahamandaleshwar, is seated atop a chariot and taken for his first Shahi Snan amidst drum beats and cheers. A melting pot where Kinnars are part of the binding glue.”As per Giri, mythology around Kumbh mela holds at its core inclusivity with the contribution of both scheduled castes and tribes and the transgender community during Samudra Manthan.“When the ocean of nectar was churned, it had Rakhsh (referred to as Rakshas and as per Giri interpreted as present day scheduled castes and scheduled tribes), Yaksh (the one involved in prayer), Gandharv (the musician of God), Kinnar (the dancer transgender) and the Devta (representative of God) holding onto the snake together. We were towards the mouth of the snake, taking in fire, after which 13 ratnas emerged out of the ocean,” explained Giri.Having taken a dip in the cold water of the revered Sangam, Laxmi shared her experience: “The feeling my soul went through in that moment was impeccable. It left me speechless. It felt that whatever was due to our ancestors was reclaimed by us, that the waters from the Sangam of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati intertwined in it, us too.”Laxmi said, “It is after ages that the Kinnar Akhara has got its due from the most orthodox of religious settings, proving that the Vedic Sanatan Dharma is all inclusive. We are being acknowledged as an asset, being given respect and our individual identity not being dissolved in the fold of religion. What else can we ask for?”Unwavered by the protests and oppositions that came the Kinnar’s way, Laxmi said, “There was protest against us initially but we are not here to fight with anyone. The religion gives the likes of me a special place and we have just reclaimed that.”Highlighting the position upheld by transgenders, Giri put things in perspective. He said, “Kinnars are considered very auspicious, whose only sight is enough for all sins to be dusted. Kinnars are the ones who follow complete Brahmacharya and the ones who should have been kept within the religion long ago.”Giri, now 32 years old and in a position of religious command, said he had to take odd jobs to survive, while on his way to religion.” After my class X, I wanted to study Sanskrit, but I was denied so for being a scheduled caste. I then came under the shadow of my Guru, Jagatguru Panchanand Ji Maharaj in 2008 who taught me and soon gave me the priest ship of the temple. But I was frowned upon, attacked by hooligans, a finger each on my hand fractured, my temple setup ransacked and called by casteist names,” he said.“It is we who wrote the Vedas, Puranas and the Ramayana. And we who wrote the Constitution. We are Eklavya and Karan, Ashoka and Chandragupta Maurya. We have proved our mettle and yet face exclusion still. It was about time, a revolution to change this was brought about and that time is here now,” said Giri, who hails from Azamgarh

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