(RNS) — To Wells Fargo Advisors Managing Director Yakub Mathew, the once-in-a-lifetime Maha Kumbh Mela was a quest of shared humanity beyond faith divisions.
(RNS) — The Maha Kumbh Mela of 2025 — the Hindu festival marking a full orbital revolution of Jupiter around the sun, occurring once every 144 years — drew an estimated 660 million pilgrims to Prayagraj, India, from around the world, making it among the largest gatherings of people in history.
Yakub Mathew, an Indian Christian and longtime New York City financial adviser, was among those making the pilgrimage, which took place over six weeks in January and February. With 18 of his friends and his wife, Mathew celebrated his 60th birthday at the Kumbh’s site of Triveni Sangam, the confluence of the three holiest rivers in Prayagraj.
With the help of those religiously diverse friends — including renowned spiritual leader Sadhguru; Bollywood actor Anupam Kher; Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop emeritus of Bombay; and Shashi Tharoor, Indian politician and thought leader — Mathew compiled “Seeking The Infinite,” a 250-page coffee table book of photos and essays that share the story of the Kumbh from their various faith perspectives, released Nov. 16. Mathew, who works as managing director at Wells Fargo Advisors, told RNS that the book and the Kumbh itself were “a divine sort of grace.”…….
