Comments about ‘Largest human gathering in history, Hindu festival highlights the religion's growth and influence’

I work with a number of Hindus, and have learned a lot about their faith. First, most westerners who know about Hinduism have the impression they worship multiple gods. That's not quite correct. They believe there is one god above all, typically "Brahmah the Creator" and there exist many, many deities, or manifestations of the supreme god they may worship. Actually, the word "avatar" is from India, and is a good explanation for how they think of their deities.

One of my friends explained that her mother told her the Christians and Muslims around them in India are not really much different than they are, they just worship a different deity. "We all are seeking the same Creator".

That's actually a pretty charitable view of other religions, as those comparisons so. I know when I was a kid we were taught people in other religions were lost, or were misled by the devil, or whatever. Some muslims seem to have even more negative views of other religions.

So, I came away with a new appreciation for Hindus, and how they view others. Refreshing.

Looks healthy

Wow, 30 million people with 42500 toilets, that averages out to 705 persons per toilet, per day. I can see that this would be a real problem! May be the river is used for more than washing.