A Nobel idea?

By demanding the Nobel Peace Prize, the world's most prestigious award, for the Kumbh 2010, chief minister Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has started an interesting debate. In fact even before the main Shahi Snan on April 14, Dr. Nishank said that the Kumbh, the biggest confluence of the humans at one place on the Earth, deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. Later on, he reiterated his stand many times. Dr. Nishank said that a well-known management expert from the USA, Dr. Hira Mani, who came to study the management of the Kumbh, was so impressed by the arrangements of the mega fair that he suggested that the Kumbh should be nominated for the coveted prize. "Nearly six crores devotees from 140 countries congregated at fair. To host so many devotees deserves the world's top award," asserted Dr. Nishank.

Though chief minister's stand has generated sharp criticism within the state. The leader of the opposition in the state assembly, Dr. Harak Singh Rawat says, "The chief minister has made a myopic statement. He should know that the Nobel prize is given every year to persons for outstanding work in some prescribed categories and cannot be given for crowd management. "Even the former chief minister of the state, Lt. General (retired) B.C. Khanduri has voiced his disagreement with Dr. Nishank on this issue.

The president of the Teerth Maryada Raksha Samiti, Sanjay Chopra says, "Self glorification and demand for Nobel Prize for the Kumbh by the chief minister are only a ploy to cover up the mismanagement and the corruption during the mela and the large number of casualties during the mega event." Striking a balance, the president of the Ganga Sabha, Ram Kumar Mishra says that the Kumbh may not qualify for the Nobel prize but the fair of such a vast magnitude definitely deserves a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.