MAM
Divine confluence: inside Megha Tata’s spiritual odyssey at the Maha Kumbh
MUMBAI: It’s been around a year since media industry veteran Megha Tata – who has led channels such as Turner International, HBO, Bloomberg TV, Discovery – has held a steady job. It’s been by choice. After slogging it out from 1992 when she was an executive with Sunday Mail, and then for more than a decade with Star India, she believes she deserves the rest. She has been happy lending her services to corporate India as a financial adviser and an independent director.
Her husband Ariez is in total agreement with her choices. An entrepreneur, he too has decided to slow down on the blistering work front and, along with Megha, they have been exploring themselves individually, each other and the world.
Normally seen in suits and sarees, these days Megha appears to be more comfortable in jeans, boots, salwar kameez’ and a backpack as she lives out every senior executive’s dream – to have a complete balanced life, rather than being caught on the treadmill of corporate achievement alone.
Megha and Ariez have been gathering mileage – both on flights and on Indian roads. It’s been motorcycle rides to nearby towns of Mumbai as she unwinds the years of tension of corporate meetings and targets from her sinews. Meditation, discourses from Sadhguru of the Isha foundation is what have been keeping both of them occupied apart from their freelance assignments.
So when Megha and Ariez decided to get to Maha Kumbh, like many of her other exploratory journeys, she had no idea what she was getting into, though the duo had planned out everything. What she discovered was that it was far more than a religious gathering – it was a masterclass in spiritual immersion, logistical precision, and the harmonious blend of ancient traditions with modern conveniences.
The secret to Tata’s seamless experience lay in strategic choices that might seem counterintuitive to luxury travelers. Eschewing traditional comforts, she and her husband opted for motorcycle taxis over cars, transforming potential logistical nightmares into smooth spiritual passages.
“There was a method in the madness,” Tata reflects, describing how these agile two-wheeled vessels became their chariots through the sea of humanity.
The decision to travel light – carrying only backpacks – proved equally crucial. Where others might have struggled with unwieldy suitcases, Tata and her husband found freedom in minimalism. This mobility allowed them to weave through the crowds with ease, their motorcycle taxis navigating paths where cars would have stood helplessly gridlocked.
Their accommodation at Royal Kumbh, managed by The Secret Camp, offered a striking contrast to their minimalist transit strategy. “It was a beautifully organised setup,” Tata shares, describing their tent positioned along the Ganga’s sacred banks. This thoughtfully curated space provided not just luxury, but a serene sanctuary for reflection between spiritual immersions.
The location proved strategic, offering easy access to the heart of the Kumbh while maintaining a peaceful distance from the most crowded areas. The blend of comfort and spirituality allowed them to fully absorb the profound energies of the gathering without being overwhelmed by its scale.
What makes Tata’s journey particularly compelling is its transcendence of religious boundaries. Her husband’s Parsi heritage adds a fascinating dimension to their shared spiritual quest.
“For us, this journey was not about religion but about experiencing the energy and being part of a once-in-a-lifetime event,” she explains, highlighting how the Kumbh’s spiritual magnetism crosses all denominational lines.
Their experiences ranged from witnessing the dramatic presence of Naga Babas to finding kinship among fellow Isha Meditators.
“It was incredible to witness people from all walks of life, rich or poor, from every background united in devotion,” Tata recalls.
The sacred dip in the Ganga became a powerful symbol of unity, where the waters “seemed to embrace everyone, symbolising inclusivity and faith at its purest.”
In an interesting contemporary twist, Tata acknowledges social media’s role in amplifying the Kumbh’s reach. Rather than viewing this digital dimension as a distraction, she sees it as a bridge making this ancient gathering accessible to a global audience. “While some may see it as a double-edged sword,” she notes, “it has undeniably helped bring attention to the event.”
With an estimated 40-50 crore visitors, the event’s smooth operation stands as a testament to administrative efficiency. The Uttar Pradesh government and police force orchestrated what Tata describes as “organised chaos,” creating an environment where spiritual seeking could flourish unimpeded by logistical concerns.
For Tata, who has been on a spiritual path for over a decade, the Kumbh experience served to deepen her existing practice.
“The experience strengthened my faith in spirituality and reaffirmed my connection to this path,” she reflects. Even as her daughters remained distant – one in Bangalore, another in the United States – the journey became an intensely personal chapter in her spiritual evolution.
As the Maha Kumbh approaches its conclusion on 26 February, Tata’s experience stands as both inspiration and practical guide for future pilgrims. Her journey illuminates how this ancient gathering has evolved to meet contemporary needs while preserving its spiritual essence. In navigating the delicate balance between comfort and authenticity, tradition and modernity, Tata’s story offers valuable insights for anyone drawn to this extraordinary confluence of faith, humanity, and divine energy.
Her parting advice to potential visitors encapsulates the wisdom gained and can be applied to our daily lives as well. As she says, plan thoughtfully, travel light, embrace the unexpected, and remain open to the transformative power of the journey (to the Maha Kumbh or) of your life. In doing so, you too might discover, as she did, that both the Maha Kumbh and your daily experiences offer a far lot more –they provide a gateway to profound spiritual awakening.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
