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.
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
