Three days of collaboration, challenging assumptions and exploring human-centred solutions for one of the most complex challenges of Kumbh Mela 2027: crowd management.
Kumbh S.P.R.I.N.T. brought together innovators, researchers, designers, entrepreneurs and startups for an intensive three-day experience. Stepping away from my regular schedule on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, I had the opportunity to mentor six teams working under a single tower, each exploring solutions to real-world challenges.
It was a big commitment, but absolutely worth it.
Bringing different perspectives together
What I particularly liked about the team composition was the diversity of perspectives. Each team brought together builders, researchers, business professionals and designers, creating opportunities to look at the same problem from different angles.
My role was to mentor the designers and teams, while continually bringing the conversation back to one important question:
Are we solving a real human problem?
We questioned assumptions, explored crowd behaviour, discussed accessibility and empathy, and considered operational realities and feasibility. The focus wasn't just on generating ideas, but on understanding whether those ideas could address genuine challenges.
What I enjoyed most was seeing how ideas evolved when they were challenged. Different perspectives helped teams rethink their initial assumptions, refine their thinking and look at problems differently.
That's where I believe design adds real value: not just in making solutions better, but in helping teams understand the problem better.
Understanding the S.P.R.I.N.T. philosophy
One of the things I appreciated about the experience was the philosophy behind S.P.R.I.N.T.: Spot, Probe, Refine, Incubate, Navigate and Transition.
It provides a structured journey, from identifying a real problem and exploring it to refining ideas, testing solutions and eventually taking them into the real world.
This approach resonated with my own belief in design. A solution should not be driven by an idea alone. It needs to be grounded in real problems, challenged through different perspectives and shaped around practical needs.
Learning beyond mentoring
The keynotes and sessions were equally enriching. Listening to people from different fields brought new perspectives to the discussions.
The speakers and contributors included Dr. Praveen Gedam, Ajay Bohora, Prof. Devidas Golfer, Prof. Ramesh Raskar (MIT Media Lab), Chandrakant Deshmukh, Sarvam AI, Shaunak Sule (HCLTech), Ashwin Kandoi and Abhijit Junagade.
Their contributions added another dimension to the experience, bringing together technology, innovation, research and entrepreneurship.
Designing for public systems at scale
Working on crowd management for Kumbh Mela 2027 gave me an even greater appreciation of the complexity of public systems.
At this scale, solutions need to consider much more than technology. Human behaviour, accessibility, operational constraints and the realities of implementation all play an important role.
The experience reinforced something I strongly believe: good design starts with understanding people and the problems they actually face.
It also reminded me that meaningful innovation often happens when people from different disciplines come together, challenge one another and remain open to changing their perspectives.
Grateful for the experience
I'm grateful to have been part of Kumbh S.P.R.I.N.T. I came back with many thoughts, a few new perspectives and even more respect for the complexity of designing solutions for public systems at this scale.
A special thank you to the entire Kumbhathon team for the tremendous effort that went into making these three days possible. The energy, coordination and tireless work behind the scenes were visible throughout the event.Special thanks to Dr. Sachin Pachorkar, Sandip Shinde, Girish Pagare, Rishabh Vora, Divya Agrawal and Tanmay Kangane, along with the entire team.
