As the world’s largest religious festival, Maha Kumbh is happening at Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, millions of devotees are taking part in the rituals. The spiritual event also includes Naga Babas and religious leaders, among whom some are quite unusual and catch everyone’s attention. One such seer is the ‘IITian Baba’ who was spotted at the Maha Kumbh. 

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Abhay Singh, aka Masani Gorakh, has gained the name of ‘IITian Baba’ following his interview with CNN-News18. Masani Gorakh revealed that he had studied aerospace engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. However, he left science and turned to spirituality.

He revealed that he became a monk to understand himself and the divine better. He also changed his name to Masani Gorakh and dedicated his life to Lord Shiva in devotion. He also goes by other names like Raghav and Jagdish, he added.

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Who is IITian Baba?

Hailing from Haryana, Masani Gorakh studied aerospace engineering for four years at IIT Bombay. He then changed his field and pursued a Masters degree in Design and worked in photography. He also taught Physics to some students in the meantime.

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In a pursuit to “understand the meaning of life,” the IITian Baba then started studying about Post-Modernism, Socrates, and Plato. He then went back home and focused on “basic things”.

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“I now understand that this is real knowledge. If you have to understand the mind or mental health, then you can do it (through spirituality),” he told News18. He added that he does not care what others think of his new ambition. 

When he was asked how was he able to reach this stage, he said, “This stage is the best stage.”

“If you keep pursuing knowledge, where do you reach? This is where you reach,” he added.

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The interaction quickly went viral on social media, with several people praising the young man for his pursuit of knowledge.

(With inputs from agencies)