Steve Jobs' 1974 handwritten letter on ‘wish to go to India for Kumbh Mela’ sold for Rs 4.32 crore

A letter written by Steve Jobs expressing his desire to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela has been auctioned for Rs 4.32 crore. In the 1974 letter to a friend, Jobs shared his eagerness to experience the Kumbh Mela.

Maha Kumbh Mela

The renowned Maha Kumbh Mela, held every 12 years, commenced recently with millions of devotees participating. It is believed that bathing in the Triveni Sangam during the Maha Kumbh Mela cleanses sins and grants liberation.

Steve Jobs' letter expressing his wish to see the Maha Kumbh Mela was recently auctioned for Rs 4.32 crore. Written in 1974 to his childhood friend Tim Brown, it expressed his desire to visit India for the Kumbh Mela starting in April.

The letter reads:

"Tim, I have read your letter many times. I don't know what to say. Many mornings have come and gone, people have come and gone. I have loved, I have cried many times. I now live on a farm in the mountains between Los Gatos and Santa Cruz. I want to go to India for the Kumbh Mela starting in April. I will leave in March, not sure yet. If you like, when you come, I'm still here, we can come up in the mountains together and you can tell me your thoughts and feelings, which I don't fully understand from your letter. A fire is burning in another room, it's getting too cold for me here. I'll end by saying I don't even know where to begin."

While Steve Jobs never attended the Kumbh Mela, his wife Laurene Powell Jobs visited the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. She was given the Hindu name 'Kamala' during a 'Pattabhishekam' ceremony for spiritual leader Vyasanand Giri Maharaj. She participated in prayers, dressed in a long white outfit and orange shawl. She reportedly experienced allergies on her second day at the 2025 Maha Kumbh.

Spiritual leader Swami Kailashanand Giri stated that Laurene Powell Jobs would participate in the holy bathing ritual. He also mentioned her allergies and that she had never been to such a crowded place, highlighting her simplicity and her stay with them during the prayer.