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Abhay Singh, who changed his name to Masani Gorakh, studied at IIT Bombay for four years and worked in photography, before deciding to become a monk and dedicate his life to Lord Shiva.
Meet the ‘IITian Baba’, whose cheerful demeanour grabbed attention on social media. (News18)
With over 1.6 crore devotees participating on the first day of the religious event, the Maha Kumbh Mela offers a grand spectacle like no other. The biggest congregation of humanity includes Naga Babas and globally respected religious leaders, yet it is an “IITian Baba’ who has stolen the spotlight.
Abhay Singh aka Masani Gorakh, also known as IITian Baba, reached the Maha Kumbh 2025. As soon as the camera caught sight of a young man sitting on a pipe outside a tent, his sparkling eyes stopped the CNN-News18 crew.
With a calm smile, cheerful demeanour and a powerful sense of wisdom in his words, Masani Gorakh revealed that he had studied aerospace engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. However, he later left the world of science and aerospace and became a monk to understand himself and comprehend the divine.
Abhay Singh changed his name to Masani Gorakh and dedicated his life to Lord Shiva. He said he goes by other names as well such as Raghav and Jagdish.
He hailed from Haryana and studied for four years at IIT Bombay, but later changed careers to the “arts side” by pursuing a Masters in Design and worked in photography. He also coached students in Physics.
The IIT Baba also revealed that he took philosophy courses – Post-Modernism, Socrates and Plato – to “understand the meaning of life”. After dabbling unsuccessfully in several careers, he went home and started focusing on “basic things”.
“I now understand that this is real knowledge. If you have to understand the mind or mental health, than you can do it (through spirituality),” he told News18, adding that he does not care what people think of his new ambition. When he was asked how he reached this stage, Singh said, “This stage is the best stage.”
The interaction with the IITian Baba went viral on social media, with several people online praising the young man for pursuing knowledge instead of money. “Even after having the knowledge of the entire universe, the void is the same, that is Shiva, the eternal truth. A living example of this is our IIT Maharaj Ji,” wrote one commenter.
“This person is very good and truthful. He has no greed for anything,” said another netizen. “How many children dream of IIT Mumbai, Baba Ji is amazing, I don’t have any words to express,” another individual wrote.
Held once every four years at one of the four locations in India, the Maha Kumbh Mela is one of the most significant religious congregations. The cultural extravaganza is being held from January 13 to February 26. This event is even more significant this year as seers claim the celestial permutations and combinations for the event are taking place after 144 years. More than 1.65 crore devotees took a holy dip on the first day.
- Location :
Prayagraj, India
