Connections in Contradictions!

It is the City of Lights; the City of the well of Knowledge, Gyaanavapi; City of Purity, where Ganga Ma purifies all who surrender to her;  the City of Maha-Shmashana, the ultimate end of all. Kashi is a city of contradictions too.

On the quite boat ride, while passing the picturesque ghats, the actions alongside them, made me wonder about the deeply-rooted beliefs people base their lives on. 

 Historical chronicles call it Anandavana the grove of happiness but it is also the Maha-shmashana the great cremation ground. In this city of boiling days and chilly nights, the paradoxes can puzzle you. Varanasi being the holiest city possesses a crass cult of thugs. The priests sell portions, big and small, of the spiritual hocus pocus. The land with its famous malai sweets is now branded for getting high on marijuana. In this tight net of dark alleys linger the fake sadhus and tricksters. And these, ladies and gentlemen, were a natives words, not mine. Nevertheless, the contradictions were pretty evident. The priest venerating the Lord, asked for ‘donations’ for every tikka and blessing. He was so overshadowed by the curtains of his ‘divinity’, that he blessed a young boy with, “Acha suhaag mile” (May you get a good husband!)

On the very first day our minds were flooded with multilateral theories. Perhaps our conceptions were way too superficial? What is beyond the layers of faith and dogma? Precisely, what sustains this timeless city? And most of all, are we in a position to question this everlasting system? Maybe this uncertainty relates to our understanding, understanding of that slight difference between sanctity and profanity, purity and filth, spirituality and sham. Even in this strange blend, some manage to find that mystifying charm!

I thought I was done with my cup of ‘incidents’, but turned out I was foolish and equally fascinated enough to seek these contradictions. I took off to get a take of different individuals on these contradictions, to learn the roles these ‘Religious Symbols’ played, in their lives and their Kashi. This pursuit was not to open a debate but to open the mind to another way of looking at things, to set the mind thinking.

Some of the many anecdotes from Banaras..

Unlike others of his age, this old man shifted to what he calls, ‘Bhagwaan nagari’ for the goal of making money and not after the label of God and religion.

Manishji, glorified the city throughout the conversation, and emphasized that it may be a ‘System’ somewhere but here it is ‘Culture’. People go for ‘Ganga snaan’ regardless of how dirty it is, because it is a part of their culture, a part of them. He justified this deed driven by beliefs, by the attitude of 'Mere ek ke nahanese se kya hoga?' (How will my one 'holy dip' make a difference to the present scenario?)

Vikram, 17, helps his dad run the tea stall on the ghats. He was aware and compliant of the state of his city. “Pradushan toh hai. Yehi toh dekhne aate hai sab tourist.” (yes, it is polluted. But, this is what attracts the tourists.) He and his family take a dip every morning. So did he ever question this custom? “Children can't decide what to do, family decides what to do. Aur humare ek se kya hoga?” Everything seemed to connect now. He also had something to say about the ‘babas and sadhus’ living on the ghats! “Dhanda hai ek tarah ka yeh toh” he said. (It's a kind of business.)

Priyanjli and Priyal, are of the views that the environment we are nurtured in

 shape our beliefs. However, their belief in the religious symbols are different

 from their grandparents; “Saal mein ek baar aate hain Ganga snaan karne”. (We go once a year to the Ganges.) Their take on the babas, “Humein toh sabh dhongi lagte hain!” (All this seems to be a sham.)

Sonali, a young entrepreneur, tells how people from all around come here for 

religion, Dharma and the holy river, but she herself doesn’t really follow it. All this is a part of her daily life, so holds no fascination whatsoever.

Mr Aulia says, “Sabki apni apni aastha hoti hai. Humare liye yeh pushtaini dukaan zyaada mehatva rakhti hai, toh yahi apni choti si puja karlete hain. Ghat toh fursat wale log jaate hai.” (Everybody has his own belief. For me this family bussiness of mine is more important. So, we do our little prayer here itself!) That’s his conviction.

Harsh, university student and a resident of Banaras shared a lot of stories of his childhood. How he used to go for a dip regularly until his 10th grade. And now?   "Time nahi hai aur ab toh mann bhi nai karta jaane ko”  (There's no time and we don't feel like going..) Kamal and Nirali, BHU students are of the opinion, that the river is purifying for its believers and for them an illuminating wonder. And that’s it.

With the strong focus of the new government on the cleanliness and the awareness by the masses, we hope that the original glory, cleanliness and sanctity of this holy town would eventually emerge back. 

It is said; in Kashi you reach what you walk for; and you find what you seek. Lets say, my search was quite constructive.

 *Names changed for privacy issues.