Dear Children,
We could never have undertaken our journey without your help. The journey that took us across the country, from south to north and north to south; journey that allowed us to do our bit for our forefathers.
If beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, then Banaras we found to be beautiful. As you sit on the banks of the Ganga, you feel calmness pervading even as you watch the burning bodies. You don’t see tears in anyone’s eyes. Life and death are taken on equal terms. It is what is worth of the river Ganga. Its water is pure. There are micro organisms in it that keep it pure. Scoop up a handful of water and you will find that it is fit for drinking. I am sure there will be many who will differ with that statement! I have to admit that I have drunk that water and nothing untoward happened. The quality of milk that I drank years back and now is the same over there. No wonder, the place is sacred and so are the cows!
It is a city where if you fall, you will have hands that come to help you up. Yet in the crowded ghats you can seek solitude and keep just to yourself. The city has multitudes of people coming from all over the world - each one carrying his impression of the place. We met a group of Malaysians who were very much impressed with the silk textiles there!
The city has not changed much from the time I visited to write the exam for my school certificate. It has been more than forty years. I still remember, I wrote my exam along with the Princess of Banaras! She needed no security! But kings and queens are long gone. Now, our democratic country has dictators! There are gun trotting bodyguards for the underworld or celluloid kings and none for the women...
PS.The love i have for nature cannot be expressed in words. A feeble attempt about the river Ganga that i had written earlier comes to my mind now... written on 4th April 2010.
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