The city has 'something' and I cannot explain exactly what!
A recent visit to the city of Varanasi with my closest friends triggered many thoughts in my mind. Let me share some moments of happiness, nostalgia, and philosophy with you.....
First and foremost, the city has not changed at all. EXACTLY the same as I left it 20 years ago.
Nothing has changed. The people, the shops, the temples, the ghats, the bylanes, the dirt, the heat, the university, the lassi, the Rabri.....everything is the same.
These are the things that make it Varanasi.
Change one thing from the list and the undefined 'something' may just vanish from the city......
Having said that, I looked at Varanasi through a different pair of lenses this time.
1990s.
When I first visited the city, I was nineteen. Life was as beautiful as can be with some student struggles only.
On one hand, was the terrible homesickness, on the other was the sweet taste of first freedom.
On one hand, was the longing for Mom's cooked food, on the other was the amazing satisfaction of cooking the almost-edible egg curry in my hostel room.
On one hand, was the budgeting for every glass of lassi that I could afford, on the other was the immense sense of power when the monthly demand draft reached the bank.
On one hand, was the stress of passing the exams, on the other was a simple relaxed carefree life.
On one hand, was the thrill of falling in love, on the other was the uncertainty of what if he....
Life was all about friends, fun...and some studying. Period.
2017.
This time I saw the city through the eyes of a mature wise woman (age is not only a number!) who has seen some life, felt even more, and has learned to appreciate it.
Every moment spent with the closest of friends, going back to all those places where friendship and love were born, reminded me of how lucky I was.
Varanasi of 2017 was very different from the Varanasi of 1990s!
The planning started a few months back when a group of friends wanted to go back to their university days, to recreate their carefree life from the '90s. It is here, in this city, that our friendship got sealed forever, and made each other our lifeline. Our Whatsapp group got very busy planning for a few months and finally, we made this trip happen.
With the years, we have all changed (the knee pain, the thyroid, the reading glasses). But the bigger reality is that actually nothing has changed at all.
Our dynamics remain unchanged, the bond is even stronger!
Where did all the years vanish?
We had visited the Kashi Vishwanatha Temple many times before. All major exams saw us showered and fasting, with folded hands in front of the Almighty (especially Physics paper 3).
Our young minds had no clue of the real exams coming towards us later in life.
This time it was different.
This time there was the mature realization that His existence is not bound within the walls of the temple. There are far more meaningful things than the shower and the fast to prove the intent of our prayers. The fear of failing the exams was replaced by a certain confidence of 'done it, seen it, does not matter'. Priorities have changed a lot in these years. The power of faith has also shifted more towards humanity. Real exams of life have also taught us all to see things differently.
Amazing mind shift! Loved it.
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| I stand unperturbed..... |
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| Famous bylanes of Varanasi....so narrow yet so lively.... |
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| ......Ganga Arati..We worship her and also throw garbage into her...... |
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| ....that undefined 'something' |
BHU.
The University visit was a pleasure. Especially visiting the hostels was laden with nostalgia so strong that at times it even felt that we still lived there. We wanted to recreate every single moment of our college days.
'Hey room 27, time for dinner'
'Can I borrow your yellow dupatta?'
'Please keep my bucket in front of the shower room'
'D, the TV is not working, can you go up on the roof and turn the antenna?'
'Maharajji, why did you make bread pakora again today?'
'Anyone wants tea?' '
'Please be back before 7, Thapa madam will be screaming..'
'Room number 211, you have a visitor'
The hostels were unusually quiet. It was a weekend but there was no hustle-bustle in the corridors, the front porch was silent, doors to most rooms were closed, no singing from the showers, and not a single girl drying her hair in the sun.....
We peeped into a few rooms. In most of them, the girls were busy with their smartphones or their computers!!! What a change from our times.....
Dear girls, how on earth will you make such life-long friends like us?
Food was another delightful experience. Back then, as a hosteler, there was a serious constraint on our pockets. Food luxury was limited to once-in-a-while birthday treats which allowed for a bit of extra expenditure. A special lassi or a cold coffee or a chhole bature were the regular affordable delicacies.
We looked for the same old places. We enjoyed them at that time, and we enjoyed them even more this time. This time it was mixed with memories of best friends, hence food tasted even better.
One highlight for me was when the cold coffee shop guy (who had been observing us for some time as we waited in the queue to get coffee) at our university VT looked at me and M for a while and said "Maine to aap dono ko pehchaan liya"! (I recognized both of you!)
[Please let's not analyze what this means in terms of how much coffee we drank at VT, back then]
;-)
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| RABDI |
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| CHHOLE BATURE |
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| KULFI |
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| LITTHI CHOKHA |
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| LASSI |
Memories are a very important part of our life. Not all memories are happy ones, but even the sad ones make us realize that we are lucky to have survived those times.
Going back to places that hold a lot of memories, both good and bad, can actually rejuvenate life.
I came back .........appreciating my life even more.
It was not only the company of best friends, there was 'something' more.
Thank you Varanasi, for influencing my life in so many ways with your undefined 'something'.
