The unveiling of the new Kashi Vishwanath Corridor over the last few days has evoked varied reactions from us Indians depending on which side of the ever-widening political divide we stand.
Some felt liberated, while others found another reason to fortify their “intolerance” or “India is becoming communal” hypothesis.
I felt neither of the above.
But I did experience a sense of quiet relief. I share the reasons for the same.
Keen to find out, what all the fuss was about, I and a couple of mates visited Kashi a few years back. Why were all these foreigners roaming around in Benares, which, to most of us, represented everything that is grossly wrong with Indian civic sense and city planning?
The little understanding of Kashi I had before my in-person experience of the place, came through books I had read about its ancient history and an evergreen song from the Bachchan starrer “Don”. Such was the impact of Kishore Kumar’s singing on my psyche that the song “Khayke Paan Benares Wala ” cemented a firm belief in my young mind that everyone in Benares has to eat “paan” – Come what may!!
But whatever I knew about Kashi through reading and perception was pleasantly shattered during that 4-day holiday. The city opened my eyes (very often startling me) to a reality I never knew existed. In its unique way, Kashi brought me face to me with my own identity. It gave me an idea of who my ancient forefathers were. What constituted their values? What made up their philosophy?
The house I found for our stay through Airbnb was a massive Haveli in a lane that could not be accessed even by an auto rickshaw. It had 14 rooms. It was very close to the river. One could get a mesmerizing view of Gangaji from the terrace. The house belonged to a Punjabi trader family living in Kashi for seven generations, long enough for Punjabi to no longer remain their language of thought. They were a lovely senior citizen couple executing the new age hosting business, remotely controlled by their daughter-in-law from Bangalore, while her husband worked the great Indian dream in our lesser Silicon Valley.
Each day in Kashi, we walked (there is no better way) at least 10 km, navigating the narrow, packed lanes and alleyways, and discovered something new, with each passing minute. Even by our true-blue, Mumbai standards, the city kept overwhelming us, with its diversity and controlled chaos. We witnessed areas inhabited by Tamils, Telugu speakers, Maharashtrians, Gujaratis, Marwaris, and Bengalis, all stacked next to each other, connected by a common thread. By the end of the trip, we were sure that the only Indic community that may have never set foot in Kashi could be the tribes living on the Andaman Islands. We also witnessed the presence of hundreds of varied groups of Hindu religious denominations, sects, and whatnot.
Amazingly, we discovered that along with Puri / Kachori-Sabji, most Benares residents and tourists also enjoyed “Idli-chatni” for breakfast or as an all-day snack, sold on hand carts by men from Orissa.
But the most defining element of Benares that made it Kashi was its people. The quintessential Kashi dweller refuses to be amazed or impressed by where a visitor hails from since every possible traveller worth his salt has visited Kashi. The Benaresi is always eager to give directions with 200% confidence in its often-suspect accuracy. This city’s people also have a special place in my heart because, like me, they have an opinion on almost every possible subject on earth. It is rare to spot a Kashiwasi, reluctant for a conversation with an outsider.
Kashi, the abode of Lord Vishwanath, the Adi Yogi, forces you to question the value of material pleasures. Yet the same Kashi almost encourages you to enjoy a glass of the most amazing Thandai, loaded with a natural intoxicant called Bhang (cannabis leaf paste). In my opinion, a visit to Kashi is incomplete without experiencing this drink unless it is an impediment to your spiritual practice.
But Kashi leaves that choice to you. Just as the core principles that have driven it for millennia – a philosophy, faith, belief, way of life, or whatever else you may want to call it. Sanatana Dharma, which puts the onus on the Individual, to decide the utility of human life, dictates everything in Kashi.
Isn’t this the original idea of India, that so many of us claim is worth fighting for?
Do visit Kashi at least once in your life. For your forefathers did so, and those before them did too. The faith you practice does not matter. Kashi remains above that.
And even if you choose not to, remember, some part of you will always remain in Kashi.
You live in Kashi!!