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Varanasi: A Visit to the Cultural Capital of India

April 10, 2011April 1, 2015Posted in Uttar PradeshTagged Aldous Huxley, Assi Ghat, Banaras, Benares, Boat ride, Ganges, Ghats, Hindu, India Travel, Varanasi14 Comments

Morning activities on the ghats, Varanasi

‘The cultural heart of India’… or ‘the melting pot of Indian culture’ … or ‘the holy city of India’ – whatever you like to call it, the world’s oldest continuously inhabited city, Varanasi has its own charm to attract travelers from all across the globe. Glimpses of Benares in Satyajit Ray movies have always made me curious about the city. As I read Aldous Huxley’s ‘Benares’ …all those description of boats in the river, the ghats and Hindu rituals during solar eclipse ignited my inquisitiveness further.

Varanasi, Ganges, Ghats, Banaras, Benares, Uttar Pradesh — Incredible Benares

Recently I had the pleasure of visiting the old city of Varanasi (Banaras) and would like to share my experience there. It was a family tour with my mother, aunt and my sisters.

Getting There

On 19th February we boarded the Howrah-Mumbai Mail at 10pm. Courtesy Kolkata’s typical rallies and meetings, all the roads to Howrah were blocked and we were stranded in traffic jam for 2hrs. Thankfully, it was our destiny that we reached the station literally at the last minute when the guard was about to wave the flag and finally managed to get on board.

The train reached Mughalsarai Junction next morning right in time. We opted for pickup service (Rs 600) provided by the hotel. A white Ambassador was waiting outside to take us to the guest house. We took the GT Road (or NH2). It was a journey of about an hour from Mughalsarai station to Godowlia Crossing, in the heart of Varanasi. However, there are plenty of auto rickshaws and trekkers outside the station that are much cheaper mode of transportation.

Ghats, Ganges, Varanasi, Banaras, Benares, Uttar Pradesh — Ganges – view from our guest house in Varanasi

First Day:

As you know, the narrow alleys are one of the city’s specialties… we had to get down on the main road and walk down the alley to reach our guest house.

Sita Guest House on Chowsatti Ghat is really a good place to stay in Varanasi if you want to enjoy the view of the Ganges in the quiet and privacy of your room. Rooms are neat and clean and the price is quite reasonable with respect to its location, facilities and service compared to other hotels/guest houses located near the always crowded Dasaswamedh Ghat (known as the main Ghat of Varanasi). Sita Guest House also has a rooftop restaurant which was another reason for me to choose this place.

Ganges, Assi Ghat, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh — Views from the guest house window

Godowlia Crossing, the main commercial hub of the city was 10-minute walk from our hotel. After a refreshing hot and cold water bath in the guest house we set out to explore the city market. I believe the market is a place in every city or town that gives you an essence of the city at once.

One thing I must mention that if you want a good meal outside the hotel you are staying, go for Kesari Restaurant, which is a popular eatery serving a variety of cuisines starting from Punjabi to South Indian. The restaurant is situated on the left of the road towards Dasaswamedh Ghat from the crossing.

After lunch our next destination was the famous Dasaswamedh Ghat. I wasn’t surprise to find the ‘sacred’ ghat so dirty. It was an over-crowded place where it seemed the whole city population swarmed in.

Dasaswamedh Ghat, Ganges, Varanasi, Benares, Uttar Pradesh — Dasaswamedh Ghat

The best thing about Varanasi is I think the boat ride in the Ganges…

Boat ride Varanasi, Ghats, Uttar Pradesh — Boat Ride in Varanasi

Since ours was an all-women group we reserved a boat for Rs 500 for one hour private ride. The boatman said he will show us the main 17 ghats and drop us in front of our guest house. Alternatively, you can go for a ride at Rs 70 per head in a group of 15 to 20 people at a time.

As the boat floated along the ghats the boatman went on briefing the history of each ghat including the main Dasaswamedh, Rana Mahal, Assi, Harischandra, Manikarnika and more. He was a captivating story teller, I must admit. I was busy in observing various activities of the devotees and visitors along the ghats while listening to him. From Hindu family performing religious rites to visitors from foreign countries taking pictures to some other species (buffaloes actually … ;)) staring at us while grazing lazily on the bank – it was quite an assortment!

Varanasi, Ghats, Ganges, Banaras, Benares, Uttar Pradesh — Ghats in Varanasi

In the middle of our ride we stopped at Kedar Ghat only to shop banarasi saris… well…you know women! 😉 Not buying a Banarasi Silk sari while in Benares is next to impossible.

Kedar Ghat, Varanasi, Banaras, Ganges, Uttar Pradesh — Kedar Ghat, Varanasi

There are a number of sari shops and silk factories around. Many of the shop owners will claim that they will give you pure Banarasi silk saree at cheaper price…BEWARE! In the market you’ll find many ‘dalals’ (broker) coming up to you and try to convince you to buy from their establishment. Do not listen to them as you may end up with a bad deal in the end. However, we shopped till we dropped… lol… and started back towards the main ghat. The sun was nearing the horizon and the ‘aarti’ was about to begin.

Dusk, Ganges, Ghats, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh — Dusk falling over the Ganges, Varanasi

It’s a wonderful experience to watch dusk falling over the city and lights coming out one by one along the riverbank. We found the ‘aarti’ already started as we reached the Dasaswamedh Ghat. It was one of a kind experience to watch the ‘aarti’ from the boat. I saw clergymen clad in saffron stood up in a row and chanted hymns together while waving lighted ‘diya’s (indigenous lamp used in religious rites) towards the holy river. The ghat was flooded with the light of bright golden flames… beautiful!

Aarti, Dasaswamedh Ghat, Ganges, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh — Evening aarti at Dasaswamedh Ghat, Ganges, Varanasi

Slowly we passed the main ghat and headed towards Chowsatti Ghat. The boatman dropped us right in front of our guest house.

My first day in Varanasi was quite eventful.

continued… Part II: Sightseeing in Varanasi

Durga Puja 2010: Kolkata Dazzled in the Light of Festivity

October 17, 2010February 27, 2016Posted in KolkataTagged autumn festivals, Durga Puja, durga puja 2010, durga puja Kolkata, festivals, Kolkata, puja 201014 Comments

It was almost a decade that I had kept myself away from the light of festivities during the Puja. I rather enjoyed spending the four days of the festival with my family and extended family at the quiet of home. But Durga Puja in 2010 has been different, perhaps 20 and 10 both are my favorite numbers and lucky for me too! 🙂

This year I decided to get out and explore the Puja pandals, as many as possible. And what I found out is a dazzling Kolkata, all the more beautiful during the Puja days. The atmosphere has changed a lot. People are more mannered, crowd is more manageable, music is somber and tasteful and the designs and décor of puja pandals bear the mark of artistry and excellence with theme–based Pujas, far from the conventional decoration and mikes and sounds systems here and there blaring out cheap peppy songs all through the day in our childhood.

However, ‘puja’ today is not limited to its literal meaning, ‘worship’. It has expanded to include the idol of the goddess, the design and decoration of the pandals and the ambiance to win an award. Some Puja committees dedicated their pujas in the memory of Tagore, the great poet, whose 150^th birth anniversary is being celebrated across the state this year.

I have perceived the prevalence of glitz and glamour in every nook and corner with the complete commercialization of one of the biggest festivals of India and the most coveted one in Bengal.

From sponsored hoarding displaying puja greetings to contests for the best dressed or beauty to awards for the best pujas in the city the reflection of commercialization seen everywhere. What I did not like is that ice creams, drinks and bottles of mineral water were being sold at Rs. 2 to Rs. 3 higher than their MRPs at various stalls given by some of the leading brands. Also the over-enthusiasm regarding theme-orientation has played a spoil sport for some the pujas in Kolkata, especially when it comes to making idol of the goddess.

Well… this is my personal opinion after visiting some of the well-known pujas across the city. There was also that perpetual, tiring and irritating traffic jam due to pandal constructions along the roadside.

Still, with all the negativities and flaws Durga Puja in Kolkata rocked again. Even heavy rain in the afternoons of Maha Saptami and Maha Ashtami couldn’t dampen the spirit of the metropolis, for we have waited for it one l-o-n-g year! Tonight is the last of the Durga Puja – the idol has been carried out of the pandal and ready to be taken to the Ganges for immersion. Bijoya greetings have already started flowing into my message inbox, reminding me that festivity never ends, it just keeps us waiting for another year ahead. Shubho Bijoya!

A Day out in the Alley of Potters called Kumartuli

September 19, 2010August 11, 2014Posted in KolkataTagged clay sculpture, culture, Durga Puja, goddess, Hinduism, Idol making, Kolkata, kumartuli, Pottery, Religion and Spirituality, rickshaw, Road14 Comments

Narrow lanes, hand-pulled rickshaws, tram lines and red-brick houses with louvre windows – yes … I am talking about a typical North Kolkata neighborhood.

kolkata, north kolkata streets — North Kolkata Streets

It’s that time of the year again, with Durga puja round the corner, we (Deblina and I) planned to explore Kumartuli, one of the cultural precincts of Kolkata. It was a Friday morning that we headed towards Kumartuli. From Shobhabazar-Sutanati metro station we took a rickshaw to Kumartuli, where clay sculptors were busy in making idols. Bright sunshine on my shoulders and the deep blue sky above were telling that autumn is on the threshold and with only one month left for the Pujas idol making would be in full swing.

It was my long cherished desire to visit Kumartuli, the alley of the potters, where gods and goddesses are born (read created) in the skilled hands of mud sculptors who are in the profession of clay idol making for several generations.

Well, coming back to where we started our journey. We had to take a hand-pulled rickshaw. As soon as I boarded the rickshaw childhood memories thronged my mind. Such rickshaws were aplenty on the roads of Kolkata those days. We used to ride rickshaws often, especially in the evenings while returning home after a shopping or a visit to some relative’s place. The rickshaw puller is almost running pulling the rickshaw, and the sound of the bells hanging in his hand … ting ling ting ling (this bell worked like horns) and a small lantern hanging at the back of the rickshaw, just like the rear light of a car – the images are still so vivid in my mind!

Hand-pulled rickshaw in Kolkata — Hand-pulled rickshaw in North Kolkata

However, with the comfort and ease I am trying to sketch the picture of hand-pulled rickshaws, right now, it was no that easy during the ride. I sat stiff and terrified, thinking all the time, what if the rickshaw puller loosens his grip and we’ll land up up-side down (LOL!). Finally, we reached our destination and I was relieved to get down from the rickshaw. 🙂

As we moved on down the lanes the brick walls and structures were like closing in on us. I have never seen such narrow lanes and by-lanes in my life. Much to my astonishment, artisans live in there, with their families and have set up their studios for pottery and idol making! Well… studio, not in its literal sense.

Their studios are far from what we think or have seen… with scarcity of space, no AC, no fans and small windows refusing the daylight to enter, artisans keep working all day and night during this season. As for equipment and materials, they have clay, straw, ropes (made from coconut fiber), bamboo sticks and two hands – two skillful hands that can transform the shapeless mound of clay into a beautiful and awe inspiring idol of goddess Durga.

clay sculpture — Transformation from mounds of clay to beautiful idol.

Hats off to those artists whose talent will never be recognized… who will never get the chance to bathe in the light of success and recognition.

As we made our way down the alley I was amazed to see half-done idols with a variety of size and features … large, small, medium; with traditional wide-eyed face revealing anger, or with a soft compassionate look more like a simple, native Bengali beauty; posing like warrior against the demons or blessing like mother.

We had only a few hours in hand with so much to see. We could only explore a part of the entire area in one hour. Since it was a working day we had pending jobs to do at the office. We set out from Kumartuli, reluctantly. Just as we were walking along the street we saw a tram approaching, much to our delight and we instantly got on it. Sitting inside the tram I felt nostalgic. It has been a long time since I last enjoyed a tram ride.

Trams are rare to see on the roads of Kolkata nowadays. The thought that Kolkata will be losing its heritage one day pains a lot. The metro has transformed a lot with a number of lavish shopping plazas, bustling multiplexes, flyovers and BMW, Skoda and Chevrolet plying the city roads.

Slowly the tram reached the terminal at Bagbazar. From there we caught the bus to Kalikapur, where our office is located. As the bus was passing through Shyambazar crossing I caught a glimpse of the statue of ‘Netaji’,

basking in the sun, amidst a number of enormous hoardings and signboards trying to cover up the skyline, the bamboo structures for pandals on the roadside, posters of political rallies and the same zeal and enthusiasm for the Pujas reminded me, ‘Kolkata ache Kolkatatei” (The spirit of Kolkata still remains the same)!

Waiting Never Seemed So Exciting and Fun!

August 16, 2010August 11, 2014Posted in TravelTagged hills, mountain, namchi, Sikkim, Travel2 Comments

Majestic… Misty… and sometimes Mysterious – that’s what mountain is to me.

Majestic, because of its greatness.

Misty, because of smoky clouds hovering over it.

Mysterious, because you never know what’s in store in its every bend.

The thought of exploring mountain vales simply excites me. And in India, it is none other than the Himalayas, which is synonymous to mountain.

Sikkim Image courtesy: Sukanya Chakraborty

It has been quite a long time that I have last visited the hills. It was the Queen of Hills, Darjeeling where I had been once when I was in school. The memories of the hill town are still vivid. Now I am a working woman who got busy with her 9 to 6 job. And in the monotony of everyday’s routine my mind often seeks escape from the bleak surrounding of concrete jungle. My eyes are thirsty for a glimpse of the mountain with its snow capped peaks turned golden in the soft morning sun; green slopes brightened with blooming rhododendron and rippling streams running down the picturesque valley.

Well, I am lucky to have found friends who think the same way as I do. What we needed was to sit together and decide where to go and when, because ‘leave’ is a very important factor especially for professionals working in private sector. Our timings had to match. Finally, ‘Sikkim’ was the unanimous choice. We settled with a beautiful place called Namchi in Sikkim while it took quite a few days to finalize the time, which is end of September, this year.

The next few days went in searching for hotels and trains and booking tickets. Then we had a lot of discussion about packing … what to take and what not. The excitement of traveling to a new place is not new to me. But this time it is doubled as I have actively took part in booking hotels and trains which was my father’s department when we traveled together with family.

Now that we have finished with all of the initial arrangements the only thing that remains is the ‘wait’… wait for the day we are going to board the train for Sikkim…wait for the time we reach our destination, Namchi … wait for the moment we set foot on the hills, once again. Waiting never seemed so exhilarating, desirable and fun!

The Money Plant on My Window

August 7, 2010February 27, 2016Posted in Moon's DiaryTagged greenery, indoor plant, Kolkata, Nature, photography, plant, tree, tree cutting, tree fellingLeave a comment

It was a lazy Saturday afternoon. The sun was little mute outside because of the thick white clouds that were crossing its path often throughout the day. The sky was pale blue. The towering palms in our neighbor’s backyard were swaying there heads in cool breeze. The pussy cat was dozing on the window shade. My eyes were getting heavy and I thought of having a siesta. I went into my room and was about to close the window that this ‘money plant’ caught my eyes. It was looking beautiful green in faded sunlight. And I couldn’t but tried some shots with my digi-cam.

The lush green color of the leaves delighted me and also reminded me of how fast our city, Kolkata is losing its plantation. Perhaps, in future we’ll only have these indoor plants to turn to for green.

Tree Felling Spree in Kolkata Needs to be Stopped

May 3, 2010February 27, 2016Posted in KolkataTagged deforestation, environment, green kolkata, greenery, Kolkata, Nature, pollution, tree, tree cutting, tree felling9 Comments

Tree trunks lying beside VIP Road , kolkata, west bengal, tree felling

Everyday on my way to office I watch them. They are lying dead. It’s truly sad. They didn’t harm anyone neither they did cause any problem to anybody. If they were alive they could give us pure air to fill our lungs. They could give us cool shelter to rest in the scorching sun. Yes… I am talking about those trees which are trees no more … just logs … lying here and there by the VIP Road – Kolkata’s once pride. I don’t know who to ‘thank’ for this – PWD (Roads) West Bengal or the Kolkata Municipal Corporation!

green kolkata, tree cutting — *Tree trunks lying beside VIP Road Photo: Moon Roy*

The flyover construction works by PWD end much before Shreebhumi-Golaghata area. So there was apparently no need to cut those trees that once graced the VIP Road (between Laketown and Golaghata, the stoppage right next to Ultadanga while you are heading towards Laketown). Just don’t understand how far this ‘tree felling spree’ in Kolkata will continue! And I wonder how the Forest Department can give nod to such irrational tree-cutting exercises!

Recently learnt from an online news portal about the “tree-felling drive” that is going on in Kolkata’s IT hub, Salt Lake Sector V (near Wipro). What is astonishing is that the government is busy in implementing High Court’s order for replacing old 2-stroke autos with 4-stroke LPG autos and banning vehicles that are more than 15 year old. On the other hand, the same government is utterly indifferent when it comes to protecting the greeneries in the city! Why this duplicity?

So far I have not seen any tree-planting project taken up by the local administration or any authority to compensate the loss of green once such construction works are over (check out the entire Dum Dum area and you’ll see). VIP Road is the biggest example. Take VIP-Laketown junction for instance. There were big trees in the triangular divider one of which felled in the storm Ayla and the Municipality did not bother to plant a single sapling there. They are busy in concreting the place and widening the road rather!

Green Kolkata — *Tree trunks lying beside VIP Road Photo: Moon Roy*

Cutting down trees in the name of development and no planting of trees afterwards can only put the city life at stake. Flyovers and skyscrapers are much needed things in a booming metro like Kolkata. But what’s the point in living in a place where our children will were specs from their early childhood; will suffer from respiratory trouble and various skin problems; grow weak and unfit with ischemic heart in a polluted concrete jungle? Side-effects of environmental pollution and global warming are many. It’s a different issue that we read about them in the news papers and magazines and then forget about it.

If the government and corporation act like deaf it’s time for us to wake up …to do something to bring back the greenery … to give our children a less polluted environment to live in. After all Kolkata is our city too. And we do have some responsibility towards it.

I Wonder How Twitter Has Changed Our Lives!

April 25, 2010April 19, 2015Posted in Moon's DiaryTagged online social networks, social media, social networking, tweets, twitter, twitter festival2 Comments

Recently a tweet by @librarycongress (The U.S. Library of Congress) caught my eyes while I was poking around on Twitter. The Library of Congress is going to archive all public tweets made since March, 2006 for the future generation. As per latest statistics there are over 105 million twitter users across the globe that are constantly tweeting on what’s happening in their part of the world. And the number of tweets is 50 million per day. Twitter’s real-time data and facts (read tweets) can become a rich resource to be used as a chronicle.

I wondered how Twitter has changed our lives and thought I must pen down my thoughts on it.

When I was introduced to Twitter by a friend I was skeptic about this micro-blogging site. So many questions filled up my mind – “why should I tweet when I can blog?” I was not sure whether any one will ever follow me (except my friends who were already on twitter)! “What to tweet and what not” – Twitter was quite an enigma to me then.”Is it always possible to be within the limit of 140 characters?” But gradually I found answers to all my questions. My perspective towards this micro-blogging site changed completely and I got addicted to Twitter. Now it has become such a favorite that I never mind writing an entire blog post on this. 🙂

I have been using other social networking sites of late. They are more or less similar when it comes to messaging and interaction. Twitter’s uniqueness lies in its simplicity and 140 characters limit for posting messages (read ‘tweets’). I find Twitter interesting in many ways.

The environment here is not that serious like other professional online networks and not so casual either such as the social media, even though you’ll find successful professionals from all fields on Twitter. It’s crisp and quick. It gives you freedom (you can tweet whatever you like) yet binds you in limit with short space. In other way twitter teaches you to be candid but precise; brief yet interesting.

As a social networking site Twitter nicely blends professionalism with friendliness. And it proves fruitful when the online friendship of professionals is directed to offline meeting in the name of charitable events like Twitter Festival. It will be sheer benefit of the society if we can leverage the power of twitter fraternity in a productive manner. Twitter has given the educated mass a platform to raise their voices and share their thoughts.

Twitter has already brought change in our society and thus in our life. We see more and more celebrities and eminent personalities from all spheres – be it politics, entertainment, journalism, art and literature – are joining Twitter now making it a trend. Previously it was only the media that had access to the world of celebrities and politicians. Whatever they said or did reached us in form of news via media. Now it comes directly to us (Twitter users) in form of tweets. Twitter has been able to bridge the gap.

Courtesy twitter that Shashi Tharoor can speak his mind right to his 7 lacs followers even though it has caused him a lot of trouble.

We never had any clue about what Ashton Kutcher thinks when he is on a flight before we had Twitter.

Have we ever thought of getting a glimpse into an astronaut’s mind right at the moment he is working at a space station or watching the Mother Earth from the outer space? It is Twitter that has made all these possible.

The Twitter-scope is not anymore limited within a particular status of the society for a particular purpose of socializing; rather it opens up a new horizon to the global citizen. Capturing the entire universe in just 140 characters Twitter provides a wider angle to look at things and teaches us to think differently.