You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.
Swami Vivekananda
After an invigorating drive from Kanpur, Mentor On Road reached Varanasi or Kashi, Lord Shiva’s city in the early evening.
We first experienced the crowded streets of Varanasi as the early evening drew towards sunset and throngs of people came out on every nook and corner of Varanasi’s streets and narrow alleys going about their daily chores. Varanasi has a magical atmosphere that multiplies a million times as darkness begins to fall!
The old city of Varanasi is situated along the western bank of the Ganges and extends back from the riverbank ghats in a labyrinth of alleys or galis that are too narrow for traffic. They can be disorienting, but the popular hotels and restaurants are usually signposted and, however lost you become, you will eventually end up at a ghat and get your bearings. You can walk all the way along the ghats, apart from during and immediately after the monsoon, when the river level is too high.
The whole place was raucous, dirty, imperfect and spiritual, commercial and chaotic all at once yet it was moving and alluring.
It is the holiest city in India so it isn’t surprising that the spiritual vibe makes it such an incredible place for both tourists and pilgrims to visit. If you chat with a local in Varanasi, you'll soon discover that the city is made up almost entirely of legends. In fact, it is impossible to figure out where myth ends and history begins!
We then witnessed the makeover of Varanasi. People in the district of Varanasi in eastern UP for the first time in their life are seeing an entirely different ‘Banaras’ in terms of cleanliness. The roads and ghats are being cleaned round-the-clock to present a beautified Varanasi before Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who will reach Varanasi with our Prime Minister and local MP Narendra Modi today.
We observed firsthand the preparations for today’s joint visit of the PM of Japan and India to Varanasi along with the police drill, the fresh coats of painting and the banners welcoming the Japanese PM.
It would be the first time that our PM Modiji will visit his constituency with a foreign dignitary. The visit comes in the backdrop of the Partner City Agreement between Kyoto and Varanasi signed by the two leaders during our PM Modi’s trip to Japan last August.
The stress on cleanliness is due to India and Japan having signed a pact to develop Varanasi as a‘’Smart City’ when Modiji had visited Japan last year. Under the Smart Heritage Cities programme, Kyoto has to provide cooperation in the fields of conservation and modernisation of cities, as well as in art, culture and academics to the city.
The two leaders will visit the temple city and attend the ‘Ganga Aarti’ at the famous Dashashwamedh Ghat.
Moving on, we then visited the Kashi Vishwanath temple yesterday evening to seek blessings. One of the most famous Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, the temple stands on the western bank of the holy river Ganga, and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest of Shiva temples. The main deity is known by the name Vishvanatha or Vishveshvara meaning Ruler of The Universe.
Pilgrims come to the ghats lining the River Ganga here to wash away a lifetime of sins in the sacred waters or to cremate their loved ones. It's a particularly auspicious place to die, since expiring here offers moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth and death), making Varanasi the beating heart of the Hindu universe. Most visitors agree it's a magical place, but it's not for the faint-hearted. Here the most intimate rituals of life and death take place in public, and the sights, sounds and smells in and around the ghats – not to mention the almost constant attention from touts – can be overwhelming. Varanasi is unique, and a walk along the ghats or a boat ride on the river will live long in the memory.
At dusk the Ganga Aarti ceremony is performed whereby small offerings are given to the Goddess Ganga. The ritual happens every single day but it still has an intense and magical feeling.
We therefore visited the holy ghats of Varanasi and witnessed the prayers and the Ganga Aaarti. It’s hard to describe, feverish and fragrant with smoke.
Young men dance at the top of the steps to a choreographed performance involving fire and chanting while the thick, heady scents of sandalwood mingle through the huge crowd giving it an electric atmosphere.
It’s an intense experience with the drumming, chanting, singing, fire and strong incense as well as the huge crowds of people who have travelled from all over India to witness the holy ceremony.
We also had the privilege of a boat ride just around dark, while witnessing a variety of views unfolding on the river banks. Har Har Gange!
Later in the night, we enjoyed a ride in an open rickshaw and auto while experiencing the various sights and sounds riding through parts of Varanasi. Therefore drawing an end to one of the most breathtaking and unforgettable days for Mentor On Road!
Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.
Swami Vivekananda
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