Varanasi .... Namaste

While wading through the bureaucracy in Delhi to gain a week's visa extension, I met a couple from Mexico City ..... (they had the wiry, patrician features of Mexicans, heavy on Spanish roots rather than Mayan!! .... trapeze artists, performing and travelling the world, ultimately heading to China to learn new techniques & routines .... ... I have met people from all walks, but this was a first! .... On learning I had yet to make plans for my last week in India, together they exclaimed ... "oh but you must go to Varanasi"!! Just at that point, we were all called to collect our various visa stamps and signatures, so forgot to ask, "why Varanasi"? ..... decided to wing it, book a flight and hotel and just go! Spontaneity can be it's own reward, but sure was relieved to find Varanasi exactly what I had been hoping to come across in India .... via a chance encounter at a government office in Delhi!! .... (reinforces the belief there are no accidents on seemingly random encounters) ..... Varanasi is the Hindu spiritual capital of India! To quote Mark Twain, "Varanasi is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together"!! Varanasi .... once known as Kashi (City of Light), dates back to 7th century B.C., making it one of, if not the oldest city in India and quite likely the oldest living city in the world. People from all over India come to study Sanskrit and Hindu philosophy .... a large university, with dozens of dorm buildings, is on the outskirts of the city center ..... lovely location! ..... trees everywhere, parks with benches, students enjoying the sunshine ... reading and jostling about like university students anywhere! ..... Ten kms away from Varanasi is another holy site .... Sarnat .... where Buddha first started preaching to the crowds ..... started actually, with his first five disciples! ....... as if that was not sufficient fuel to warm the spiritual fires, the holy River Ganges, known as India's most sacred "temple" and this in an area with over 700 temples!! ..... flows alongside Varanasi ..... the Ganges is worshipped as a living goddess, holding the power to cleanse all earthly sins! There are over 90 ghats along the river, defining the life of Varanasi .... these ghats (which are basically steps and platforms leading to the river) are lined with temples and shrines, beggars and pilgrims, locals and tourists .... a place to participate in the endless cycles of Hindu religious practice, daily rituals, and rites of passage. Pilgrims from all over India come to Varanasi to have family cremated (a crematorium sits at the base of one of the ghats with wood stacked all around, spilling into the narrow streets surrounding the crematorium site) .... Rightly so, pictures were not allowed in such a personal place ..... can't imagine an uglier sight, than that of tourists snapping pictures of such a spiritual moment .... We were there before sunrise but already there were a handful of bodies, wrapped in cloths, waiting .... family sitting quietly around ........ or if cremation is not possible, the ashes of loved ones are carried from all over India, to spread into the Ganges. A daily ritual for many is to come to river's edge, and bathe .... healing mind, body, spirit ..... a ceremony is held each night at sunset by priests, to heal the holy river itself .... it is so very polluted, but that appears to be of little concern to Indians ..... perhaps they think that because it is holy, the pollution somehow gets cancelled??!! ..... dozens of sewage pipes empty into the river at various points along the several miles of riverbank in Varanasi, but despite that, people are seen washing clothing & bedding all along the banks, and of course there are the multitudes that arrive here every day from all over India just to bathe in the healing waters ...... flowers and various offerings in addition to the ashes of loved ones, are tossed into the Ganges daily ..... All shrugged off with that most Indian of attitudes, "chalta hai" .... a kind of acceptance, a "whatever" attitude ......... it is prevalent in just about every aspect of life here .... the longer one lives here, the more that acceptance starts to seep into your own attitude as well .... possibly a survival tool :) ........ so, the River Ganges .... dirty but also healing!! .... very Indian indeed :) ........ I, however, was happy to just row our little boat at sunrise and enjoy the views .... had no intention of putting even a hand into the murky waters .... not necessary to embrace everyone's idea of ritual and healing :) ..... my personal healing spaces are usually in the crystal clean, serene Rocky Mountains but educational, certainly, to learn about the spiritual traditions & practices of other countries. The Indian approach to death is quite different from our western one .... It is not tucked away, sanitized, spoken of in hushed tones ..... death here is as important and as much a part of every day life as is life itself! Little wonder, given that life expectancy is not high and infant mortality rate is very high! I had the good fortune to enjoy the company of the most amazing guide, Vinay, who shared his city with me! Together we walked the crowded noisy streets of Varanasi, sat in temples, meditating in quiet serene settings at the various historical sites in Sarnat, (well, sitting quietly at any rate :), a sunrise row boat trip along the Ganges, an evening sunset healing service, perched on the steps of the ghats ..... a bull came by to sniff us at one point .... cows, bulls, are just everywhere it seems ... (just a tad freaky, sitting quietly, and finding a bull sniffing your ear!) ..... all in all, a most magical week! .... and Vinay, as gentle and deeply spiritual a person as I have ever come across. To have him introduce this very holy corner of India to me was a gift ..... many quiet moments were shared in the peaceful temples of Sarnat .... totally in tune with each other's needs for quiet .... it was as if we had known each other always. Karma. A wonderful wonderful human being ..... married with a five year old daughter, and no plans for more children. Rare in India, particularly if the first child is a girl!! But not for Vinay and his wife .... they view their daughter as a precious gift from God ..... and would like to be a role models for their friends .... to have only one child in a country that is way over populated. His marriage, although arranged by his parents, is a love marriage ....... it was mutual love at first sight when they were introduced at a tea hosted by both sets of parents! All this shared with softness and love in his voice ..... a beautiful moment. Vinay, his wife and daughter live with his parents .... common living arrangements for most in India ... He is a bit of a scholar on both Hinduism and Buddhism, so the days contained much story telling ..... now if I could just remember it all!! ..... Vinay's voice was soft and meditative, I was almost in a trance just listening .... very soothing :) .... Varanasi itself, is a crazy bustling city located in the Northern state of Uttar Pradesh, very close to Nepal ...... different from cities in both Rajasthan and Goa ..... with a unique energy ..... people are softer ..... they smile with genuine warmth .... yes, poverty is all around, but somehow, oh ..... I just think it feels very authentic .... all of it ..... If I ever had any kind of preconception about India, (it is very difficult to avoid having one!) ..... then Varanasi is what I had perhaps expected. There are beggars everywhere, some maimed, some not, the streets are chaotic, dirty and dusty, with cars, tuk tuks, rickshaws, goats, dogs, quintessential cows, and oh so very many people, all competing for road space! The noise level is intense .... honking horns, a constant. The smells, indescribable .... a rare mixture of fragrant marigold and rose garlands, sold at every flower shop (this is after all a pilgrimage town where most leave flower offerings at temples), the pungent smell of spices coming from the many outdoor cooking stalls, various animal smells, unwashed bodies, and of course, the ever present mixture of trash that is everywhere, despite the street sweepers trying to keep it at bay .... animal droppings are a given .... you only step into a fresh cow pie once!! ..... I am ever thankful for the incense burners that seem to be burning all over the city ...... it creates a rather interesting aromatic mix :) ...... quite extraordinary really ...... eau d'India!! Living in Canada, where everyone showers almost daily, food is refrigerated, tucked away, not left to rot in the heat of the day, we pick up after our pets, ourselves and God forbid if we don't spray something floral in our bathrooms after you know what! ..... our natural organic scents have been somewhat sanitized out of our lives in our zeal for clean ....... Quite the jolt to allow them in again :)!! Chalta hai!! So, despite the sensory assaults to Western sensibilities, I find life here somehow works ... there appears to be a fine balance to the ebb and flow .... life and death ..... sadhus and beggars, tourists and locals .......... but perhaps saying it all works, might best be a thought posed to the untouchables ..... they who live on the periphery of life everywhere in India. I doubt whether they would share or welcome my sentiments! Vinay shared his thoughts about the caste system in general and the untouchables in particular (what a horrid word!) ....... many have said it is disappearing from the face of India .... hmmm, if so, it is at a barely discernable pace. Dealing with abject poverty is never easy and harder yet to solve in a blink ....... Given the population and despite India's high economic growth, it may still take generations to remove the social/cultural stigma of the poverty based (make no mistake about that .... it is about the money .... if you do not have enough to eat, precious coins will not be squandered away on soap! .... so, the untouchables smell something awful .... hence, the term!!) caste system. Vinay alluded to the fact that it is their smell and dirty bodies that stop anyone including himself, from going near them. The plight of the marginalized ..... What to do? A quote comes to mind ...... "It is up to the more able to help the less able" .......... Not a bad motto to live by. With a wave of compassion, little by little, bit by bit, we can all be the difference in the world. With heart wide open, I bid adieu to yet another country I have grown to love. Namaste India.