Take away

It was essentially the last day for us to roam around freely in the city and I had decided that I will go and see part of the city that I hadn’t seen before. By this time I was fairly familiar with the ghats and even the streets of Varanasi. I could recognize the shops and the streets, I had landmarks in my head and I knew I would not get lost, if it ever comes to that.

Two of my friends and I decided to go to a weavers’s house where traditional benarasi silk sarees were made. She wanted to buy a saree for her mother and I thought what better way to experience banaras on the last day than learning about a traditional art that people of benaras have been practicing since time immemorial. We reached the neighbourhood where the saris are made and soon enough we realized that it was a muslim neighbourhood. We were very warmly welcomed in a home based sari shop and I couldn’t take my eyes off some of the embroidery. It was so beautifully and intricately done that I wanted to steal all the saris and make a run for it!

After hours of choosing and bargaining, we finally settled on a beautiful white and gold silk sari with turquoise embroidery and ornate border. It was so fabulous, it made my eyes hurt! i knew I couldn’t leave the place empty handed so I bought some colourful silk scarves for my mother and sister.

They owner of the shop then took us to the place where the embroidery is done and we were shown how you feed the pattern in the computer and the machine just embroiders it. technology has reached and taken over all spheres of life and somehow, watching the giant machine do beautiful, intricate embroidery, I was proud of it.

Since it had become dark by the time it was time for us to leave, the owner himself decided to drop us off to the ghats where we were meeting the rest of our friends. Of course, chatty as we had become we started asking him about his work and family. We learnt that his family had been making silk saris since centuries now and this is all he ever knew. Though he did go to school, he confided in us that he never took his school work seriously and how he would often laugh at his teachers face and walk out of the classroom. Till date he regrets his actions as a kid, even though he is earning more than enough through this family business. It adds to your personality, he says, being well educated. He then went on to tell us about a school that he opened for kids where he has appointed teachers to teach kids either free of cost or at nominal fee. The books and food is all provided for and is funded by donations made by people on festivals.

Hearing this made me wonder how many people in this world actually feel the need to do something that fulfils their lives. This man did not need to open a school, he only did it for himself, for his satisfaction. And in the end thats what counts.

so this was my varanasi. I wonder how yours will be.