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.