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October 03, 2006
Kashi Yatra – Part 1
September 23rd, 2006 - it was my dad’s first death anniversary. A year back it was a day when an important living entity moved from his physical form to a mere thought form. That holds true to all of us. It is just a matter of time and we won’t exist any more - we are ashes in no time. Hinduism demands many rituals to be completed after a person’s death, and we thought for my dad we could carry out them in Kashi – which is considered to be one of the most important pilgrimages according to the Hindus.
This was the first time for both of us - my mother and me. We didn’t know anything about the place, we didn’t know what exactly has to be done, and also we had the slightest idea about how to go around places after getting down from the train. The only thing we knew was to communicate in Hindi.
We got down from the train completely confused about what to do next. Two auto rickshaw guys approached us to ask if we needed autos. It is always said in new places never trust auto guys, and always be aware of touts. Unlike the auto guys in Chennai, these guys had something called honesty written on their face. Not that they were not interested in making quick money, but they were not greedy to the extent of Chennai auto guys. I asked them - we need a hotel to stay, and he said he would charge Rs 20 to take us there - quite a nominal charge.
They dropped us in a decent hotel, and the auto guys asked if we wanted them to take us around the place. I said give us some time, and call us in the evening. These guys get good amount of commissions from hotels and the places they take you – that is what the hotel receptionist had to say. What is the harm? Who doesn’t want to make money? And it is about the difference between charging nominal fees and charging exorbitant fees. And these guys never seemed to be on a cheating spree…
It was decided that - in the evening we would be taken to the river Ganges and all the ghats! I never knew what these ghats meant. I thought probably they are points – like which these hill stations have. But it was something else….
The auto guys who introduced themselves as Sanjay and Raju were very prompt in their service. They reached the hotel on time, and took us around the city and showed few important places on the way. They promised to show us the Ganga aarthi, which happens at 6.45 pm everyday, all the important ghats and also few important temples. I was all excited about seeing the river Ganges for the first time in my life, and was also curious to know what exactly these Ghats meant….
To be continued…..
Posted by Kenni at October 3, 2006 10:15 AM
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