The social, psychological, financial, geographical and spiritual significance of Vaaranasi

Kashi is a known as Mahasmashaanam where Lord Sadaa Shiva chose to teach Taraka Manthra to those breathing their last. The very looks of a Mahasmashaana bring to our minds the visuals like the bodies being put to fire, half burnt ones, fully burnt ones, the ash heaps, the garlands, the pindaas, etc. By the design of the God it is bound to be like the way it is as it must give Vairagya (detachment from worldly affairs) to each visitor who wishes to have the darshna of Vishvanatha - opined by my Spiritual Guru.

Had Kashi been maintained in a spic and span manner it would have become yet another tourist spot. However the very presence of Lord Vishwanath and Mother Ganga flowing there compels one to look towards the other side of the life. To this compulsion is added the filth, congestion, cheating, poor governance, no civic sense, etc and all these factors compel a visitor to review life and its purpose. One must get disgusted about life to get Vairagya and it is possible at its best in Kashi.

Kashi is as it is today only because of the vested interest of several groups operating there. It is because of these groups that Kashi continue to remain as it is and even becoming worse. Here are the facts:

Groups rearing cows, bulls, buffaloes, goats, etc., adopt a simple business strategy to “let go” their milch animals after milking them in the morning and evening, on to the roads of Kashi. These animals that are not stray but owned by business men roam around the city and eat the food offered to them by the tourists. They encounter you at every nook and corner of the city. They demand space in the congested streets for their free passage and the tourists will quickly learn to give them way in the very congested streets by climbing on the steps or getting themselves squeezed in between them!! Strange is the scene when many foreigners do it.

The streets are decorated with their dung at every place and they offer a cool sense by passing their urine at all places to those walking with bear foot - as it is suggested to walk with bear foot in all the spiritual places. The fellow animals to these cows and goats are bulls, street dogs - the manifestation of Kalabhairava, donkeys and monkeys. All are fellow-travelers to the tourists of Kashi. The dogs roam around freely and indulge in street fights with gangs of their opponents and drive them away from their streets. We would see a show of monkeys in the skyline of these congested streets jumping from one row of houses to the other by tactfully removing the power and tv cables. It appears that all these animals have got enough food to eat mostly the food eaten by human beings, as they appear very healthy. Thanks to auto-start bikes, all the Kashi Streets will have to allow bike riding as it is the only way for the people to reach their homes or the business outfits. Tricycle carriers are used to supply stuff for doing business. The business of selling samosa like snacks thrives even beside or on top of a stinking drain and just opposite the heap of muck that was cleared. One can find a clear joy of eating and relishing the dishes on the faces of people. To this is added the climate of Varanasi, people sweat a lot and eat a lot.

The other groups that thrives are the auto drivers and riskaw drivers. They charge as they wish. Their service charge is more for accompanying you on foot to help you reach the temples in the maze of congested streets. They drive their autos / rikshaws only to a point and from there walking starts. The distance depends on the temple you wish to visit. I was surprised to find that when you come out of the airport to drive to Kaashi the taxi fare would be as low as Rs.350/- with a.c. At the airport the cost is Rs.800/- Once you reach Kaashi there is no other way but to accept the rates dictated by taxi agencies or individual taxi drivers. If you wish to drive by an Auto to Airport from Kaashi he charges you Rs.400/-. This is just to illustrate the practices being followed there.

The civic sense among the members and employees of the civic body of Kashi seems to be at its lowest level. You will not find a notice board appealing to people to have their regular bath at their places / hotels before having three holy dips in Mother Ganga. It is understood that people can have a thorough bath and wash their dirt, Lenin, etc., with detergents before or after having bath with soap and shampoo. What a sin!! The locals come to have their regular baths in the Ghats nearby and wash everything there including their slippers. Is this not a symbol of Mahasmashana right at the bank of river Ganga?

With Modi being the representative of the people of Varanasi Constituency can we expect that there would be substantial imporvement in Kahsi’ life style.? This is a wishful thinking and its only hope that makes life to continue. The congested streets of Kashi leading to the main temple and the temple of Bindu Madhava in particular can never be widened unless the houses built in there are demolished and in their place multistory dwelling units come to rehabilitate the residents. It is only then life will become better in Kashi for its residents. The people living in the dungeon like places with no proper ventilation are bound to become narrow minded in their approach towards life. Any change from the status quo is bound to meet with a stout Resistance. Therefore the first step is to arrange series of strategic counseling sessions for the residents of the most congested places in Kashi.

It is a life time opportunity for Mr. Modi to grab it and prove that any thing that is done as per the tenants of Sanathana Dharma is highly acceptable and all the muck accumulated over the decades in Kashi can be cleared. Many Chief Ministers ruled UP but nothing significant with respect to the streets leading to the temples happened. Mr. Modi can create Team Kashi and make many things possible. There is no dearth of money but only the willingness to make concerted efforts by using IT, Technology, Cooperation and active involvement of the People who are the real stake holders in this change process. If Mr. Modi can transform Kashi during his tenure as its MP, he will prove to the entire world that any thing leading to goodness in India is possible.

There is no active Face Book page for Varanasi, if one does a google search for Varanasi’s official web page she would be disappointed to find a drab looking one created just for the heck of it. If one sees the live video of Kashi Vishwanath Mandir it gives him a perplexing feeling. The intro does not excite you about the spiritual significance of Kashi. It gives a feeling that the management team of the Temple does not know much about Kashi. This is the clear indication of lackadaisical approach towards any development. Every one is happy with what is happening and their earning the livelihood. The Police fail horribly to converse with many foreign Pilgrims and many times the civilians come to their rescue. There is no spiritual bent of mind among many and only a sense of business. This reminds me of the state of affairs of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams in Andhra Pradesh where each devotee demands as his/her birth right to get cottage/room and other comforts the same devotee while in Kashi accepts reality and focus only on darshna and holy dips in Ganga and be thrilled thereafter. This is intriguing.

Kashi needs the most urgent attention of Mr. Modi and if Mr. Modi fails to fulfil his promises, nothing can change in Kashi forever. PMO must create a creative Team Kashi and make concerted efforts and obtain their daily progress and publish the same in MyGov.in. Here are some more groups with vested interests to maintain status quo in Kashi:

1. Local Traders

2. The Street Vendors

3. Boat owners - strange that UP Tourism can not come out with a boating arrangement with reasonable rates.

4. The petty political leaders

5. The govt employees

All these players can be accommodated in an economic model that is viable for them and sustainable for Kashi. For instance all the boat owners and their boats with minor modifications can be hired on contractual basis to conduct boat rides. All the traders can be accommodated in a shopping complex based on the size of their business. There are many possibilities one can see if the intent is to do good for Kashi.