Tso Moriri, Ladakh

Tso Moriri, Ladakh

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

There's something about Varanasi - Part 1 'Getting There'


Until about five years ago, I would turn up my nose at the thought of visiting Varanasi. Probably because all I’d heard about the city was that it was dirty and it stunk. I guess at the time I was more immature (it’s possible), more superficial and not willing to look beyond the grime. And then something in me changed. I wish I could tell you what it was that changed, but all of a sudden Varanasi became this fascinating city that I had to go see for myself.

My friend Aparna, who lives in Chicago and visits India every winter, was also very keen and so we decided to go there together. After two unsuccessful attempts of turning these plans into reality, we finally made it there last month. Of course it had to be the year of the Maha Kumbh Mela in nearby Allahabad, something that takes place once every 12 years and attracts millions of people.  Many of who include Varanasi into their itinerary. Which meant that getting train tickets and a desirable hotel wasn’t exactly easy, even though we began trying in the first week of January. 

My train was supposed to reach Varanasi just before 8 am on the 18th of February and Aparna’s around 9 am. Instead I was about 3 hours late so she got there before I did. After two attempts at shoddy auto-rickshaws that kept breaking down, the third one finally got me to this place called Godowlia Chowk, after which I would have to walk about 1/2 a kilometer to get to the spot where Aparna would be waiting for me. 

At this point I have to mention that my chatty auto-rickshaw driver, Golu Prajapati, not only drove me to my destination but was an excellent guide on the way.  He also told me all about his family, where they grew up, how many children he has etc. He gave me his number so I could call him for any local sight-seeing and to be dropped back to the train station on the 20th. In the less than 30 minute ride, I had gotten to know Golu as though he was an old friend. I feel like an idiot though for not having his picture.

As I got out of the rickshaw, all I could see was a sea of people. It could have been an intimidating site for the old me, but this more-mature me was completely relaxed. Golu instructed me to walk towards the right of the Chowk (crossing). With my luggage in hand, I began maneuvering into the crowd, reminding myself that this was so much easier than the time I was on 5th Avenue in New York City around Christmas, being pushed by crazy tourists who wanted to get a look at the store-windows. I got to the spot and called Aparna who said that she was there and was looking out for me. Suddenly she went, “I see you” as I heaved a sigh of relief, because for the life of me I had no idea where she was.

And then there she was a moment later, standing directly in front of me. We looked at each other and broke out into peals of laughter. We kept laughing until our sides hurt and when we finally stopped, we gave each other a hug. We were finally in this ancient city called Varanasi - our adventure was about to begin!

To be continued .....

The cliched India photo. Close to where I was supposed to meet Aparna.

3 comments:

Rahul Sabherwal said...

Waiting eagerly for the next part.

Normal People Worry Me said...

Thanks Rahul! Coming very soon.

Anonymous said...

:-) thanks waiting of part 2:-)