Varanasi/ Banaras
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. Readers will be able to edit existing articles and post new articles directly |
Contents |
A piece of Nepal in Varanasi
Manjari Mishra | TNN
Varanasi: The two-storeyed terracotta, stone and wood pagoda on the banks of the Ganga looks incongruous among the spires and domes that dominate Varanasi’s skyline. Its resemblance to the famous Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu is as striking as the magnificent view it offers of the holy river and its bustling ghats some 50 feet below.
The 167-year-old structure, the Lalita Devi temple, is supposedly a replica of the famous temple at Kathmandu. Pandit Gopal Prasad Adhikari, head of the Samrajeshwar Pashupatinath Temple Trust (SPTT), the managing body of the temple, claims to possess documents proving the transfer of land by the ruler of Kashi to Nepali king Rana Bahadur Shah way back in 1843.
The temple and its adjacent area, including a dharamshala, belongs to the Nepal government, he claims. A Nepali migrant and a teacher of ‘Vedant Darshan’ by profession, Adhikari is proud of the ‘‘little Nepali island in the heart of India’’.
Driven out of his homeland and rechristened Nirguna Nanad Swami in his adopted city of Varanasi, Rana Bahadur Shah had decided to build a Pashupatinath replica by the Ganga.Work was still underway when the king got back his throne and left Varanasi. His son Rajendra Vir Vikram Shah managed to finish the project 20 years after the deadline.Unlike its more famous neighbour, the Kashi Vishwanath temple, the deity here is left in peace by the devotees. Barring the Nepali community, most people aren’t even aware that such a temple exists in the city, says Sagar Sharma, a member of the managing trust and a third-generation Nepali settled in Varanasi.
‘‘Visitors here are mostly foreign nationals and curious tourists,’’ says Adhikari. The temple management charges Rs 10 from the foreigners for its upkeep.
The temple has gone through a makeover as the old structure caved in due to years of neglect. ‘‘It was due to the initiative of former Nepal prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala that renovation was completed in 1995.
Marriages with foreigners, especially Japanese
The Times of India, Dec 12 2015
Rajeev Dikshit
Banarasi babus & their Japani biwis When a handsome Joy Mukherjee serenaded a sizzling Asha Parekh, crooning `Le gayee dil gudiya Japan ki', in the 60s flick `Love in Tokyo', little did he know he would have real life `followers' in Banarasi dudes. Guys from the city seem to have special liking for the Japanese girls for matrimonial alliances. Ahead of Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to the oldest living city, when TOI went through wedding registration records, it found that more than 50% of the foreigners who married Banarasis are from Japan. Although majority of them are girls, there are a few Japanese damaads as well. Besides, some boatmen have settled in the land of the rising son with their `Japani gudiyas'.
These couples now play the role of cultural ambassa dors, especially promoting Japan's culinary culture. So, be it Sayaka Roy, or Meghumi Devashish, they are all living examples of the assimilation of two cultures. Most of the Japanese girls and also boys arrived in this mythological city as tourists, but found their soul mates here.
Records of the marriage registration office showed that between 2003 and 2015, as many as 45 marriages of Banarasi boys and girls with for eigners were solemnised. Of these, 23 brides or bridegrooms were from Japan.Several couples who married before 2003 are also leading successful married life.
While most of the Indio-Ja panese couples preferred to settle here and lead a traditional Banarasi life, five bridegrooms, mostly from the boatmen fraternity , preferred to settle in Japan with their brides.
Busy preparing for the birthday of his seven year-old son Suryansh, hotelier Debashish Roy , who married Sayaka, recalled, “ “I was born and brought up in Delhi before I visited Kashi and found it perfect to settle in 1990. Sayaka visited India in 2005 and stayed in my hotel. But it took a year to realise that we were in love and we should marry .“
For Ajay Kumar Jain of Sarnath, his profession of translator for Japanese tourists helped in meeting Miho Iwai of Japan in 2000 and they tied the nuptial knot in 2002.
Sayaka said, “Technological advancements in Japan have made everything readymade; life is realistic in Kashi (Varanasi).“
Eating out
Mohalla Assi: Pappu’s tea shop
Amarnath Tewary, At Pappu’s, a cup of tea and a platter of politics, March 14, 2017: The Hindu
The shop in Varanasi is home to lively debate and is a stepping stone to many political careers
Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have taken the political route to become an “adopted son” of Varanasi and Uttar Pradesh, but a “son of the soil” plays host to politics every day here, nurturing debate and discussion, careers and critics. While his given name — Vishwanath Singh — will evoke little recognition, just a mention of his popular nickname “Pappu” elicits instant recall: “ Oh, Assi ka Pappu, chai dukan ? [you mean Pappu of Assi, the tea shop?].”
Pappu’s tea shop has no sign board, nor proper tables and chairs — a yellow tungsten bulb hangs from a soot-layered wire. But old-timers will tell you that veteran socialist leader George Fernandes held a press conference for two hours at the tea shop over four cups of lemon tea when V.P. Singh was the Prime Minister. BJP leaders Kalraj Mishra and Sambit Patra too are patrons and more recently, the entire crew of a popular Bollywood film, Mohalla Assi , were sipping tea at Pappu’s.
Rumour has it that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had to file his nomination papers from Varanasi in 2014, Pappu’s name was suggested as a proposer.
Politicians apart, many eminent Hindi writers and litterateurs, mostly from Benaras Hindu University, which is nearly two km from the shop, have been regular visitors. For local politicians and student leaders, Pappu’s tea shop is an important step in their careers. Hours are spent over a cup of lemon or milk tea, discussing politics.
Standing room only
The room itself boasts just two wooden benches by formica-topped tables. Two more benches stand outside on the road. Regular visitors matter-of-factly squeeze themselves on the benches and get engaged in political debate. Some wait for hours for a chance to sit while others stand around.
Noted Hindi writer Kashinath Singh’s popular novel Kashi ka Assi is based on the everyday political discourse at Pappu’s. “Kashinath Singh, along with other great Hindi writers like Balraj Pandey and Chowkiram Yadav, has been regular visitors at my shop…” 67-year-old Vishwanath Singh ‘Pappu’ told The Hindu on Sunday morning, a day after the Assembly poll result.
Staunch supporter
“I graduated in politics listening to their everyday discussion and debate … I’ve been enjoying it and never mind their long sitting at the shop over just a cup of tea,” added Mr. Singh.
“I’ve been voting for the BJP when it was the Jan Sangh in 1967 … ideologically I’ve been closer to the BJP much before Narendra Modi came on the mainstream political scene,” he said. In 2012, Mr. Modi’s flagship “Chai pe Charcha” television show held at this tea shop was one of the most popular.
An addiction
“The regular visitors even knock at my door at Lanka (locality where he lives with his large family) when for some reason or other the shop has to be closed…it has become addiction for them,” Mr Singh said .
The shop opens at 6 in the morning and stays open till 11 p.m. with a four hour break from 1 to 5 in the afternoon.
Pappu took over the shop from his father Baldeo Singh in 1975. Baldeo Singh had started it in 1948. “At my time the rent of my shop was only Rs. 16, now it has gone up to Rs. 300 a month,” Mr. Singh said.
Failing health
With arthritis now allowing him only a few hours at the shop everyday, Pappu’s son Manoj Singh now manages the shop. His three brothers have moved into other business interests.
“For 38 years I sat in the shop, made it popular but now arthritis has forced me to come at the shop only for two hours in the evening…yes, basically to enjoy political discussions,” he said. “It has become a habit.” As it has for hundreds of others, for whom “politics can be learnt and taught, discussed and debated only at Pappu’s chai ki dukan .
Traditional food
Avijit Ghosh, Varanasi appeals to stomach & soul, Mar 19, 2017: The Times of India
Spirituality can wait. For foodies, a gastronomic trip through the gallis of Varanasi gets top billing
Every year Varanasi plays host to thousands of tourists hoping to discover their spiritual side.
That has been the temple town's calling card and commerce. But foodies will vouch for its gastronomic delights, waiting to be discovered in its crowded streets and bylanes.Many famous hawkers appear with their pushcarts in the evening. Some don't even have a signboard. But their offerings are addictive and available at a price that would buy you only a snigger in a city like Delhi.
In their own way , the streetside hawkers of Varanasi are everyday artistes in the business of producing and peddling pleasure. You might get that kind of feeling wolfing down Lalman's golgappas, sold from a handcart in a bylane near Lahurabir Chowk. What makes them irresistible isn't just the tangy tamarind water but the filling, a slushy mix of chickpea, boiled potato and spices. He also serves a sweet version of the snack that feels almost like a dessert.
Like most golgappa sellers in the city , the stuff Lalman serves is customised to the amount of spicy heat your tastebuds can handle. Varanasi is a city of paan eaters. A long-lasting love affair with the paan makes a tongue hypersensitive to spice. This is primarily due to the use of chuna (lime), an essential ingredient for paan; hence the adjustment.
There are several other artistes of the palate across the city, which is also PM Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency . One of the go-to places for breakfast is the late Chhanni Devi's, who sold puri-sabzi and jalebis from a rundown shop in Lanka area, near BHU. Popularly known as “Chachi“, she would shower abuse on customers asking her to hurry up; the customers, in turn, were addicted to her rantings. Among the celebrities who graced the shop was superstar Rajesh Khanna. The sabzi served with the puri is made of pumpkin, potatoes and black gram.There is a rhythm with which her son Kailash Yadav flattens and shapes the dough before it is deep-fried, twice. The shop opens at 3.30am. “We start serving jalebis by 5am and puri-sabzi by 6. By 11.30am, we are through,“ he says. A plate of four puris and sabzi costs Rs 24.
Adjacent to it are three shops selling lassi, all run by sons of Panna Sardar who ran the legendary original Pehalwan lassi. This is the third generation in the business. Lassis, with a dash of malai and saffron on top, are sold in clay cups.Some are so thick you almost need to chew on them.
It's all part of the city's living heritage, created and consumed every day.Places like these have created a popular expression called `Lanketing', going specifically to Lanka for snacks.
Then there's Pappu's, the legendary tea stall in Assi mohalla that serves milk and lemon tea. The political gyan is free. The lemon tea here is flavoured with Hajmola, giving it a distinct whiff of heeng (asafoetida).
Near Lahurabir Chowk stands Jwala Prasad's pushcart selling rasedar pakoras made of gram flour (besan), spinach and spices. The three are kneaded into a ball, deep-fried and dipped in a fiery curry . It's served with a sprinkling of sohal, a salty savoury .The pakoras have two variations: sada and rangeen. The rangeen version is stuffed with bhang.
At Chetganj, Umashankar Sahu's family has been selling kachoris for three generations. As a peddler, he has the smallest of stands where he keeps the kachoris, a little larger than a Rs 10 coin, garnished with shredded radish and carrot, and served with tamarind chutney .
Varanasi is also famous for its sweets to which the city's Bengalis have also made a singular contribution. There are shops with signs of desi and Bengali mithai. Some shops around Pucca Mohal area along the ghats, sell their mithai only between 7pm and 2am. On offer are suggestively named sweets such as Palangtod (bed-breaker) and Malaipuri.
The iconic Kashi and Deena Chat Bhandars at Godowlia Chowk are more established joints. Crowds throng Deena for a taste of their tamatar chaat, a rather unique snack which uses tomatoes ingeniously . In the winter, chura matar, dripping with desi ghee, is the rage. Food is an inseparable part of Varanasi. So why isn't it part of the central narrative of the holy city? Is it because it is primarily a business of Yadavs and Banias, who don't figure high in the city's intellectual story? There is no simple answer.
