Aimless in Banaras: Wanderings in India's Holiest City by Bishwanath Ghosh

Aimless in Banaras: Wanderings in India's Holiest City by Bishwanath Ghosh
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The author named after the main deity, Vishwanath, in Banaras is drawn repeatedly to the city. He first goes there to cremate his mother who has wished that she be cremated on the banks of the sacred river Ganga which passes through this city. The only stretch in this mighty river where the river flows south to north.

The author keeps coming back to the city to explore the nooks and corners, lanes and bylanes of the this city.

There are various nuggets like how the Ganga aarthi by which many swear today is actually a very modern phenomenon setup to attract tourists and not a tradition.

The modernisation of the city by the Modi government has not gone down well. The Modi government has cleared a whole track of land leading to the temple and on to the ghat of all the houses (which they term as encroachments while the occupants claim that they have been living there for generations) and have built a pathway for the tourists. It is a very difficult to decide if this is a good move or a bad move.

There are multiple smaller anecdotes of various famous personalities in the town.

A good read.

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