Hindustan International Varanasi

... Inside a ceremony was taking place which was being followed by Indians worshipping the Monkey God Hanuman. All very nice, lots of singing and lots of colour. Outside the area where they were praying Judith decided to have achat with a family of monkeys and whilst this going well for a short time, one took a dislike to her probing questions and ensured she understood they were growing tired of her questions. The next ...

... They have built a industrial cremation plant along the river that can do the job in 5 minutes. They have built two new sewage treatment facilities and have some education programs. The frequent power outages have caused the sewers to back up into the streets and the bathing areas. More needs to be done. Most efforts are overwhelmed by population and tradition. <br><br>The street smells, bad sewage systems, and Ghat walks, have all combined and given both ...

... memorizing. The smoke was everywhere and consuming, filling your nose and eyes. You could feel a palpable weight of the smoke in the air and it irritated the eyes and nose. Stacks of wood sat alongside the river, and they were all waiting in preparation for the pyres. At the end of course they asked for a donation to help those in the hospice who were dying to afford wood... and of course we gave... and as always it was not enough ...

... bodies are wrapped in a white sari which is then tied onto two long bamboo poles and again wrapped in coloured material. There are a number of blessings and anointments in the river before the body is finally cremated. The legs and pelvis are burnt first as this takes the longest for women, the breast bone and ribs for men, followed by the rest of the body. The ashes and any other bones that are not burnt fully are then placed in the river. The family must smash the ...

... meet peoples' changing needs (protector vs. spiritual leader). <br><br>* returned to my 10-yr old boy's shop to buy textiles. His name is Siddharta, and he refolded my favorite items while I interacted with the shopkeeper. As he walked me home he explained he'd made a 3% commission on the sale. Siddharta asked me if I'd seen Slumdog Millionaire- too ironic. The kid lives on the streets. <br><br>* visited a non-profit school ...

... for bathing. A mass crowd.<br><br>We tried to make our way along the river to view the frenzy but were forced to turn back because of the sheer capacity of people. We hooked up with the trusty boat owner brothers who have now become our friends and who agreed to row us on the water over to the action where we were able to get up close to the main ghats where men, women and children joined sadhus to chant Hindu hymns, make offerings, drink, fill containers and wade ...

... The glossy cherries looked mighty fine too but the cherry vendor had his mitts all over the little morsels deeming them a potential health risk. We picked up a couple of the sets of glass bangles decorated with mirrors and glitter that all the Indian women are such big fans of. Izzy may just get some from Auntie Pixie santa. We sank a couple of icey cold Splice mango juices in glass bottles from a street stall (can't beat it in the heat) as we watched the procession ...

... ghat. A strange, almost alien place, to those like ourselves who are not used to seeing death so openly accepted and even celebrated. For it is here where we witnessed bodies being carried down to the river, given their last bath in the holy water before being cremated on open funeral pyres. It's an intense ceremony to behold and those that witness it deal with their emotions in a number of different ways. I had an intense curiosity, morbid maybe, and far from being ...

... Delhi where I was eventually put in the hands of another very competent Varanasi physician, Dr. Pandey who also tried to assure me that I did not contract a parasite and came to the same conclusion as the first doctor. He said the cauterization by the previous doctor was performed quite competently and was healing well. He gave me medication to promote healing of the skin plus painkillers. As the wound was healing nicely he said dressing was no ...

... couple, who had overslept.<br><br>Down at the ghats people (mostly lumpy or stringy men) of all ages were involved in acts of devotion. Most were dressed in saffron robes or else grey cotton underpants, and they waded down the steps into the water before submersing themselves and filling enamel and brass pots with water which was then poured back into the river amidst much chanting. A few people were going about these devotional ablutions with the utmost seriousness but the majority ...