By Sakshi Kanodia
THE BLISS
Banaras, most popularly known as Kashi, is a beautiful city, the religious capital and a pilgrimage destination for people all over the globe. People find happiness and inner peace after visiting this holy city.
Often visitors of this place or the people settled here consider it a blessing, to be to living in this pious ‘Kashi Nagri’. People say that they wish to die at this place, as it is said that it’s the direct way to attain ‘moksha.’ Takin a dip in the holy Ganges
Despite the modernisation surrounding it, it has still reserved a special sanctity, and one can feel the endless energy radiated in the air itself. One can find inner peace there.
IS IT THE ‘LOOTNE VALA’ CITY?
“Religion there is just a way of making money”
“Modern day people have made this sacred land an entertainment”
“The youth today has no understanding of religious practices”
Dialogues like these are nothing new to Varanasi.
These comments are aimed at the people on the Ganga Ghats, or the people who assure you the “V.I.P.” darshan at the most religious Vishwanath temple or the sadhus and other priests demanding money from people or the system of donations in various temples or any other means.
Most modern day people now just think that this is ‘lootne’ or ‘thagne’ ka excuse. It’s just a source of earning their livelihood. If we ignore all this, the people don’t even leave to talk about the ‘donation clubs’ in the temple, for aarti, prashad and various other purposes. It is made to seem like ‘kissi ko bhi nahi chora.’
Everything, even if done with a ‘dirt free’ motive, it is made fun of.
But by merely experiencing such incidences once or twice, one cannot pass a judgment that the people here have made ‘fun of religion’ or have chosen an easy way for making money.
If one is earning money, one can’t allege that he or she has used religion as his weapon. Everyone has to earn their livelihood, it is their choice to opt whichever means to fill the empty stomach of their family. The rower rowing the boat is asking you money for his ‘mehnat’, the hours of work and toil that he is investing in it.
Why are the people looked down upon as if they are committing a sin by asking for money? One is helping you in reaching the temple by just walking a few steps and at the same time you feel privileged for ‘not standing in long queues and doing darshan foremost.’ But when it comes to giving them money for the same, then the people are like Oh God! For this also he will charge from me. Did he do such a big thing?
Try standing in the queue for couple of hours, then you will understand how much of your sweat got saved.
It’s very easy to hold responsible someone else, for their doings. Try stepping out of your comfort shoe, then you will value.
http://edtimes.in/2015/08/bengaluru-in-megapixels-a-picture-story/
