Flower seller

 People on the ghats

Gambling on the ghat

boat building the old fashion way

Zhiva baba

Nap time for this Zhiva baba

every day is laundry day

 painter of dieties

Buffalo crossing

holy men singing devotional songs

Swami Pramanhans

The ghats have to be one of the best places in the world to people watch. So many locals doing their thing whether it is building boats, painting on the ghat walls, doing laundry or selling trinkets and flowers to pilgrims with which to make offers to Mother Ganga. The tourists and pilgrims too can be hilarious to watch. Pilgrims come from all over India and Nepal, they bath every morning (thought best not to take a photo of that) and make offerings throughout the day. They jostle each other for a place on the river bank and make such a mess leaving their old clothes and offerings strewn everywhere. One thing that every ghat has in common is that men use the corners as urinals, the smell of piss is horrid; such a holy city but also a common toilet. I don’t get it, can’t the city government provide pee place or at least wash down the ghats now and again?

Anyway; in one area, near the main ghat is little Asia. Young backpackers from Japan and Korea seem to stay in this area and it is fun to see these travelling young college kids dress up in Indian clothes and jewellery, have their hands decorated with henna designs and wearing the red tika on their foreheads. Varanasi for them has to be such a mind blower and a trip of a lifetime. There are also many foreigner hippies who hang around and partake of the local weed and look like they have been here since the 60's. Scary!  The locals too just hang out on the ghat so there are always small groups of men gambling at sunset.

With Kumba Mella now happening there are also of many Babas descending on Varanasi. Babas are Hindu holy men and I have been learning that there are different kinds of Babas with differing methods of practice who worship different deities. Celibate Babas to ones who smoke, drink, eat meat and case women. It is hard to know who is a real Baba and who is not, that is why it is better to ask the locals who is who and which Babas are just after the tourist money to fuel their smoking habit. In this situation the words of His Holiness the Dalai Lama seem very appropriate, "check, check and check again any and all gurus." I meet a Swami (a Baba who is a teacher) who is on hunger strike. Swami Pramanhaus says he is protesting the rape of the girl in Delhi, like so many others he is asking that the rapist be executed for their crime. He claims to have not eaten or drank anything for 15 days and to have 5 million followers who support him; hmmmm? He is asking the chief minister of Utter Pradesh to visit him so he can make his demands in person; only then will he finish his hunger strike. I was a bit impressed with him but also curious as to if he was for real or not. Once I talked with Rajesh and his friends about him I was informed that Swami is always on one hunger strike or another protesting various political topics. They were also sure that he must have had some food or drink as he always looks the same never any thinner. They think he just want to be famous but not a true Baba with spiritual power. Well at least he is supportive of women and making more publicity against rape. You just never sure who you'll meet in a day and it is great that people are always open to talking.