The Incredible Benares RotarYatra 2016
Whether the Rotarians who descended upon the vibrant city of Benares in January 2016 returned spiritually enlightened may be open to debate; but there is no question that they returned with new friendships, wonderful memories, and enough sarees and mithai to clothe and feed an army. A total of 44 Rotarians and their family members, ranging from 25 years of age to over 80, embarked on this fourday Benares Yatra, organized down to the last detail by PP Sandip Agarwalla. Accompanied by three guides, we visited several of the 23,000 temples of the spiritual capital, including the Sankat Mochan Temple, Durga Mandir, Kaal Bhairav, Bindu Madhva, Telangana Mutt, and Kashi Vishwanath. Many attended a Mangla Aarti at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple from 3 to 4 AM. We spent one morning at Sarnath, where Gautama Buddha is believed to have delivered his first sermon in the 5th- 6th Century BC.
The complex contains ruins of old monasteries, an attached deer enclosure (the name “Sarnath” is considered a modern contraction of “Sāranganātha”, meaning “Lord of the Deer”), the 128 feet-high Dhamek Stupa, and the foundations of the Dharmarajika Stupa, believed to contain some of the Buddha’s relics until their immersion in the Ganges in 200-300 AD. Rotarians travel in style: we flitted between our cavalcade of 16 cars proudly bearing the RCB logo, and a private boat, or Bajra, along the Ganges. On our first evening, we floated peacefully along the river, looking out at the darkening Ghats while munching on chaat and sipping on chai, courtesy of Rtn. Ashok and Vatsala Jatia. As the sun set, we passed Manikarnika Ghat, one of the primary burning ghats in Varanasi, where public cremations take place. It is popularly believed that if a person dies in Varanasi, he or she will be redeemed of all sins. There are actually ashrams in the city where people can come and stay while they wait to die, but there’s a time limit — if they don’t die within two weeks, they have to leave! The highlight of the voyage was the Ganga Aarti on the Dashashwamedh Ghat.
Our boat joined the throngs that had gathered around to watch the ceremony. The pandits circling their large lit lamps were just discernible on the bank, and the sound of the prayers drifted out over the water, joining the little diyas that pilgrims had set floating on the Ganges. The sight was spectacular. February 09 to February 15, 2016 The Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Bombay Page 3 There was also a second cruise at sunrise. We watched the Aarti performed at dawn on Assi Ghat before climbing once again into the boat to watch the city wake up and people perform their ritual ablutions on the Ghats, accompanied by soft music from our sitar and tabla players. Of course, there was plenty of time devoted to shopping!
We journeyed deep into the bowels of Varanasi, boldly going where no Rotarian has gone before in pursuit of the famous Benarasi sarees. Luckily, sarees are forgiving garments: our stomachs were compelled to expand and make room for four and five meals a day. One of the more authentic experiences was dinner at the Jaipuria Dharamshala restaurant, with ground seating and delicious Benarasi and Marwari food on thalis. The trip culminated with a positively raucous round of men-versus-women Antakshari, following by a delicious barbeque spread by the poolside of the Taj Gateway hotel. We also attended a joint meeting with the Rotary Club of Benares. President Sonya Mehta made a lovely speech introducing the Rotary Club of Bombay and its many projects. The Rotary Club of Benares expressed its desire to collaborate with us in the future. It was a first fellowship trip for some of the Rotarians, but by the last day, they were already excitedly asking about the next one.
Our Yatra was an immersion in the many facets of Benarasi life, and it took us through temple mandapas, saree warehouses, the banks of the Ganga, tiny kachori stalls, the beautiful grounds of the Taj Palace Hotel, the narrow lanes behind the Ghats, and the Benares Hindu University campus. It was the experience of a lifetime, cutting across ancient and modern; Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim; grandeur and poverty; the sublime and the ridiculous; and nature and civilization, much like the city — and India — herself.