Still in Varanasi

Two evenings ago I went to the nightly ceremony held at the main ghat. It was a full moon and there were thousands of people attending, most of them in a good mood. It was quite the spectacle, with amplified music, singing, smoke and fire. The picture is of the fire part. When I arrived there was already a large crowd seated and standing on the ghats (steps). I stood pretty close to the action so I could take photos. First there was a man singing and his song was played through speakers that echoed. His song sounded like a combination of Shpongle and Dead Can Dance - terrific stuff. That was just the warm up, though, for five men who sang, blew conch shells, waved censers, and finally saluted with the fire holders you can see in the photo. What a show. It's all to worship/honor the Ganges and they do it every night.

Earlier in the day I chanced upon a procession that included a marching band, little girls in fancy clothes in a horse-drawn carriage, a wagon with a big array of speakers a la the latest Mad Max movie, a crowd of drummers that brought tears to my eyes they were so good (really - my eyes got misty from the emotion of it) and a lot of people dancing to the beat. This all took place on the road to the main ghats, which is always really crowded even without a procession. I am glad I decided to spend several days here.

What I have done mostly is walk and get lost in the alleys of the old city. Some of the alleys are no more than three feet wide but most are six to eight feet across. They all seem really narrow when there is a big cow or bull standing in them. It is difficult to decide whether to try to squeeze by the head or the tail. I usually choose the tail because it doesn't have horns. There are monkeys, too, but they are usually overhead. There are also motorbikes that one has to make way for. If I had my way the motorbikes would not be allowed in the alleys. The riders are invariably rude and blow their horns just about constantly. It is quite the sight to see three or four motorbikes coming from opposite directions trying to get by each other and the people who happen to be in the alleys too.

Tomorrow I will go to Delhi, the last city before I go home.