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Varanasi in the Monsoon: A Photographer’s Guide

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 Meera Vohra Varanasi has always been a muse to artists from across the world. The beauty of the ghats, the daily life, and the mysticism of the place seemed to enchant artists, especially photographers. Varanasi occupies an important part in the body of work of ace photographers like Steve McCurry , Joey L, Raghu Rai,  Raghubir Singh, who captured the various facets of the city. The charm of the city has not waned as lensmen across the country continue to freeze moments in their cameras, which Varanasi amply offers them. The biggest challenge for the photographers, however, is the monsoon season , when most of the ghats lose their connectivity and portions of it are submerged by the swollen River Ganga . Being a media professional and having worked in close proximity with the photographers, the following hands-on tips can give a picture-perfect experience. Challenges during monsoon For most of the photographers coming to Varanasi,  their photography is ghat-centri...
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A Café That Feels Like Home in Varanasi

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By Meera Vohra In an age when every moment is being designed as Instagram-worthy, Sparrow café in the Assi area of Varanasi is a refreshing change.  A traditional home with a verandah and wide wooden windows has been running as a café for a decade now.  The cosy setup reminds one of our grandparents' home rather than a regular café, with the guests often spending hours here with some delicious food, infused with local ingredients, for company.  The cafe derives its name from the sparrows that flock in the morning, as they do in most homes. The all-woman setup , perhaps the first in the city, came into existence around 2016. Sakshi Srivastava , who helms the café, says, “Initially, people were apprehensive of a woman managing along with a team of ladies. This feeling ran in the family as well, but I was sure that this was my calling.  From the very beginning, I wanted to give a home like feeling to the guests coming to our place. The reason no change has been made t...
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The woman who never misses the Ganga arti

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  Meera Vohra Sitting on a chabutra, amidst the sea of humanity attending the Ganga  arti  organised by Ganga Seva Nidhi at  Dashshwamedh  ghat is a frail figure,  religiously ringing the bell throughout the arti.  She is no ordinary devotee; the octogenarian lady has been an inseparable part of the evening ritual,  occupying the same spot for the last two decades now.  Usha, who migrated to Varanasi from Murshidabad, West Bengal, some decades ago with her husband, never misses what she calls the seva of Ganga ma (service to the River Ganga ). Even amid the most adverse conditions, her intense faith brings her to the Dashshwamedh ghat every single evening. During the pandemic, when the world had come to a standstill, Usha continued with her undeterred devotion. She would walk down daily to be part of the Ganga  arti  that had turned symbolic in the Covid phase.  Her saree-clad figure often rubs shoulders with celebrities, lit...
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  The cafe that serves the essence of Varanasi: Camaraderie,  Conversations and Chai! Meera Vohra Like the rest of Varanasi , Kashi Café, situated at Assi Ghat , is in a transition phase. The place, known for frothy, delicious kullar coffee and chai, with cerebral conversations for company, is shifting premises. The current existence of a makeshift kiosk with few benches gels well with the no-frills character of the city. The menu has been curtailed, but the coffee and chai continue to brew and are served in the humble kullars. The café is currently being helmed by Lakhan Kashyap , whose father laid the foundation of this place more than four decades ago. Lakhan tells us, “The café that came into existence in the 1980s was earlier called Kashi Tea Stall , named after my father, who started this place. It was the most favoured spot for the foreigners who predominated in Assi and neighbouring areas.  Natives from France, Germany and other European countries used to visit t...
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  Is Varanasi losing its appeal among foreign travellers? By Meera Vohra   My visit to Dashshwamedh Ghat the other day, perhaps my first this year, coincided with the evening Ganga arti . The arduous task of wading through the sea of humanity that attends the Ganga arti, almost daily, was enough reason not to be part of an activity that had been an essential element of my nightlife ever since I moved to Banaras more than a decade ago.    What was quite noticeable was the presence of some groups of foreign travellers, which was a common sight before the pandemic hit us.    Post pandemic, this evening ritual has become a domestic traveller's activity primarily, since the number of such travellers coming to Banaras has increased manifold due to various reasons, the prominent being the setting up of the Kashi Vishwanath corridor, while the footfall of foreign travellers has considerably declined, again due to various factors.   ...
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  KALPAVAS IN PRAYAGRAJ DURING MAGH: AN INNER JOURNEY OF PURIFICATION By Meera Vohra (pics by Shalini Maheshwari) Prayagraj, which has been conferred with the title of tirthraj, assumes a greater significance during the month of Magh.  The Puranas have enumerated the importance this pilgrimage destination enjoys in the month of Magh. According to the Matsya Purana, a mere visit to Prayajraj removes all sins, while the Kurma Purana mentions that those who reside here are not only able to attain salvation for themselves but also for their ancestors.   The sanctity of the place is the reason that even Gods and Goddesses feel blessed to reside in this land, which is also considered to be the utpatti sthal or genesis of the earth, according to the scriptures. It is believed that acts of benevolence done on this sacred land, taking the holy dip, removes one from the cycle of birth and death. THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYAGRAJ DURING THE MONTH OF MAGH The importance of stayin...
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The tales of the lanes of Varanasi

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 By Meera Vohra Living all these years in Varanasi , the maze of narrow lanes continues to enchant me every time I walk through them. During my early days in the city, quite unfamiliar with the ways of the lanes, certain markers made me reach my destination without faltering.  A temple near the Scindia Ghat, which was my favourite destination of my wanderings and continues to be till date, was a tough one to reach through the lane. The entry opposite to Chowk police station has a complex web of lanes that not only confuses you but transports you to a world with an enigmatic old-world charm. Clusters of buildings on both sides of the lanes, where you can barely see the sky, are further hooded with a mesh of overhead wires.  Huge bundles of Banarasi sarees and fabrics are being transported from one place to another by human carriers and, at times, on two-wheelers in these narrow lanes, which definitely test the navigating skills of the commuters. Stepping on the s...
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