Vacation catch-up - Varanasi - a great place to die

I apologize in advance for any seizures, headaches, or jealousy that this entry, with it's many, many photos, may cause. I had over 600 photos from Varanasi alone and tried to select only my favorites along with the pictures that I felt gave the best visual representation of the city.

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Varanasi is one of the holiest places in India. The holy Ganges river flows through it, and it is an extremely auspicious (sort of like superstitiously holy)

The Ganges is holy and is believed to have healing powers. Hindu's make pilgrimages to cities through which the Ganges flows, and bathe in, swim in, and drink the holy water. People defecate into the river, and various sewage pipes flow into the Ganges. While seeing people bathe and clean clothes in the Ganges is something you get accustomed to, there is just something unsettling and slightly ironic to the tourist eye watching people brush their teeth with Ganges water.


Dead bodies may be brought to Varanasi, by relatives to have the traditional rituals performed - the body is cleansed with Ganges water, is shaved, and then is burned and its ashes are put into the river. Some older people will go to Varanasi to wait for death - Varanasi is an extremely auspicious place to die. There are many ghats, which are kind of like piers on the water. There is cow shit all over Varanasi (as cows are holy and this is a holy city, there are cows everywhere), especially on the ghats. There are two different burning ghats, on where taking photos is prohibited. We saw a body wrapped in a sheet being burned at one of the burning ghats, and two dogs lying dead near the body. The man who said he owned the ghat told us that women are not allowed to burning rituals because 1) they are too emotional and 2) to protect against Sati, the traditional burning of a bride upon her husband's funeral pyre (which can happen of her own accord, or otherwise), which is now illegal in India.

Photos on the ghat



The last morning we took a boat ride around 4:30am, for 2 1/2 hours. It was foggy for the first half, and although we could only see fog, we heard lots of sounds, such as chanting, the river water swishing against boats, prayers, people coughing and blowing their noses. After the fog began to lift, we saw people bathing, washing clothes, and swimming in the Ganges. Just like on Indian streets, sellers approached us in boats trying to get us to buy trinkets and souvenirs.


We walked through the streets of Varanasi, and also took cyclerikshaws around the city. Varanasi is both overwhelming and at the same time quite peaceful. Cows roam freely, stray mangy dogs eat garbage, children play happily and other children beg for money or run a store or sell knick knacks. Storekeepers sleep in full-view of their customers, and signs advertise organic coffee, tea, body piercing and massage - in one shop.



In the crowded shopping area, stores are selling Varanasi silk cloth, sarees, and all sorts of clothing. The "white" models bothered me somehow. In various places in India, including Goa, Rishikesh, and Varanasi, there are large numbers of Israeli's, often straight out of the army. As a result these cities have wonderful middle eastern food, a real treat for those of us who live off of hummus at home.


We attended a ritual at the ghats, with music, bells, candles, and lots of people.


People were selling pooja flowers and lily pad leaves with a candle inside which you would put light and put on the water to float away. Sometimes they demanded high prices after giving you put the miniature candle boat on the water, and would refuse to take your money, and catch you off guard and be like OK I'll take some money...



waves

If you are not angry, you're not paying attention.

While I was upset by the molestation of two women on new years eve in Mumbai, supposedly the safest city for women in India, this new development is just the icing on the cake.

I am including text of two articles below, the first describing the molestation, and the second the recent comments by the Chief Justice of Karnataka (a state in India)

MUMBAI: Two women were allegedly molested by a group of men on New Year outside a five-star hotel here.

Police said no complaint has been filed yet in this connection, but the local edition of a leading English daily published a series of photographs on the incident.

"No such complaint has been registered with us. We had adequate security arrangements outside the hotel, where personnel from the State Reserve Police Force were posted and closed circuit cameras installed," Additional Commissioner of Police Archna Tyagi said.

The incident took place at around 0145 hrs(local time) on Tuesday when the women, along with their male friends, were heading towards Juhu beach from a hotel in the suburbs.

A mob of 70-80 men reportedly tore up the women's clothes, molested and groped them while their male companions, overpowered by the crowd, watched helplessly.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2671478.cms

**And the other...**

Shame on Indian MCPs!
Protest Against Regressive Statements on Women
Dear all,

INDIA On the 9th of February 2008, remarks by two emminent
judiciary members the
Chief Justice of Karnataka, Cyriac Joseph and State Human Rights Commission Chairperson Justice S.R.Nayak, stating that immodest
dressing was the cause of increasing crimes against women were reported in the press. (the
clippings are pasted below with links).

The Hon'ble Chief Justice further elaborated his statement by mentioning that "*Nowadays, women wear such kind of dresses even in temples and churches that when we go to places of worship, instead of meditating on God,
we end up meditating on the person before us*" and that the provocative
dresses that women wear in buses*" put the "*men travelling in the buses*" in awkward situations and hence "*women must dress
modestly*."

The Chairperson SHRC, speaking on 'Human Rights and the Lawyers Role", gave his opinion on the Mumbai New years eve molestation
issue by saying "*Yes, men are bad", ''But who asked them (the women) to venture out in the
night,'' ''Women should not have gone out in the night and when they do, there is no point in complaining that men touched them and hit them. Youth are destroying our culture for momentary satisfaction.''*

Thousands of crimes like molestation, domestic violence, rape etc go unreported in the country because the patriarchal
society we dwell in refuses women the space to report violence.Where it
should be the prerogative of the seat of law to protect the
privileges of the vulnerable
and the victims of any violence, we have seen the perpetration of
subjugative regressive ideology.

As people who believe in systems of Justice and the value of equity, please join us in raising a voice for the cause of women in the country and sign the petition below:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petiti on/indiawomen2008/

Do share the petition with as many people as possible.

With warm regards,
Arpita Joshi, Harminder Kaur, Gitanjali Mahanti,
Bhargavi S Rao, Dolly
Kalita
Source: http://www.justicewomen.com/guestbook/guestbook.php


Many people cite reasons such as manner of dress, being out late at night, etc. in order to blame a woman for her own rape or attack. But in this instance, these women, two NRIs - non-resident Indians - from California, accompanied by their husbands, were celebrating new years eve at the club of a 5-star hotel. Are women not allowed to go out in public? Not allowed to celebrate new years eve with their husbands? Are women not also passengers on the bus, and worshipers in the temples? Or are we merely second class citizens, who need to make sure we don't distract men from prayers to their gods, dress modestly in the buses to avoid harassment, not go out at night, with or without the company of a man, even on new years eve?

I have no tolerance for those who tell me that feminism, and the women's movement, is dead, unnecessary, outdated. The fact that these kind of things happen in the world, and furthermore that politicians will then defend this behavior and blame the victims for their roles in the attacks, is proof to me that we have a long way to go. If you are not angry, you're not paying attention. If you are not aware of this reality, then maybe you should do some research and see how the world treats the rest of it's citizens. Try finding out what it is like for the majority of the women in the world. Do that, and then just try and tell me there is no need for a women's movement.