Kashi, the Soul of India, has become a generic Tier 2 north Indian city of India. You would struggle to tell a difference between Kashi, Dehradun, Patna, Bareilly, Moradabad, Aligarh, Agra, Panipat, Hissar, Jhansi, Allahabad, Gorakhpur, Kota. The city is growing like ginger - unplanned and unmindful. In this note, I highlight the present day condition of the holy city of Kashi, with the objective of making a larger point that perhaps the direction and paradigm of development we have chosen needs to be reviewed

1. 29 July 2019
Vijay explores the treasure you know as India. He shares his experiences about social, economic and
cultural events and conditions of India through www.investrekk.com. He contributes his pennies to the
society as Director, Equal India Foundation, He can be reached at vijaygaba.investrekk@gmail.com
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Kashi: Soul leaving the body
"States are as the men, they grow out of human characters."
—Plato (Greek Philosopher, 427-347BC)
Mark Twain once wrote "Benares is older than history, older than tradition, older even than
legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together."
Kashi (also Varanasi and Banaras) is widely known as the spiritual capital of India.
Traditionally believed to be the chosen abode of lord Shiva, this city has significance for
believers of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and the followers of the Bhakti movement
(Kabir panthi, Raidasi).
The city nourished by the sacred waters of Mother Ganga, and protected by Lord Shiva, Lord
Hanuman, Kaal Bhairva, and Goddess Durga, has inspired immortal souls like Gautam
Buddha, Mahavir Swami, Tulsidas, Kabir, Ravidas, Guru Nanak, et. al.
Historically, many Hindu and Muslim rulers patronized the city, making it one of the
prominent centers for study of science, religion, art and culture. The city produced many
legends in the fields of science, music, dance, art, literature and spirituality. Since ages, the
city has been attracting students, research scholars, knowledge seekers, curious and
enthusiasts from world over.
Unfortunately, in recent years, the city appears to losing its character. The city has become a
generic Tier 2 north Indian city of India. I have been madly in love with this city of spiritual
lights for past three decades. However, on my latest visit I strongly felt like breaking up my love
affair.
In this note, I highlight the present day condition of the holy city of Kashi, with the objective of
making a larger point that perhaps the direction and paradigm of development we have chosen
needs to be reviewed
In a rush to go nowhere
Famous historian Will Durant once famously said "India was the motherland of our race, and
Sanskrit the mother of Europe's languages: she was the mother of our philosophy; mother,
through the Arabs, of much of our mathematics; mother, through the Buddha, of the ideals
embodied in Christianity; mother, through the village community, of self-government and
democracy. Mother India is in many ways."

2. 24 July 2019
Mark Twain, added to this by saying "India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of
human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of
tradition. our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up
in India only."
Kashi is the birthplace of four Jain Tirthankaras. Gautam Buddha preached his first sermon
here. Adi Sankara is believed to have received lesson in spiritual humility from Lord Shiva,
here. Sant Kabir was born here. In Kashi, Goswami Tulsi Das composed the Ramcharitmanas
and the Hanuman Chalisa, the narratives that impacted Hinduism deeply across north India.
The city has prominent place in Sikh traditions also. The city is also believed to be home of
Hindustani classical music.
In recent time, the city gained popularity as the incumbent prime minister chose it to represent
it in the parliament. Subsequently, it has been designated as the partner city of Kyoto (the
second largest city in Japan); and also a Smart City under the urban development program of
the central government.
Admittedly, I have been madly in love with the city for decades. Like a passionate lover I
cherished almost everything about the city. But as Geoffary Chaucer famously said seven
centuries ago, "All good things must come to an end".
On my recent visit to the city, for the first time I felt like breaking up. To me, the soul of Kashi
appeared leaving its body. Mother Ganga seemed old, tired and frustrated. First time I felt that
she is no longer willing to absorb the sins of her delinquent children.
The city appeared terribly chaotic. The people were in general inconsiderate, insensitive and
indifferent. The melody of divine music has surrendered completely to the cacophony of endless
traffic snarls. Everyone appeared in a hurry to reach nowhere; leaving the fellow citizens
struggling on road. I experienced more road rage and profanity than humanity and spirituality
in the city.
The traditional arts and textile have been pushed back to the narrow, dark and filthy by-lanes,
as the global apparel and electronics brands have encroached the main markets.
The traditional food that I loved is struggling to survive the onslaught of global giants like
McDonalds, Chicago Pizza, Dominos, etc. Italian, Chinese, and continental food has become a
'must have' in parties and family gatherings. There is disproportionate number of pharmacies,
indicating towards the deteriorating health of the dwellers.
Growing like ginger - unplanned and unmindful
The moment you exit from the Babatpur Airport in Varanasi, you see the modern symbol of
development - A concrete six lane highway to link the city (30kms) with the airport; large

3. 24 July 2019
showrooms of automobile; Delhi Public School; etc. As you reach the city, you fail to find the
Kashi, you have been hearing, reading and imagining about.
The city has become a generic Tier 2 north Indian city of India. You would struggle to tell a
difference between Kashi, Dehradun, Patna, Bareilly, Moradabad, Aligarh, Agra, Panipat,
Hissar, Jhansi, Allahabad, Gorakhpur, Kota. The city is growing like ginger - unplanned and
unmindful.
The main streets are dotted by showrooms of large apparel, appliances and food brands. There
are 50x more private coaching centers than schools. It appears that every youth just want to
learn to speak English, and become doctors, engineers, CAs and IAS officers.
If you try on your own, it might take 2-3 days to find a place that teaches Indian languages,
religion, classical music & dance, silk weaving, or sculpting etc.
The city is dotted with the symbols of Clean India mission. But to the dismay of all visitors,
these symbols are dirtier than the city itself. Admittedly, the city has become cleaner in past
five years. But "cleaner" is not necessarily "clean". It is hard to find any change in the mindset
of people, who spit red anywhere and everywhere, litter with freedom, sweep their shops and
homes to throw the garbage on the road, brazenly. The entire city has open drains that remain
filled with sewage water and choked with plastic bags. Stray animals are found in abundance.
I spoke to many religious men on various famous ghats. No one, yes None! wanted their
children to study Sanskrit and religion. One of them had four children - two are studying
medicine, one preparing for civil services and the fourth one is running a gym.
The sign boards make it abundantly clear that the city is desperate to shed its traditional
image and look progressive with English as a medium of prestige and not as a medium of
communication or learning.
For time immemorial the city has been associated with "Faith" and "Devotion". A 7km walk
from Bhairasur Ghat to Assi Ghat anytime during the day would tell you that the "Faith" and
"Devotion" are now mostly constricted to the Old, Rural, Illiterate and Poor populace. Save for
unmindful rituals and fearful compliance, the young, urban, educated, middle class people are
cynical about "Faith" and lack "Devotion".
I met a group of visitors from Kyoto, who had come to Kashi with great expectations. Trust me,
they are carrying a message that will demotivate many prospective Japanese visitors.
En route to degeneration
About two decades back, I had a chance meeting with a group of visitors from Pakistan. Most
members of the group had their ancestral roots in Delhi and nearby areas. During discussion, I
asked them why is it that despite being so rich in natural resources, favorable geography and

4. 24 July 2019
brave & enterprising people, Pakistan is not able to grow to its potential. The answer was
thought provoking.
They said, "The feudal nature of politics has made the society ominously unequal. There is
huge trust gap. The gap is rising with every flight going out of the country, as it carries few
good people, who would probably never come back to their homeland. With all educated people
capable of thinking without prejudice; capable of innovating; capable of promoting enterprise,
moving out - the country is left with few feudal lords who have captured all the resources and
therefore need not leave the country, and ‘the vulnerable’ who could add little to the growth -
economic or otherwise."
Trust me, I find the conditions in UP and Bihar no different today. I do not have statistics to
support my argument, but anecdotally I know that even middle class parents do not want their
children to stay here. The routine education of children has therefore become a mission for all
middle and rich class families. People want their kids to get good degrees and migrate from
these places, to never come back.
This is in contrast to the southern states, Gujarat and Punjab, where people are keen on
migrating to foreign shores but stay connected to their roots. They yearn for returning
someday. Here, it is not only foreign shores - Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai are
equally desirable destinations. Once out, no one thinks of returning back to or even investing
some money in their birthplace. The remittances are usually limited to the support money for
old parents and renovation of house.
By highlighting the present day condition of the holy city of Kashi, the point I am trying to
convey is that perhaps the direction and paradigm of development we have chosen needs to be
reviewed.
In my personal opinion, the present model of growth may not be the appropriate one, for two
simple reasons:
(a) It completely ignores the sustainability concerns. (A homeopathy doctor in Kashi told me
that the noise pollution in the city due to chaotic traffic is making more people sick than
anything else. The worst part is that no one is bothered about this.)
(b) The present model is bound to fail, as it mostly ignores the strengths of Indian society and
economy.
The development model adopted by us seems to be mistaking the means for goals. Electricity,
roads, bridges, motor vehicles, communication network etc. should be used as means to
improve the quality of human life, minimize socio-economic inequalities, and enable people to
work for evolution of mankind. Mistaking means for the goals, takes us nowhere.

5. 24 July 2019
Ignoring strengths to focus on weaknesses would solve nothing
The sustainable solution for India’s economic problems could be found only by looking within.
Borrowing from the thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi, economics needs to follow ethics and not the
vice versa. The primary consideration needs to be “man” and not “money”.
To achieve this means Gandhi advocated trusteeship, decentralization of economic activities,
labor intensive technology and priority to weaker sections. Many criticize Gandhian economic
ideas based on altruism, self reliance, and non-violence, as an impractical alternative to free
market economics. I believe this criticism is unfair and suffers from parochialism.
I believe borrowing blindly from the western economic models would not work in Indian
context. The Indian model will have to be quintessentially Indian. It has to effectively tackle the
problems of class conflict, unemployment and poverty while attempting to preserve the lifestyle
and values of rural Indians, which are eroding fast with unmindful urbanization,
industrialisation and modernisation.
A self-reliant, free, just and progressive society is integral to the traditional idea of India. Self-
reliance in no way violates the need for technological advancement in the areas like healthcare,
communication, etc. It just wants the scale to tilt in favor of ethics and ecology conservation if
a conflict arises. Self-reliance also does not infringe upon the idea of free market. It just
promotes non-violent and non-exploitive trade and commerce.
In short, the economic model of India, in my opinion, should be based on the following three
principles:
(a) Develop an environment of equality and mutual trust through decentralization.
(b) Focus on the intrinsic strengths of Indian economy rather than overemphasizing the
weaknesses.
(c) Focus on enablement of population rather than merely providing for them.

6. 24 July 2019
A glorious morning of Kashi

7. 24 July 2019
Symbolism is not helping
Devotes are forced to change in the open, even in winters as the changing rooms installed with
great pomp and show lie in shambles...

8. 24 July 2019
...so do the dust bins and everything else

9. 24 July 2019
Missions like Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao and Namami Gange violated with impunity

10. 24 July 2019
Sign boards tell a story
English is for prestige, not for learning or communication

11. 24 July 2019
Stray cows are a common menace for people's health and a threat to their
life and property