Ganga ji

          I spend an hour in the morning with Ganga ji. I am 73 and my legs hurt when I walk down the stairs of the ghats. I am a Brahmin and I perform my rituals every day. Ganaga means life to me. It has been a part of me since I was born. When I was 10 I use to run along the ghats when there were lesser people. My father had a boat in which I would accompany him while he was fishing. I have grown up along the Ghats. Since I am a citizen here I still stay here with my family.

         Varanasi has changed in many ways but Ganga ji is still the same. She supports the lives of people residing in Varanasi. “mun ki shanti, ganga ji ke tat pe hi milegi”

         Ganga ji has taught me how to live. I had no one to teach me how to swim but Ganga ji did. I could’ve drowned but Ganga ji saved me. I have always prayed to Ganga ji so that she blesses everyone with the blessing she continues to bestow on me. I pray for forgiveness when I am unable to walk down to take a bath. I live with the thought that one day my ashes will be immersed within her and I’ll flow with her.

        I found myself

        I am 56 and I was a believer. Because my parents used to worship Ganga I would go along with them and take a bath. I never questioned and I believed it to be holy.

         Today I have to look after the shop I run. I am mostly busy doing my work. This is one of the reasons I haven’t been able to fine time to go to the Ghats. What is shocking is that I've come across people from Varanasi who is hostile to Indian tourists but warm to the outsiders. The city has changed along the years the people are fleecing money from the tourist’s in the name of god. I see most of our own people harass the visitors in the crowd. They pickpocket, eve tease and create a nuisance in public.

          I have worshiped the holiness of Ganga yet I couldn't find what I was looking for. I came across this person who told me to follow a public figure. I watched a few shows, red articles about him. He offered exercises to calm one’s mind. There were times in the past when I sat at the banks of Ganga but with the help of this exercise I have found myself. It is not an alternative for me but definitely something I would advise to follow.

         I've left behind the ‘aarti’ and ‘pooja’ done at the ghats. I need not depend on Ganga to find quiet.