Guddu ki Chai

Guddu Ki Chai

Benaras is known for many things. The most important among them are Ghats on Ganges. After wandering in Varanasi in dung and dust stricken lanes and by-lanes, when a tourist reaches at the ghats, the smiles seen on his face reflect the satisfaction of the successful visit of Varanasi.

What is so amazing about these ghats that the visitors, foreigners and natives alike, throng to this place at the Ganges! One of the main attraction at the ghats these days is ‘Ganga Aarti’. But, then, were the ghats dull when there was no Aarti at the ghats? Starting from the Asi Ghat in the early morning, which has been in the news and rightly so, for its cleanliness drives, one hears the recitation of ‘Vedic Mantras’, the ‘Surya Namaskaar’ and many chores of Hindu rituals. Of course this may generate an anxiety and interest in a tourist’s mind, but may not be the reason enough for the smile of a visitor. As I proceeded towards Dashaswamedh Ghat and Sun started to show up, as its rays fell directly on the ghats and the Ganges water, the entire area got illuminated with the reflection of the divine light. ‘Aha!’ the only word came out of the mouth without being heard even by a self- conscious mind. One just imbibes the morning scenic beauty, never to forget. At this moment you cannot but help sit on the uneven sandstone stairs and just look on, unmindful of your surroundings.

Moving on, I came across a Sadhu sitting alongside a foreigner talking and laughing. There was no language barrier or the sadhus are smart enough to learn the working knowledge of tourists’ needs and the ability to engage them with their wits and attires! Amused with their association, a lady tourist, foreigner of course, sought permission to take a snap. The witty and smart sadhu promptly raised his fore-finger in the sky and uttered one hundred, his price of being photographed. The lady tourist parted the hundred rupee note and was obliged with the pose. Both were satisfied with this barter, the tourist with the prized catch in her camera and the sadhu with his deserved copyright. Not all sadhus are so lucky, I saw another crop of two ‘shaivite’ sadhus, almost naked, their faces and bodies laced with ashes (bhashma), with a kamandal (Ewer)and a trishul (trident) in their hands,  moving towards ‘Harishchandra Ghat’ greeted each other with smile. A man, perhaps familiar with one of them, on the balcony above the ghat, too welcomed one of the naked sadhu, leaving a feeling of neglect on the face of the other.

 As I moved further, a Korean couple was roaming around the Dhobi Ghat. The male partner, clad in white kurta-payjamas and a pair of brown boots was, however, quite extrovert and mingled with the dhobis enjoying their morning tea. He greeted the dhobis with folded hands and bowed head saying a big ‘Namastey’. “Girl friend?” asked a young dhobi with a broad smile, pointing towards the female partner. “No, wife” was the curt and immediate reply. The Korean tourist again saluted another dhobi busy with dipping and soaking of dirty and colorful (with the colors of holi festival) cloths in a half HDPE drum and moved away. “If the colors would be removed”, I asked with curiosity. The expert dhobi replied with a confident yes holding his head high. He then demonstrated his skill using hard and soft variety of surf, soda and bleaching powder in equal proportion, bleaching powder especially for white cloths. In a reply to a pointed query “Are they not polluting the Ganges?” The simple reply was that of helplessness. They are looking forward for a suitable alternative with facilities to continue to earn their livelihood through their traditional profession.

The zeal of moving around the ghats was so intense that it took almost an hour to reach Dashashwamedh ghat, where every pilgrim or tourist would converge. After spending some time at this historic and sacred ghat, I took to the street leading to famous Lord Vishwanath temple. After walking about a hundred meters or so, I noticed a group of few people queuing for a glass of tea. As I had knowledge of this stall, I stopped on the street in front of the stall and ordered two glasses of tea to have a good feel of the flavor and quantity. The tea vendors are so busy that there is no chance of getting a pre-prepared tea at any point of time. While I was waiting for my glasses of tea, a tall middle aged south Indian, half naked, clad in white lungi and sacred thread with a broad horizontal tilak on his full forehead appeared from nowhere and requested me a glass of tea for him. I took no time in saying yes and handed over one glass out of two ordered for myself. Sipping the tea was a rare delight. The flavor, the taste, the style of preparation and serving was superbly elegant. I asked for one more and Guddu was more than happy to serve one more.  I paid for three glasses and still waited to see how he prepares the tea. To my surprise, the vendor doesn’t boil the tea dust in milk and water, he simply pours hot water on tea dust and collects it into a tea glass containing requisite quantity of fresh hot milk and sugar. The contents are then stirred with a spoon in style. Rinsing the tea dust with hot water is also a distinguishing feature of this stall besides the use of coal fire blown with a small kitchen fan.

I once again uttered Aha! In complete satisfaction and moved on.