Terror strikes Varanasi

Pic of Holy Aarti of Ganga at famous Dashashwamedh Ghar

"Terrorism should be outlawed universally.
We should have true international co-operation to combat terrorism."
(French President Nicolas Sarkozy - Press conference in Mumbai Dec. 7, 2010)
...

Last evening (Tuesday) a bomb hidden in a milk container exploded at Sheetla Ghat killing a two year old little girl and left many people wounded among the thousands of devotees and tourists who came to celebrate Ganga aarti.
The ceremony is a daily ritual in Varanasi (Benaras), the holiest city in the Hindu religion, during which priests and others light oil lamps, ring bells and chant prayers to worship the Ganges.
The force of the explosion ripped away a metal railing and damaged stones up to 60 metres away.
The Police said they defused two more bombs in the city.
The terror group Indian Mujahedeen allegedly claimed responsibility for the blast in an email to several media outlets.
This attack clearly meant to coincide with the anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition a day earlier. 

It was the fourth bomb attack in Varanasi in the past five years but no one here seems to be panicking.
Life has to carry on, showing those terrorists that they are nothing but cowards, away from God.
I decided not to show any image of the place where this tragedy happened but to upload this picture  with happy children smiling.
Those smiles are our future and the best weapon in order to answer this ignominy

 

Dev Deepawali : Welcoming Gods

This time I am 12 days late to tell a story of an enlightened festival Dev Deepawali(Ganga Snaan). But now after 12 days here I am with some views and pics of my holy city Benaras.
By the way this is my b'day on this occasion [:)] according to Hindu Panchaang. That feels blessed [:)].

Dev Diwali is observed on the full moon day (Purnima) in the month of Kartik in a traditional Hindu calendar and is the Diwali of the Devas or Gods.

Dev Diwali, or Dev Deepawali, as the name indicates is the Diwali celebration of the Devas.It is believed that Lord Vishnu returned to Vaikuntha, his abode on this day after the Vamana incarnation and visiting King Bali.Another legend has it that Lord Shiva killed the three demons, who were killing the Devas and humans, and destroyed the three cities built by them on this day.
  
 


In the evening under the full moon reflecting in the holy waters each ghat is performing Ganga Aarti with vedic hymns chanted by priests in order to please and welcome the Gods and the people of the city started lighting up the many candles for this special evening.

 






Dev Diwali marks the end of the fortnight of Diwali celebrations and a major event on the day is the lighting of Diyas (lamps) during night after the moon is sighted. These lamps are lit as a mark of welcome to the Gods as it is believed that they descend on earth on that special day.

 




 Dev Diwali, celebrated on the fifteenth day of Diwali, is a tribute to river Ganga by the people of Varanasi and is observed with fireworks, great fanfare and feasts at every ghat along the holy waters of the Ganges.

India's Cellphone Revolution

 

This is a picture of a sadhu shot along the holy waters of the Ganges in Varanasi (Benaras).
India has a capacity of keeping its traditions while adjusting to modernity.
In the oldest living city in the world everything seems to stay still and some people might only see static images frozen in time however after giving a second glance it is easy to realize that even there things are in the midst of constant change.
Revolutions come slow but life changes fast and in the instant this holy man with a naked body, long matted hair and beard, appears wearing his mobile phone among religious symbols such as rudraksh beads necklaces.
The contrast says so much about today's India, a country that manages to live in several centuries at the same time.

India tax policies keep telecommunications costs low and therefore it is cheap for people to call on their cellphones.
This cellphone revolution is not only an economic transformation for the most affluent, but a change in the social classes allowing people who in the old days would not even have dreamed to have a land line number to stay connected..