The Manikarnika Ghat

People say the Manikarnika Ghat is where people have the most intense experiences when they visit Varanasi. This was true for me too. These Ghats shake you from within. I sat a little far away from the Ghats and watched. It was unnerving that every flame burning was a corpse burning. And corpses lined the stairwells waiting for their turn to burn. Every minute a dead body arrived. It disturbed me in a way still I do not understand and softened me to the core. Tears ran freely with the understanding that everyone will die. Every living being I befriend will die. Death of a loved one is tragic for the living. But then towards the evening I saw people who witness these happenings on the Ghats every evening smile and pray to the river Ganges. I know that this is what we all must do. We must celebrate life with all its tragedies like the people of Varanasi. I truly liked the populace of Varanasi. Very friendly and kind even to the meanest of creatures. An owl was chased by a bunch of crows and fell in to the water. People in the Ghats shouted at the boatman to rescue it. The boatman then picked the owl up and allowed it to rest in his boat. No need for nature conservationists in Varanasi. The whole city cares. I wish the world was a little like Varanasi.