Life & Beyond : HOW OLD IS VARANASI? MODI SHOULD MAKE IT A FOCUS AREA

The best way to know the self is feeling oneself at the moments of reckoning. The feeling of being alone, just with your senses, may lead you to think more consciously. More and more of such moments may sensitize ‘you towards you’, towards others. We become regular with introspection and retrospection. We get ‘the’ gradual connect to the higher self we may name Spirituality or God or just a Humane Conscious. We tend to get a rhythm again in life. We need to learn the art of being lonely in crowd while being part of the crowd. A multitude of loneliness in mosaic of relations! One needs to feel it severally, with conscience, before making it a way of life. One needs to live several such lonely moments. One needs to live severallyalone.

Tuesday, 24 June 2014

HOW OLD IS VARANASI? MODI SHOULD MAKE IT A FOCUS AREA

Varanasi has many expectations from the prime minister of

India

, Narendra Modi. The parliamentary constituency of the prime minister is expecting to be compensated for the long lull of development on almost every parameter the city has seen.

And the expectation of having some solid work on city’s historical aspects must be in the list and must be met.

Varanasi is claimed to be among the oldest continuously inhabited cities globally – the rational and scientific views say it.

Varanasi is claimed to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world – the religious and spiritual views say it.

Varanasi may have a dense population now, in the post-Independence days with rapid increase in last few decades, but the city has always been with its citizens, in every age, making excavations difficult.

And the emergence of technology to excavate and scientifically assess the age of a geographical formation came when Varanasi was already a spread-up settlement – it limit the chances of excavation – to dig more – to know more.

The scriptures and mythology go back to the days of the advent of humanity.

Findings and reports about Varanasi’s age vary – from 8^th Century BC to the Ashokan times – based on the archaeological remains.

But, still, nothing much can be said with authenticity.

Narendra Modi should help in clearing the air by making it a priority area with increased funding for streamlined excavation and scientific assessment in a wider area, covering more spots.

Kashi or Banaras or Varanasi or its other names in different times (Avimuktaka..Anandakanana..Mahasmasana..Surandhana..Brahma..Vardha..Sudarsana..Ramya) have had their mentions in the oldest of the Indian scriptures, dating much before the established scientific age of Varanasi as accepted today.

And the gap is needed to be bridged. Narendra Modi must address it.