LURE OF FUTURE
THE WEEK India|June 02, 2024
In Varanasi, the younger generation's preference for modernity is likely to guarantee Modi's hat-trick win
PUJA AWASTHI
LURE OF FUTURE

MEMORY IS A powerful thing. But so is identification. In Varanasi, the two are fused into a heady political brew.

An aching echo of the nostalgia of Banarsiyat—the lived, carefree essence of the city is battling a younger generation’s aspiration for modernity. In its clash is stretched a city, older than memory.

This friction of times is visible at the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, a project that has cleaned up the surroundings of the abode of Shiva that mythically rests on the middle prong of his trident. This abode was dotted by close-set old houses and small temples, yielding the devotee a glimpse of the Kashi Vishwanath temple only from proximity. Now it is visible from afar, thanks to the corridor. The devout count the loss of smaller but significant temples and the inexplicable permission to operate cafes on the corridor premises as the unforgivable cost of newness.

Divraj Mishra comes from a family of pandas (religious guides). In his 30s, he is squashed between the generation which clings to recollections and the one that seeks the new. He said it was strange that a party which claimed dedication to the cause of sanatan was turning around the tenets of what was an eternal religion. “Shiva does not reside alone. But when the corridor was built, his family members, including Ganesh (Shiva’s son), were disregarded,” he said. Mishra was particularly dismayed at the attempts to dislodge the tiny temple of Dundhiraj Ganesh, a deity who must be visited before paying obeisance to Shiva. A campaign to save the temple has protected it partially.

Denne historien er fra June 02, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra June 02, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA THE WEEK INDIASe alt
William Dalrymple goes further back
THE WEEK India

William Dalrymple goes further back

Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.

time-read
3 mins  |
November 17, 2024
The bleat from the street
THE WEEK India

The bleat from the street

What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 17, 2024
Courage and conviction
THE WEEK India

Courage and conviction

Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case

time-read
2 mins  |
November 17, 2024
EPIC ENTERPRISE
THE WEEK India

EPIC ENTERPRISE

Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus

time-read
4 mins  |
November 17, 2024
Upgrade your jeans
THE WEEK India

Upgrade your jeans

If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 17, 2024
Garden by the sea
THE WEEK India

Garden by the sea

When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus

time-read
4 mins  |
November 17, 2024
RECRUITERS SPEAK
THE WEEK India

RECRUITERS SPEAK

Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates

time-read
3 mins  |
November 17, 2024
MORAL COMPASS
THE WEEK India

MORAL COMPASS

The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape

time-read
5 mins  |
November 17, 2024
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
THE WEEK India

B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH

INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode

time-read
3 mins  |
November 17, 2024
COURSE CORRECTION
THE WEEK India

COURSE CORRECTION

India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI

time-read
8 mins  |
November 17, 2024