A mystic land

Novels have been written, timeless classics scripted on the reel and an eternal wait to embark on the mystic land dominates the fantasy. History and culture marries the winds of sublime surroundings. Nature worshipped like in a fairy tale guarded on both sides by the burning pyre of the just departed soul. Benaras, the land which symbolizes Indian civilization like no one invited me on a trip down its most hallowed lane and sent my pulse to dizzy heights.
Twilight had descended on the riverside, the familiar architectures were now real and embracing was a possibility. Amidst the blazing lights, started the evening rituals in a grandeur spectacle. I was alone and I was lost. Cultural, geographical and religious boundaries had just vanished. The atheist and disbeliever of societal customs that I am, there was not a place for me to hide. Only one option remained, to stand there and participate. The world had become a global village at Benaras united in worshipping a river! Shaken up by the experience, I felt a tremendous urge to touch that water which alone inspired a movie by its name. At 9pm, a small boat set sail with a boy as crew and a man in his 20s trying to re-discover life, far from the metrosexual dominated urban jungle. The oars touched the little waves in a rhythm splashing the water with a sound which was distinct in the silence of the night. From the middle of the river, the gigantic palaces looked mysterious and magnificent. The boat dared to go very close to a burning ghat where legend has those flames never cease – a holy ground for cremation. In the darkness, the fire blazed & weeps of goodbye seeped into the ears. The house of widows in 19th century stood like a monument empty but carefully hiding tears and pain of tortured young girls & women. .He lay on his back in the boat and stared at the dark blue sky. Millions of stars were observing him. The little boy narrated legends one after another. He knew them all. The Dasaswamedh ghat looked breathtaking from the water.
An article is an embarrassment to this land. Hundreds of pages are required. But that evening showed the dark and brightness of human existence in a small place .Life is and has been far beyond profit/loss, Baristas& Mcdonalds. It is about self discovery & self revelation every moment till the last breath. A visit to Benaras can be one of its roads