𝗡𝗼 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗕𝗶𝗴

Old age can severely limit the human spirit, but for Ms K. Paul, who wished to visit Varanasi one last time, it was a hurdle to overcome. In the company of three friends, she accomplished her dream.
When I visited Varanasi a few years ago, I was disappointed by the state of the Shri Kashi Vishwanath temple. It was grimy and reeked of neglect, and I wished the authorities would do something about it. Recently I got to hear that the temple was renovated and wished to pay a visit. My failing health was a concern, and I resigned myself to the fact that I would not be able to see it again.
Incidentally, I found out that a childhood friend, her sister, and my daughter-in-law’s mother had a similar wish. The three of us joined forces and decided to make a short, weekend trip. To make things quick and easy, we flew into Varanasi; I opted for a wheelchair. We reached on a Saturday and witnessed the evening pujas on the ghats from a boat. On Sunday, we made our way to the Vishwanath temple. Two of us were on wheelchairs so we were given priority and taken via a short cut. I enjoyed the darshan very much and was extremely happy to see the recent renovations. I may not be able to visit Varansi again, but I felt that I was finally satisfied.
After that we visited a few more temples, travelling around in a toto. The four of us had a lot of fun and laughed and joked like schoolgirls. In the evening, we went to the markets and bought various things such as paan masala and pedas. On Monday morning we went to the Ramakrishna Mission to pay our respects to the monks and sit at the temple for a while. As our adventure ended, we boarded the plane back to Kolkata. I returned home with a certain tranquillity in my heart, and confidence that I could make a trip which, at first, I found daunting.
(As narrated to Support Elders by our member)