In Banaras, different neighborhoods of the city encompass different kinds of trades, businesses, and art forms. Since my arrival in Banaras, I was told that the musician’s quarters were in a neighborhood called Kabir Chaura, in the north of the city. Since I am a musician and am studying Hindustani gharana sitar, I was more than intrigued in finding out more about this neighborhood. I finally made it to this neighborhood, and it didn’t at all resemble what my imagination had conjured up. Instead of many musicians, concerts, instrument makers, and music gurus, I instead found crowed and narrow streets with the usual auto repair, sweet shops, and abundance of roaming cows and pigs. The streets were caked with shit. The walls red with pawn, pregnant dogs with heavy breast battling over a plastic headless baby dolls, and rug rat children running around detonating fireworks all through the night. This is Shiva’s city I’m told. Everything is holy in Shiva’s city. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit.
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