Varanasi, situated in the Northern part of India is seated on the banks of the sacred river Ganges. Summer in Varanasi is followed by humid and hot climate. On the contrary, winters in Varanasi is the most favoured season by peoples as well as tourists. This year, the cold waves hit the temple city and make it unbearable for people for people to follow their daily routine life. Earlier this month, the government has extended holidays for schools whereas Uttar Pradesh Basic Education Board has instructed to start the school at 10 in the morning and relief the students from the cold weather. Parts of Uttar Pradesh still give shivers to the people. The minimum temperature recorded this year dipped to 1.2 degree Celsius.

Surviving at Kashi has become a tough situation for homeless people who are struggling to keep themselves warm. One such ghat, Dashashwamedha Ghat witness the icy winds where people fight to keep themselves warm. Cold river waves surround the ghat, chill winds that freeze hands and legs and the sky are enveloped with fog. A sadhu who lives in the ghats said, “The nights are icy cold. I am a wandering sadhu. I sleep at the ghats under the open sky as I have no place to live. Someone gave me a blanket and a carpet”. Later on, he adds, “Meditation gives me the strength required to beat the cold. This carpet becomes an ‘asana’ (a mat used for meditation) during day hours, and I meditate on it for hours”.

Kashi is home for the homeless and wanderers who wonder in the city and have no place to live. The ghats of Varanasi is a habitat for such people.one of the boatman uses the boat as a shelter to live at night keep himself warm. The boatman claimed, “Though the weather is cold, I sleep on the boat daily. I have no problem as I have a quilt, a blanket and mattresses. I get up early in the morning to attend to the tourists and take them for boating”.

One among the traveller Anil Kumar Dwivedi and his wife rested under a temporary tent to witness the life in ghats at night. Mr Dwivedi said, “I am on a pilgrimage and wanted to experience the life at ghats during the night. However, I did not find many people here. It is freezing and foggy which is why people are staying away from the ghats. Still, spending time at the ghat was a unique and spiritual experience for us”.

Besides that, at Assi Ghat, people sleep on benches and chairs while in fighting against the chills, people reach Manikarnika ghat and Harish Chandra ghat to perform the rites of their beloved. During the night a deserted look can be seen in Chet Singh ghat, Tulsi Ghat, Hanuman Ghat, Pandey Ghat, Panchganga ghat and Rajghat.


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