BANARAS: WHERE SOULS FIND RHYTHM

by Mr. Prithwiraj Pal

Assistant Professor,

HoD, Department of Media Science, TISL

Banaras welcomed me with a rhythm I didn’t expect, but slowly began to feel. I reached the Ghats at sunrise, where the river moved quietly under a pale sky. Priests chanted, bells rang softly, and boats drifted past like they had all the time in the world. Nearby, a funeral fire burned steadily—calm, not frightening, just part of life here.

 

As I walked further, the mood changed but the rhythm stayed. Children laughed while playing, men exercised in open courtyards, and families gathered by the water for their morning rituals. There was noise, colour, and movement everywhere, yet nothing felt rushed.

  

What surprised me most was how naturally everything existed together—life, death, prayer, and joy. No moment felt out of place.

I came to Banaras thinking I would observe it. Instead, I found myself quietly falling into its pace, listening, watching, and feeling. In time, I understood—this is where souls don’t just pass through, they find their rhythm. People truly say: "Banaras is not just a place but a feeling-  where time stands still and eternity begins."  

Photo Courtesy: Prithwiraj Pal