Category Archives: Groovy Ganges Guest House

San Francisco guests at home

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I hosted a couple from San Francisco at my guest house for three weeks. They arrived in Varanasi five weeks ago and initially stayed at a guest house near Assi Ghat for two weeks. Unfortunately, they were uncomfortable there because the bed in their room was not to their liking. They learned about my guest house through Megan, one of my guests, whom they met at a café. Megan brought them to my place, and they enjoyed it so much that they decided to spend the rest of their time in Varanasi with us. Both of them are psychologists from San Francisco.

They were eager to learn Hindi and tabla while in Varanasi. I introduced them to the Indian classical music school next door, where Uncle Sam was impressed and decided to take tabla lessons. Binit, the Hindi teacher, taught them the language. They showed a strong interest in social work, having already been involved with Bal Ashram before arriving. I also took them to Lok Samiti to show them the organization’s work, and they were deeply impressed. They even asked Nandlal Master, the president of Lok Samiti, if they could assist with his efforts.

Uncle Sam and Auntie Mar were wonderful guests. Even though their stay was only three weeks, we developed a strong bond, and I miss them now. Uncle Sam kindly gave me a netbook, which will be incredibly useful for me during power cuts and while traveling.

Dialysis in Varanasi

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An American student from Boston University, named Andrew, reached out to me regarding his friend Rinat from Uzbekistan, who requires dialysis treatment in India for six months. They had initially contacted Apollo Hospital in Delhi, but found it to be quite expensive and also noted that Delhi’s pollution made it an undesirable option. There were no available apartments near the hospital either. They inquired about dialysis services in Varanasi, and I directed them to Heritage Hospital in Varanasi by providing their email address. Andrew and Rinat contacted Heritage Hospital and discovered that they offer dialysis services for foreigners as well.

I visited Heritage Hospital to inquire about their services and charges. The costs were as follows: Rs. 2500 for the first dialysis, Rs. 1000 for a blood check-up (charged only once), Rs. 1700 for each of the next three dialysis sessions, and Rs. 2500 for the fifth session. This was significantly cheaper than Apollo Hospital, and Varanasi is less noisy and polluted compared to Delhi. Andrew then requested to rent my apartment for six months for Rinat. However, I had reservations about hosting someone who does not speak English and only speaks Russian.

I expressed my concern about the language barrier, but Andrew assured me that they would provide a translator for the first week. I was still concerned about the situation beyond that initial period. I asked about Rinat’s current health and learned that he has only one kidney and very low hemoglobin levels—one-third of the normal range. This situation was worrying, as Rinat’s condition seemed quite critical. They also requested that I contact the Indian Embassy in Tashkent to notify them that I would be hosting Rinat. I was uncomfortable with this, as it would make me responsible if anything went wrong with Rinat’s health.

To better understand the situation, I consulted friends in the US and Canada. While they knew people with only one kidney, they were also concerned about Rinat’s low hemoglobin levels. After discussing with my friends and family, I decided not to host Rinat due to the serious nature of his condition. However, I still wanted to assist Andrew and Rinat. I offered to help by finding a guest house for Rinat, accompanying him to the hospital, speaking with doctors, arranging food and other necessities, and showing them around. They agreed to this arrangement. I have requested them to fax me all of Rinat’s medical reports so that I can discuss his treatment with the doctors.

They want to hire me to assist Rinat throughout his stay. I will meet Rinat in Delhi and bring him to Varanasi. I’ve reached out to students at BHU to find a Russian-speaking student to serve as Rinat’s translator. Additionally, Andrew wants Rinat to learn Hindi while he is in Varanasi, so I have contacted Bhasha Bharti to inquire about a Russian-speaking Hindi teacher and am awaiting their reply. This is proving to be a challenging task, but I am committed to helping in any way I can.

Chicago guest learns Hindi

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An anthropology student named Adam Sergent from the University of Chicago stayed at my guest house for a month. Like Lane and Dave, Adam wanted to learn Hindi with Bhasha Bharti. Although he had initially intended to study Hindi with Bhasha Bharti for three months, he had to adjust his plans. Bhasha Bharti didn’t have the availability for a full three months, so Adam decided to study in Varanasi for a month before moving to Mussoorie for the remaining two months. Adam had previously studied Hindi with Virendra Singh at Wisconsin University, so his proficiency was moderate.

When I asked why he wasn’t continuing with Virendra Singh in Varanasi, he explained that Virendra Singh spends summers in the U.S. teaching at Wisconsin University and only returns to India for the winter sessions. Adam attended classes at Bhasha Bharti for six hours a day, but found the schedule inconvenient, with classes from 8 to 11 in the morning and 4 to 7 in the evening. After about 15 days, he decided to leave early to conduct research related to his future work in India. He was pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago with a focus on labor at construction sites.

Adam had a positive experience learning Hindi at Bhasha Bharti, although he had some minor complaints about the classroom environment. He noted that his chair was positioned under a fan, causing dust to fall on him regularly. Despite these issues, he was generally satisfied with his time there. He then traveled to Delhi to observe construction sites for his research. He provided my brother’s contact information in Delhi for local assistance. Unfortunately, after spending just two days in Delhi and sampling the local food, Adam fell ill. He was hospitalized for three days and received four drips. This experience made me question the quality of Delhi’s food, as I also had problems during my last visit there.

Adam managed to reach Mussoorie to continue his Hindi studies at a local school, with accommodation arranged through the school. However, upon arrival, he found the door to his lodging locked. The house owner informed him that they had relocated to Dehradun for the month and could not host him.

Adam reached out to me for assistance in finding alternative housing in Mussoorie. I contacted a friend in Dehradun who helped locate a new place, but by the time it was found, Adam had already secured alternative accommodation. Due to a family issue, Adam decided to cancel his Hindi classes and leave Mussoorie earlier than planned.

Conference on Biology at BHU

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I had a tenant named Dave staying with me. He was a biologist from Fresno, California. Dave was invited to speak at a world environment conference at BHU, scheduled for on March 28, 2008. I accompanied him, along with my friend Amanda from the USA, who was conducting research on the history of Coke in India. I was assisting Amanda as a translator. We all went to BHU together. Dave was eager to introduce his company to an Indian audience, as he has a deep love for India and often dreams of returning to live here and learn Hindi. He was particularly excited to speak about wetlands.

We arrived at BHU at 2:45 PM and had special guest seating. It was my first time sitting in the guest area, thanks to Dave. We waited for Dave’s turn to speak, but unfortunately, it never came. We stayed until 7:30 PM, but Dave was never called to the stage. We were disappointed by this oversight from such a prestigious university. We reached out to BHU officials, who apologized and promised to reschedule his speech for the next day at 10:00 AM. The following day, we arrived on time again but waited until 2:30 PM, only to find that Dave’s name was still not called.

Given that Dave had another scheduled speech at the Mehndiganj Water Conference at 3:00 PM, we decided to leave BHU and head to Mehndiganj. Although we arrived 30 minutes late, Dave was able to deliver his speech there.Dave continued to try and secure an opportunity to speak at BHU, contacting the officials once more, but they were unable to provide a satisfactory response. Since the conference was only three days long, Dave never got the chance to speak at BHU.

Conference on Water Rights, Mehdiganj, Varanasi

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A conference on water rights was held in Mehndiganj from March 28th to 30th, 2008. I was invited by Nandlal to attend, and I was thrilled to learn that Sandeep Pandey and Medha Patekar would also be speaking. Nandlal Master also mentioned that a girl from the U.S. wanted to attend the conference and interview local villagers about their issues with Coke. She needed a translator, which made me even more excited because it meant I had the chance to work with her! I arranged to meet her at Assi Ghat, where we had an extensive discussion about the Coke issue in Mehndiganj.

After our conversation, I invited her to my home, where I showed her various documents related to the Coke controversies in Mehndiganj, Plachimada, and Kaladera. Impressed by my knowledge and assistance, she offered me a job as her translator. She was a PhD student in history at a prominent university in the U.S., though she requested that I not mention the name of her institution. She was friendly, well-educated, and deeply interested in the history of Coca-Cola in India. She was staying at a BHU hostel arranged by her university, but she found it inconvenient due to the lack of internet access in her room.

She had to walk 10-15 minutes each time she needed to use the internet. When she saw that my guest house had internet in all the rooms and a biologist staying in the next room—whose expertise could be useful for her research on groundwater depletion—she decided to move to my place. During the conference in Mehndiganj, I assisted her with translation as we interviewed numerous people, including social workers from Kaladera. I’ve chosen not to mention her name in this post as she experienced sexual harassment during her work and preferred to remain anonymous. If you want to learn more about her experience, please refer to the linked post.

Hindi Classes Varanasi

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A 61-year-old scientist named Dave from Fresno, USA, came to stay at my guest house for a month. He wanted to learn Hindi with Bhasha Bharti, as he had developed a strong passion for the language. Dave had spent about three years in Madhya Pradesh, India, working for the US Peace Corps in the 1960s. His Hindi was quite impressive, far surpassing the skills of many who take Hindi classes for months. He had scheduled his classes from the US, confident that there would be a suitable instructor available in Varanasi. However, upon arriving in Varanasi, Dave received a message from Bhasha Bharti stating that his classes had been canceled.

He wrote to them asking for an explanation but never received a reply. We visited Bhasha Bharti together to request that they accommodate Dave, but they showed no interest. Dave was disheartened, unsure of how to spend the next month in India. Eventually, he decided to revisit the village where he had previously worked with the US Peace Corps. Meanwhile, I inquired about other Hindi classes in Varanasi and discovered a professor named Prof. Virendra Singh, who teaches Hindi at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

We approached him to see if he could provide lessons for Dave. Professor Singh was very accommodating and agreed to teach Dave for one hour each day. Although Dave had hoped for at least 4 or 5 hours of instruction daily, Mr. Singh was unable to commit more time due to his existing obligations with students from Wisconsin University. Nonetheless, it was better than nothing. I was relieved that Dave found a professor. I asked Dave about Professor Singh’s teaching abilities, and he praised him highly, saying that Singh was the best Hindi professor he had ever encountered. I was also very impressed with Professor Singh.

Music classes in Varanasi

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I hosted a tenant from Montreal for a month at my guest house. His name was Will Eizlini, but my family gave him the Indian name “Willu.” His friend Bijay had reached out to me through a Lonely Planet Forum post where someone had recommended my name. Although I still don’t know who made the recommendation, I was delighted to have a long-term tenant. Willu was interested in learning Tabla while he was in Varanasi but had no leads on a teacher, so I suggested Pandit Shivnath Mishra’s school. Although the school is renowned for its Sitar instruction, they also offer Tabla classes.

Willu works as a web developer and can work from anywhere with an Internet connection. When he asked if I had Internet access, I realized that while I had Internet in my room, it wasn’t available in the guest rooms. I had always wanted to extend Internet access throughout the house, and Willu’s arrival presented the perfect opportunity. Initially, I considered buying a Wi-Fi modem, but my service provider advised that Wi-Fi wasn’t reliable in India. Instead, I purchased a router and ran cables to all the rooms. I’m grateful to Willu for prompting me to enhance the Internet setup in my home.

Willu was pleased to be able to work remotely for his Canadian company from my guest house. It was impressive to see him earning over CAD $30 per hour while traveling. His job seemed ideal for a traveler. Willu attended Tabla classes at Shivnath Mishra’s school for three days but was dissatisfied because his Tabla teacher didn’t speak English. While his teacher didn’t need to be fluent in English, Willu hoped for someone who could effectively communicate the lessons.

During this time, there was a live performance featuring Pandit Shivnath Mishra, his son Pandit Deobrat Mishra, and Fazal Qureshi (the brother of Zakir Hussain) at Diamond Hotel, Varanasi. I was invited by Pandit Deobrat Mishra, but Willu had to pay Rs. 500 to attend. The show was spectacular, and I was particularly impressed by Fazal Qureshi’s extraordinary speed on the Tabla. Although the Sitar performance didn’t captivate me, the Tabla was mesmerizing; I had never seen anyone play with such speed before.

At the event, Willu met several Canadians who were also studying Tabla in Varanasi. They recommended Mr. Pravin Uddhav, a professor of Indian classical music at BHU (Benares Hindu University). Following their advice, we visited Mr. Uddhav’s residence on the BHU campus the next day. When Willu returned home, he was thrilled to have finally found a suitable teacher. He praised Pravin Uddhav as an excellent Tabla player with good English skills that facilitated understanding.

Willu decided to discontinue his classes with Pandit Deobrat Mishra and studied with Pravin Uddhav for the remainder of his stay. After a month in Varanasi, Willu flew to Chennai to attend a live performance by another instrument teacher (whose name I don’t recall). Despite wanting to stay longer in Varanasi, he left to catch this performance.

I sleep when I die

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An American retired Marine officer stayed at my guest house for a week. He had contacted me through Craigslist three months before his arrival in Varanasi. He was in the process of writing a novel and wanted to spend a year in India, but this visit was just a scouting trip to find a potential place to stay in the future. I was thrilled to host him, intrigued by his background and eager to learn more about his experiences as a Marine. I was hired for two days as his tour guide, and I took him around Benares. He quickly fell in love with the city, finding it reminiscent of his childhood in New York.

He noted that New York also had yellow streetlights about 60-65 years ago, similar to those in Benares today. After my tour duties were complete, he began exploring the city on his own. Despite being 70 years old, he was remarkably energetic. I remember one instance when I found him sleeping, and he told me, “I sleep when I die.” It’s a quote I’ll never forget. However, he had a bit of trouble with the local cuisine. He began indulging in street food, which unfortunately made him quite ill.

On one occasion, he ate over a kilogram of yogurt and 12 bananas at once, leading to severe sickness. His blood pressure and sugar levels soared, and he developed a cough and cold. I had to take him to a doctor, who attributed his condition to the excessive yogurt and bananas. By the end of the week, he left Benares, which was a relief for me. Despite the health scare, it was a memorable experience hosting such an interesting guest.

Sex industry in Varanasi

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I had a tenant named Nick Chang from Washington, DC. Nick was Taiwanese but held a green card for the USA. He worked as a software engineer and was a Buddhist interested in visiting several Buddhist sites in India. He particularly wanted to visit Sarnath, so I suggested he hire an auto-rickshaw for a round trip. However, Nick was uncomfortable with this idea because he worried he wouldn’t be able to meditate if someone was waiting for him. Knowing the hassle foreigners can face with auto-rickshaw drivers, I decided to arrange a trusted driver, Raju, to take Nick to Sarnath. Raju dropped him off and returned as planned.

On the way back, Nick hired another auto-rickshaw, which turned out to be quite expensive compared to Raju’s fare. Nick claimed he had reserved the entire auto, but the driver let other passengers join. This was inconvenient, but the situation soon deteriorated. The driver made a stop at a railway station to buy something and returned with a young girl who then sat next to Nick in the auto. The driver started making inappropriate suggestions, asking Nick if he would like to spend time with the girl.

Nick firmly refused, but the driver persisted, first asking for Rs. 5000, then Rs. 4000, Rs. 3000, and finally Rs. 1000 for an hour. When Nick continued to refuse, the driver even asked for Rs. 500 just to spend a little time with the girl in the auto. Despite Nick’s continuous refusals, the driver was insistent. Realizing that Nick was not going to agree, the driver then stopped the auto about 3 kilometers from where Nick needed to go, claiming the vehicle had a problem. He told Nick that Assi, his destination, was just a short 3-minute walk away. Trusting the driver, Nick disembarked, only to find that the walk took him over 30 minutes to reach my home.

Nick was understandably distressed after his first day in Varanasi, and I was shocked to witness this new form of exploitation in my hometown. While I had heard about prostitution near railway stations, I never realized how deeply integrated it could be with local services, including auto-rickshaw drivers acting as intermediaries.

Traveling girls drop in

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A girl named Erin from Colorado reached out to me to arrange a meeting in Varanasi. She was a friend of Krista, with whom I had previously worked. Erin came with her friend Katerina, who was from Czechoslovakia. Erin was a social activist working with an NGO focused on homelessness, while Katerina was a student. They wanted to stay at my place as paying guests, but I couldn’t accommodate them due to ongoing renovation work. Instead, they stayed at a guest house near Shivala Ghat.

The owner of the guest house brought them to my place to introduce them. Erin and Katerina were interested in taking a boat ride on the Ganges, and the guest house owner quoted them a very high price. I managed to arrange a boat ride for them at a fraction of that cost—five times less, in fact. Erin had brought a bottle of whiskey as a gift for the guest house owner, but he was upset that they had asked me for help instead of him. He refused to accept the whiskey, telling Erin to give it to me because he considered me a better friend. It was clear he was very displeased with me, and I decided it was best not to meet him again.

Eventually, Erin moved to a different guest house closer to my home. We explored Varanasi together, enjoyed my friend’s wedding, and used the whiskey that Erin had bought to gift the previous guest house owner. Roli did henna work on their hands, and Bunti helped them dress in sarees. They looked beautiful and embraced the local culture, dancing a lot at Babalu’s wedding party. I advised them to return to their hotel before it got too late for their safety. However, when we returned around midnight, the hotel gate was locked, and no one responded to our knocks.

With no other options, I invited them to stay at my house. Although my house wasn’t ideally set up for guests at the time, it was the only solution. They stayed at my place for the night, and we continued to explore Varanasi together. Erin later left for Amritsar alone, while Katerina stayed behind but never reached out to me again. I’m not sure where she went after that.