Varanasi has had a long history of immigration of communities from all over the Indian subcontinent. The sacred city was also an important trading centre since ancient times, its handloom and cottage industries renowned globally. The city has been called eternal, and with it being the Prime Minister's constituency, it is taking a new form.
There in comes our work: mapping the nostalgia of a city of lanes ending in courtyards housing shrines, temples and homes all intertwined together, through the narration of certain communities. The Rajputs of Bharatpur and the Pandits of Banaras, all have different roles in the city's life and different stories to tell. The lanes were not always there, there were once gardens and orchards; lanes will not always be there, they are giving way to avenues, streets and mega corridors. The Bengalis near the Vishwanath Dham (the project which has drastically changed the layout of the surroundings of the prime temple of the city, the Kashi Vishwanath) are leaving the city to go back to Bengal, with an increased influx of Gujaratis, former saying there is no work here, later for business.
Through case studies and individual stories, the changing city with its multiple pasts and futures shall be glimpsed at an important moment of its journey.
