Banaras On My Mind

Silver Talkies in association with Unhotel had organised for a senior-friendly getaway to Banaras with nine silver trippers from Bangalore that helped them explore the city like a local. Be it Banarasi sarees or an insight into the history of the ghats or a visit to the weavers’ families and a thousand temples, this trip was sprinkled with local Banarasi flavour.

Silver Talkies Social member, (Click here to know how to become a social member) Uma Kasturi, 72, was part of this specially curated silver holiday and shares her enthralling experience in the city of ghats with us.

From the first group selfie at the departure lounge at Karnataka International Airport (KIA) to the last ‘bye-byes’ and ‘we should do it again’, the Banaras trip organised by Silver Talkies in association with Unhotel was a blast. On reaching the heritage city of Banaras, we got a lovely welcome at Granny’s Inn with friendly warmth, steaming cups of fragrant tea and jasmine garlands. Right from the beginning, we felt at home and this augured well for the rest of our stay.

By then the group of like-minded young-at-heart seniors had got along well and we were on a roll. The rooms were comfortable and the home-cooked food, the chaats and the sweets were delectable. The taste of Makkhan Malais still lingers.

All about finding wonders in the narrow alleys

We felt absolutely safe wherever we went, thanks to our escorts, Nidhi, Shilpi, Mayur and Rohit. The temple trips and aartis were a great spiritual experience, especially the morning aarti. The music performance after the aarti was a bonus for all of us.

The trip to the weaver’s colony raised a lot of questions in my mind. Their living and working conditions are really bad, totally in contrast to the beautiful creations that they produce. The shopping was great, from the laid-back saree shopping to hopping from shop to shop for bangles, bags and curios in the maze of narrow, old lanes.

The choice of lassis at the Blue Lassi was wide. However, the ambience was a little uncomfortable. Though we were warned about it from before, the continuous passage of funeral processions past the doorstep of the lassi maker was a little off-putting. It could have been nicer if we all could have gone for a city tour for a couple of hours to be able to see more of Banaras apart from the older parts of the city and the ghats.

The trip made for an amazing bonding time among the seniors

The sessions we had during the early morning tea and after dinner were fun. The girls literally let their hair down. There were lots of gup-shup and banter. The granny, Asha, at the Granny’s Inn was a really warm and friendly person and she made us feel very welcome and at home – mi casa su casa. We look forward to more such senior-friendly trips with Silver Talkies. The Banaras trip got of us a lot of colours, smiles, music and fun amid the humdrum affairs of life.