Varanasi lockdown: World's oldest living city goes lifeless

The Ganga Ghats, world-famous for 'Subah-e-Banaras' events, are no longer crammed with western backpackers clicking pictures of the rising sun on slowly moving boats.

The lifeless Ganga Ghat, a signature hallmark of the world’s oldest living city -- Varanasi. The ghat is otherwise buzzing with activity. (Photo | C Rupani, EPS) 

The Ganga Ghats, world-famous for 'Subah-e-Banaras' events, are no longer crammed with western backpackers clicking pictures of the rising sun on slowly moving boats. (Photo | C Rupani, EPS)

The chants of 'Har Har Gange' and 'Har Har Mahadev' no longer resonate on the 84-odd ghats dotting the majestic city. (Photo | C Rupani, EPS)

The sight of canvas ball cricket tournaments on small bets between teams of teenagers on spacious ghats such as Babua Pandey Ghat and Mansarovar Ghat no longer exist due to the lockdown for the second straight year. (Photo | C Rupani, EPS)

Small kids selling picture postcards to pilgrims are nowhere to be seen, neither are the local masseurs visible giving the perfect massage to tourists. (Photo | C Rupani, EPS)

Sight of young lads jumping into the lap of mother Ganga is a rare sight now. The silent boats bear the testimony to how the lockdown has brought life to a standstill in the temple city. (Photo | C Rupani, EPS)

There are no chai shops selling liquor tea/lemon tea on the ghats, which remain wrapped in the carpet of esoteric silence. No crowded Ganga Arti on any of the main ghats, including the Dashwashamedh or Assi Ghat. Just symbolic arti on ghats further tell-tales how Covid has changed life in one of the most lively and ancient cities of the world. (Photo | C Rupani, EPS)

No senior citizen playing a game of cards or check-mating each other on the upper stairs of Rajendra Prasad Ghat or Manmandir Ghat, no pahalwans slugging out in the soil of the old akhara on the Meer Ghat and no students of BHU or Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth sharpening their sketching/painting skills on Assi Ghat speaks volumes about how life has changed beyond imagination in PM Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency. (Photo | C Rupani, EPS)

No summer swimming clubs at Rana Mahal Ghat or Pandey Ghat and no local youths betting over IPL matches force every quintessential Banarasi to ask from within oneself -- Kaa Guru Kab Lauti Banarasi Bhaukal. (Photo | C Rupani, EPS)

Since March 2020, the city has officially reported 80,829 positive cases of coronavirus and 727 deaths. At present, over 2,700 patients are still battling the infection at homes or hospitals. (Photo | C Rupani, EPS)