Preferred Citation: Kumar, Nita. Friends, Brothers and Informants: Fieldwork Memoirs of Banaras.

Berkeley: University of California Press, c1992 1992. htt :!!ark.cdli".or#!ark:!1$%$%!ft&'%n"(#$!

Friends, Brothers, and Informants

Fieldwork Memoirs of Banaras Nita Kumar
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RESS

Berkeley Los Angeles London

! "##$ The Re%ents of the Uni&ersit' of Ca(ifornia

)or *om +ith me every ste of the +ay

Preferred Citation: Kumar, Nita. Friends, Brothers and Informants: Fieldwork Memoirs of Banaras. Berkeley: University of California Press, c1992 1992. htt :!!ark.cdli".or#!ark:!1$%$%!ft&'%n"(#$!

)or *om +ith me every ste of the +ay

A)*no+(ed%ments
,t is difficult to thank here all those +hose influence left a mark on this rather ersonal "ook, and , can only mention some of them. , +ould like to e' ress my #ratitude to the follo+in#: )irst, my teachers, +ho consistently encoura#ed me in my +ritin# in school, articularly *. -. .ucy/ and those +ho tau#ht me anthro olo#ymuch later, chiefly Barny Cohn and Kim -arriott. -y father, Naresh Kumar, +ho first conveyed to me that there +as a via"le realm of the ima#ination/ and my mother, *uniti Kumar, for her #reat faith in me. -y "rother, *unil Kumar, and my hus"and, *om -a0umdar, "oth of +hom declared my rivate +ritin#s of no u"lic interest, t+enty and ten years a#o res ectively, thus resentin# the necessary challen#e to an essentially la1y erson.

-y dau#hters, the t+o Nandinis, ,rfana and *aras+ati, so unuttera"ly -ine and yet so 2ther. -y collea#ues +ho took the trou"le to read the manuscri t +ith care: Komilla 3aote, 4ko Nakano, 4nn 5old, 6ohnny Parry/ and es ecially 7ileen and 5aylord 8aas, "ut for "oth of +hom , +ould not have continued. 9hose in Banaras +ho served so +ell in various ca acities: .ilavati, *hanti, Basmati, -arkande, and Na#endra/ and the : eo le of Banaras,; my alter e#o of sorts. 4nd finally, reco#ni1in# ho+ the s irit must "e sustained at the first instance, the 4merican ,nstitute of ,ndian *tudies and the *ocial *cience 3esearch Council, and the +onderful editors at the University of California Press. Nita Kumar Banaras -arch 199%

Note on Trans(iteration
4lmost all 8indi, Urdu, and Bho0 uri +ords are translated +hen they first a ear, unless their meanin# is sufficiently clear from the te't <e.#., :my "rother, -a0id bhai;=. 9he #lossary rovides "oth diacritics and definitions e'ce t for those +ords used only once and ade>uately e' lained in the te't. 9he #lossary uses a very sim lified form of transliteration: and si#nify the lon# vo+els <as in far and machine=/ t is the hard t <as in tap=, as distin#uished from the soft t <as in )rench table=/ d is the hard d <as in dog=, distinct from the soft d <as th in father=/ r is the retrofle' r, often transliterated "y scholars as d, "ut in ,ndian 7n#lish as r, as in sari, akhara <sr, akhr=. )inally, , +ould like to address t+o kinds of readers. 9o those more articular a"out transliteration, , +ould e' lain that "ecause this is not a formal academic +ork, , felt a sim lification a ro riate for my ur oses. 9o those +ho feel over"urdened "y the use of non?7n#lish +ords, , +ould offer the reminder that they are readin# a"out ,ndia. 4s someone +ho has confronted not only +ords "ut lon# >uotations in 7uro ean lan#ua#es +hen readin# @estern social science, , felt my use of ,ndian terms +as re>uired to #ive a flavor of my su"0ect. 9he name , use for the city of my research, Banaras, is o ular +ith residents, "ut is one of at least three fre>uently used names. Aaranasi is the official name of the city, and Kashi the older name, used in a reli#ious and cultural conte't today.

Introdu)tion
)rom 6uly 19B1 to 4 ril 19B$, , ke t a diary in the field, makin# entries +henever loneliness and frustration seemed to reach a eak, or , +as consumed "y self? ity at the ho elessness of my task, or less often, +hen , sim ly +anted to e' ress myself a"out somethin# remarka"le, or rarer still, to e'ult in a s ecial trium h. , should add that scri""lin# is a ha"it for meCdiary?like, essay?like scri""lin#C "ut one +hich constitutes an end in itself. 9o make it u"lic needs some 0ustification. , har"or an academic "ias a#ainst the tendency to+ard :vul#ari1ation,; the notion that a ersonal e' erience can "e elevated to the status of a universal one. , am usually sus icious of othersD im ulses to confide, +hether as auto"io#ra hy, as thinly dis#uised fiction, as sentimental 0ournalism, or as reflections on oneDs +ork. Eet +hat , have roduced here are memoirs, and , am not too distressed "y them <if they are considered reada"le, erha s even amusin#= "ecause as , surveyed the diaries from +hich they +ere com iled, , reali1ed that they +ere not so much a"out :me; as a"out :field+ork,; that "rash, a+k+ard, hit?and?run

encounter of one sensi"ility +ith others. 9he ur ose of these memoirs is to descri"e the rocess of field+ork, not as a hiloso hic e' erience, +ith afterthou#ht, "ut as a ractical e' erience, in all its ra+ness and candor. 9here is afterthou#ht, to "e sure, in that , have arran#ed my o"servations into cha ters, rovided headin#s, and e ered them +ith commentsCvery fe+, everythin# said and done, "ecause , am im ressed at ho+ far , have come since then. But , have refrained from re+ritin# and craftin# a fresh narrative that e' lains in retros ect the com le'ities of the encounter "et+een *elf and 2ther. -y ur ose is served "y leavin# my story as it stands: a narrative that o"0ectifies the field+orker "y focusin# on the initial shock of reali1ation that the encounter is a sensitive, creative rocess callin# into lay latent, unackno+led#ed facets of ersonality as +ell as more deli"erately cultivated rofessional talents, and that in this difficult rocess the researcher is sur risin#ly un re ared. 8o+ much more , +ould have liked to kno+ on e'actly this su"0ect "ack in 19B1: that there +as somethin# inevita"le a"out my feelin#s of intimidation and e'citement, i#norance and confidence, and later, alienation and infatuation/ that field+ork is "y its very nature an am"itious, o timistic, very ersonal effort to +oo over indifferent stran#ers throu#h a series of "um"lin# ste s. .ike every other #raduate student a"out to hurtle off to the field, , had "een educated in many #ood theories and methodolo#ical ers ectives and +as ade t at analy1in# the acce ted master ieces. But that rimary hase of ethno#ra hy called field+ork had not "een art of the curriculum, lar#ely "ecause it +as considered somethin# incommunica"le. .ike others in the same situation, , had a mental ima#e of field+ork that derived chiefly from half?secret incursions into the refaces and introductions of contem orary ethno#ra hies/ for the rest, my seniors and teachers assured me that :it +ould +ork out,; as it did for everyone, that , +ould kno+ ma#ically +hat to do once , #ot into the field, that nothin# could "e fi'ed or laid do+n in advance. 9hey +ere only artially correct. No+, after ten years of field+ork, if someone +ere to ask me e'actly ho+ to #o a"out it , +ould ro"a"ly #ive the same ans+er that my collea#ues #ave me in 19B1, namely, that it de ends on +ho you are, +here you #o, and ho+ you choose to deal +ith +hat you encounter. But , +ould also recommend that the otential field+orker read u on the su"0ect and "e re ared to "e un re ared. )ortunately, there are volumes availa"le no+ that had not "een roduced in 19B1. , am not referrin# to field+ork manuals +ith cha ters on >uestionnaires, usin# a recorder, and so forthCthou#h they are valua"le as +ellF1GC"ut rather to the #enre of self?>uestionin#, refle'ive anthro olo#y that seeks a "etter understandin# of every ste in cultural studies. -y memoir 0oins this #enre and attem ts to dissect one sta#e of ethno#ra hy, field+ork. 7very e' erience is uni>ue. *ome anthro olo#ists re ort that their field+ork has not "een difficult at allCor that the difficulties have not "een si#nificant enou#h to remem"er or comment on. , +ould say that in most such cases time has erased etchin#s that +ere once much shar er. 9here are three e'cellent reasons +hy field+ork e' erience is +orth sharin#. )irst, the : erson?s ecific; nature of field+ork, to use 5eert1Ds hrase, the :hi#hly situated nature of ethno#ra hic descri tionCthis ethno#ra her, in this time, in this lace, +ith these informants, these commitments, and these e' eriences, a re resentative of a articular culture, a mem"er of a certain class;Cneeds as much ela"oration as ethno#ra hers have the time, atience, and talent to #ive.F2G 9he trend of u"lishin# :reflections on field+ork; is clearly emer#in# in anthro olo#y. , am callin# for an e'tension of the #enre called "y that name.F$G 9he im ortant "ooks and articles on :refle'ive anthro olo#y; u"lished in the ast t+o decades, articularly in the 19B%s, are still rare enou#h to "arely cause ri les on a dece tively smooth surface. 4s these +orks remind us, anthro olo#ists have al+ays +arned a"out su"0ectivity and have offered +ays to control it, "ut these reflections are overshado+ed "y the sheer monumentality of the edifice they have created. -y oint is sim le: the ethno#ra hy is the #oal, of course, "ut +hen so much of +hat com rises this final roduct is directly

related to the situation of the investi#ator, it should no lon#er "e re#arded as narcissism or a +aste of intellectual and u"lishin# resources <"oth ositions +hich , have taken in the ast=, to d+ell on that as ect of the disci line more directly. 4lthou#h so histicated deconstructions of "oth the field+ork and the +ritin# rocess e'ist, +e lack sufficient actual records, the meat to sink our teeth into. *econd, field+ork memoirs are +orth sharin# "ecause of the very uni>ueness and diversity of researchers, a oint not sufficiently ackno+led#ed. Patterns can "e identified: the .one 7thno#ra her, F(G ridin# off into the sunset, nostal#ic for the ure and uns oiled +hile himself :innocently; contri"utin# to the des oliation of that +hich he seeks. , can readily identify another: the *olicitous ,ndi#ene, u rooted from her "irth lace, yet inevita"ly and #ratefully one +ith it at various une' ected levels. 4s lon# as there is the @est on the one hand, and :natives,; :ethnics,; and :indi#enous eo le; on the other, she is one of the latter, and her develo in# understandin# of her su"0ects therefore is much more crucial to her self?definition than to that of the .one 7thno#ra her, +ho has his adventure and de arts. 4ll the literature , have erused so far on the >uestion of the anthro olo#ical encounter unreservedly ortrays it as one cultureDs clash +ith another, or "y a similar, if less violent, meta hor: one culture, the eo leDs, is translated for, is made com rehensi"le to, is heard "y, another, the scholarDs. 9he notion that the studied culture is static, traditional, homo#eneous, and so onCa notion that derives, it seems, from anthro olo#yDs un+ittin# collusion +ith colonialismC has "een >uite successfully challen#ed "y the most astute recent +ritin# on the su"0ect. No+ that +e are clearly in a : ost?colonial; +orld, :it is ever more difficult to redict +ho +ill ut on the loincloth and +ho +ill ick u the encil and a er.;FHG , +ould like to make the record clear here: a cultural encounter can and does also take lace "et+een classes, and the difference makin#, conflict, domination, and o"0ectification that #o on +ithin :a; culture are as resoundin# as those "et+een :a; culture and :an; other. 4s an :ethnic,; , have lon# "een uncomforta"le +ith :ethno;?sociolo#y and :ethno;?musicolo#y, and all those unreflective lin#uistic ha"its that "lur s atial and tem oral distinctions in the 9hird @orld. )or e'am le, some refuse to reco#ni1e that even in ethnic?land there are classical "elief systems as +ell as o ular "elief systems. No+ that the :9hird @orld; has :im loded into the metro olis,;F&G the @est is a#ain ado tin# a osture of domination throu#h e'cessive enitence a"out underratin# and underres ectin# the dynamics of this 9hird @orld. 4t "oth moments, the coloni1ed are "ein# treated as ne. 9he issue of colonialism is "ein# sim lified and made all?inclusive, "ecause if the ro"lem is or has "een colonialism, it is unlikely to disa ear throu#h self?reflection or self?fla#ellation, or anythin# short of a ne+ +orld order. But if the ro"lem "elon#s rather, as , see it, to the terrain of the disci line itself, in its soli sism re#ardin# class, its overdetermined notion of culture, and its ahistorical stance to+ard everythin#, includin# its o+n ast and resent, then much can "e achieved throu#h self? reflection. 9hese seemin#ly ne+ +ritin#s "y 9hird @orlders need to "e incor orated into the "ody of te'ts meant to educate students in a universalist mode. 4nd more social scientists like me need to s eak a"out our discomfort re#ardin# this olari1ation of the +orld into <e'?= coloni1ers and coloni1ed, as if these cate#ories al+ays took recedence over all others. @e can then look for+ard to a state of kno+led#e +here every 4merican +ho read a "ook like this +ould not necessarily remark <as did all the 4merican readers of this manuscri t=: :, didnDt kno+ ,ndians could feel so outside in their o+n country.; ,f the e>uation is sim ly <@estern= anthro olo#ist dominatin# <9hird @orld= su"0ect, it can "e demonstrated as faulty in a minute. No one could deny that enou#h domination, o"0ectification, and sim lification can "e racticed "y an <7astern= anthro olo#ist studyin# a <9hird @orld= su"0ect or even a <@estern= su"0ect. 9he +ei#ht of historical e' erience is on the first of these three ossi"le relationshi s, of course. But havin# stru##led in the field and ke t a diary out of frustration and

leasure, , returned to find in the follo+in# years that this "ur#eonin# field of reflective, deconstructionist studies e'cluded me <yet a#ain= "y osin# @est a#ainst 7ast. *o , naturally ask: @hat a"out within the 7ast or the 9hird @orld, class a#ainst class, su"culture a#ainst su"culture, one kind of historical sensi"ility a#ainst anotherI 4nd +hat a"out other e>ually otent ro"lems of definin# su"0ect and methodI the ersonal ro"lems of sheer ad0ustmentI 9o continue the "orro+ed ima#e: not only the ethnographies "ut also some of the reflections on them are "ein# roduced more and more "y those in loincloth. ,n "oth #enres there are similarities and differences +orth notin# "et+een the .one 7thno#ra her of the @est and the *olicitous ,ndi#ene of the 9hird @orld. @e have to strike a careful "alance "et+een these similarities and differences. 4 native like me, rivile#ed, alien, discoverin# her other?ness and her one?ness simultaneously, remains nevertheless the anthro olo#ist and scholar, one +ho inevita"ly under#oes the usual trials and tri"ulations of field+ork. 9his introduction, on the one hand, +ill "e attractive to those interested in :identity formation,; articularly in the 9hird @orld as o osed to the ostmodern @est. 9he te't, on the other hand, is full of the nitty #ritty of field+ork and is likely to seem e'ceedin#ly familiar, may"e even re etitive, to anthro olo#ists. But the t+o as ects, the ersonal and the rofessional, have to "e seen as coe'istin#. )ield+ork consists of e' eriences shared "y all anthro olo#ists/ the ersonal and the eculiar are si#nificant as >ualities that alwa!s "ut differentl! characteri1e each individual e' erience. @hile this introduction discusses +hat +as im ortant in my :identity formation,; the "ook itself, in its reoccu ation +ith #ettin# thin#s done, tells of yet unacce ted facts: that life in ,ndia is as full of contradictions, ain, and "eauty as else+here/ that ost?colonial u er classes are, for all their confused sensi"ilities, the same as other u er classes/ that 7astern!2riental!4sian scholars have most of the same +orries as @estern ones/ that one may for#et oneDs ersonal and historical identity for certain ur oses "ut must remem"er it for others. ,n short, my em hasis on the ersonal arises from my reco#nition of its im ortance in my rofessional develo ment as a social scientist, not in an a+areness of myself as a :9hird @orld scholar.; .ast, field+ork memoirs are +orth sharin# "ecause for other s ecialists studyin# the re#ion they are as accurate as more ri#orously lanned investi#ations. 4 society can never "e +ron#, and all e' eriences in the field are to "e taken seriously. 5iven the limitations of any studyDs ers ective, a reflection on oneDs "ehind?the?scenes, mundane field e' eriences allo+s "oth researcher and reader to refine their understandin# of the +ay thin#s +ork. , find my memoirs enli#htenin#, for e'am le, on such su"0ects as middle?class versus oor ,ndiansD stand on hos itality and servility to office, or on the ra#matic value of hierarchy, reci rocity, and e'chan#e. *uch insi#hts com rise an ethno#ra hy <al"eit incom lete and un olished= that tells in turn of ho+ a @estern?trained ,ndian intellectual ada ted to the field and "uilt relationshi s +ith stran#ers that affected her #reatly as an individual "ut, more im ortant, ena"led her to talk e' ertly a"out themCand ho+ all such e' ertise has in"uilt limitations. J J J

S)ho(ar(' Lo)ations
, attended school and colle#e in ,ndia/ in 19K% , +ent a"road <7uro e and the United *tates=, returnin#, after an un"roken stay of five years and the formative e' erience of t+o #raduate de#rees. 9he follo+in# three years of tryin# to discover ,ndia throu#h livin# there and doin# a master of hiloso hy de#ree in ,ndian history re ared me to #o a"road a#ain. ,n 19KB, on the eve of my second de arture, from Lelhi to Chica#o to do my Ph.L., , ut do+n Phanish+ar Nath 3enuDs novel a"out a Bihar villa#e, Maila "nchal <:9he *oiled 8interland;=.FKG 8is enticin#, remote ictures of rural life left me achin# +ith leasure and desire. , +as acutely conscious of leavin# my country in order to return to it +ith freedom, the freedom that , had found so elusive

+hile livin# in it. 9his +as only artly the hysical freedom to travel to villa#es and "ack+aters/ it +as even more the freedom of "ein# a+are and e>ui ed, of havin# the e>uivalent of the doctorDs trainin# +ith +hich the ur"an rota#onist of Maila "nchal #oes off to the villa#e, as +ell as the inde endence of mind to use the trainin# for villa#e +ork. 9o #o a"road thus +as a rash and im ulsive ste , suddenly to leave my 0o" <, had an e'cellent a ointment in the history de artment of the "est colle#e in Lelhi=, my hus"and <thou#h he +as to act +ith e>ual rashness and follo+ me shortly after=, and a leasant and >uite satisfactorily or#ani1ed home. , had no hysical "ars to my freedom, only cultural and sycholo#ical ones, or to ut it less #randly, those of i#norance and of a restless, a+akened ima#ination that +ould not "e satisfied. , felt "ound "y my 0o", my university, the closed intellectual circles of eers, my "ack#round, and my ros ects. , felt "ound "y the history , had studied, +as teachin#, and +ould do future +ork in. , needed ne+ dimensions for my interests, ne+ conce ts to su lant my +ell? +orn ones, the e' anse to set my a#enda ane+. , needed a freshness of vision, some theories to e'ercise my mind +ithCas it turned out, +hat , lar#ely needed +as cultural anthro olo#y. 2nce at Chica#o, it took me at the most a +eek to discover my direction and to lun#e into course+ork, li"rary research, and interaction +ith collea#ues. , +as not the avera#e student <+hatever that mi#ht "e= in that , had "een out of colle#e for ei#ht years, held three #raduate de#rees <in 3ussian lan#ua#e, 3ussian history, and ,ndian history=, and +as too old and too e' erienced as a teacher to suffer the intellectual strains and sycholo#ical terror that confronted many of my classmates. , also had a rivate a#enda. @ith an eye for the needful uncharacteristic of me, , com leted the core re>uirements in history +ithin a year and took my reliminary e'ams.9hen , concentrated on studyin# anthro olo#y, somethin# , had already started da""lin# in, untrou"led "y the confusion of administrators, teachers, and eers as to +hether , +as actuall! a historian or an anthro olo#ist. @hen , #ot the fundin# for my field research in 19B1, , +as satisfied that my >uest +as headed to+ard its close: , +as #oin# to ,ndia to make a historical?ethno#ra hic study of the o ular culture of the artisans of Banaras. @hile each as ect of the ro osal had "een +orked out #radually and ainfully over the years in Chica#o, the ro0ect as a +hole aimed to do e'actly +hat had in the va#uest terms al+ays "een on my mind: to interact +ith actual eo le that , kne+ nothin# a"out, not merely to en#a#e +ith them throu#h +ritten documents/ to discover, +ith the heuristic device of a ers ective, the +orld vie+<s= that lay "eneath their actions/ and to understand and re resent them +ith theoretical cate#ories chosen self?consciously from amon# many ossi"le analytical modes. But, ho+ever as irin# and sincere, , +as a mar#inal fi#ure to anthro olo#y, and suffered less from the :faith in -onumentalism,; as 3osaldo calls it,FBG than my classmates. 9hat is, , did not take classic ethno#ra hies as models to "e emulated nor ima#ine that, like the father fi#ures of anthro olo#y, , +ould +rite a re resentative account of another culture under certain redicta"le cha ter headin#s. 4s Aan -aanen uts it, , lacked :the ro er res ect for our ancestors and the comfort their re resentational devices mi#ht rovide.;F9G Nor do , think , suffered from the illusion that , +as #oin# to ca ture another culture and o"0ectify it +ithin a communica"le structure, since this culture +as :my o+n,; and, as individuals kno+ instinctively a"out their o+n culture, +as too com le', dynamic, and incoherent to allo+ me to do more than slice out a tiny se#ment for analysis. Nor +as , in #rave dan#er of colludin# +ith colonialism, havin# "een coloniali1ed myself, and havin# "een sensiti1ed to the +orkin#s of the coloni1er?coloni1ed mentality "oth from study of an intellectually nationalist ,ndian history in ,ndia and from an academic tenure in -osco+. 9o "e sure, , +as "ristlin# +ith re0udices that "elon#ed to a class closely associated +ith colonialism, "ut in ,ndia these re0udices are re? colonial. Not to overrate the other side, historians usually romised much more than they delivered, and , had ro"lems +ith the data, the a roach, the conce ts, the ideolo#y, and the very su"0ect matter of history, the past, a construction that , could finally o+n to havin# little interest in. , +as acutely conscious that

archival +ork left ya+nin# #a s in com rehension: ho+ do you talk a"out +eavers +ithout ever encounterin# one face to faceI 8o+ do you effectively descri"e rituals +ithout +itnessin# the o+er of oneI Conventional historical research in archives and readin# rooms left me clumsy and immature in talkin# a"out real eo le and real events. But most of all , +as e'cited "y cultural history, ideas in enactment, so to s eak. , felt, alon# +ith others, that the disci line of history #ave inade>uate control over theoretical cate#ories and +as #uarded in its "orro+in#s from others <, am thinkin# here articularly of the anthro olo#ical :solidarity; and :communitas,; as +ell as :liminality; and :e'chan#e;/ +hat a strain they caused and +hat a stir they made +hen finally a lied variously "y historians=.F1%G 9he economic historian, it +as comin# to "e reco#ni1ed, must kno+ economics. *o the cultural historian must learnMcultural anthro olo#y, of course. @hat ushed me into ethno#ra hy as , descri"e it here +as my reference to +rite a"out the resentC not >uite the resent of anthro olo#ists, "ut rather the resent as a shiftin#, formin#, chan#in# set of actualities and ossi"ilitiesCas +ell as a"out the a#ents res onsi"le for all this movement, a#ents usually located in the <narrative= ast. 9o antici ate the ne't section and inter0ect a ersonal comment here, it +as artly my ,ndianness that made the im ortance of history incontroverti"le to me. 4s many novels, short stories, and lay conversationsC"ut not academic +ritin#sChave "rou#ht home to me, it is difficult for the *outh 4sian to underestimate the im ortance of history, so omni resent is change on the su"continent/ if anythin#, its vehement s+irl can "e over+helmin#. 4n understandin# of self, family, su"culture, social henomena, and na##in#ly intense contradictions and confusions can "e achieved only throu#h reference to history. ,ntolerant, resentful, and defensive a"out the resent, the educated and self?conscious ,ndian is, moreover, uni>uely a+are of its historical dimension. Confronted +ith : ro"lems;C overty, disease, communalism, discrimination, and e' loitationCthe ,ndian cannot acce t a merely cultural e' lanation: thin#s are that +ay "ecause they are/ +e do +hat +e "elieve and +e "elieve +hat +e "elieve. *elf?love necessitates historical thinkin#: +hat are the causesI the a#entsI the e' lanationsI 4n indi#ene studyin# his or her o+n society is en#a#ed not only in a more activist ro0ect, and in more of a voya#e of self?discovery, "ut also in a more holistic ro0ect, one that is more #enerous in its methodolo#ical a roaches and more li"eral in its sco e. J J J

ersona( Lo)ations
-y o+n very articular circumstances are often alluded to in the course of the "ook, and , shall hi#hli#ht the most im ortant of them here. , am an ,ndian doin# research in ,ndia, an ,ndianCthou#h "ased a"road and at home a"roadC"y "irth, nationality, and choice <:,n s ite of all tem tationM9o "elon# to other nationsM;=. )or the @est, :,ndian; is an oversim lified cate#ory: either you fall into certain stereoty ical classifications of caste, class, location, and so on, or you are sim ly :+estern; or :+esterni1ed,; that is, not >uite ,ndian. )or me, there are +orlds and +orlds in ,ndia, "oth +ithin and alon#side one another, and , have failed to hit on the essence of +hat makes one :,ndian.; 4s 4"dul Bismillah uts it in the "e#innin# of his evocative novel a"out Banaras +eavers: :9here is a +orld +hich is universal. 9here is a +orld that is ,ndia. 9here is a +orld that is -uslim. 4nd there is a +orld that "elon#s to the +eavers of Banaras.;F11G )or the last t+o, , can su"stitute and a end any num"er of similar discrete +orlds, and from the oint of vie+ of e' erience, and e>ually of scholarshi , the distance "et+een any t+o of these +orlds is e>ual. , lived in ,ndia the first nineteen years of my life, yet , kne+ almost nothin# a"out it until , left it after colle#e and then returned for various ur oses, includin# the three?year eriod of teachin# and married life in Lelhi. Childhood and adolescence left lastin# im ressions on me. , +as in t+o senses secluded: first, +e lived in the Civil .ines or the Cantonments, +here the o ulation is t+o er s>uare mile or therea"outs: these are the e'traordinary su"ur"s created "y the British to "e interned at a safe distance

from the Natives. *econd, ours +as a small family of four, and my arents referred me to kee to my o+n devices. .ike any #ood #uardians, they +anted to rotect me from the filth, cro+ds, and disease of the city, and the nature of their +ork and life?style made this sim le. 4s soon as , started +orryin# a"out +hat , +as #oin# to do +ith my life, , thou#ht of reachin# the city, +ith its filth, cro+ds, and disease. 9here may "e a discerni"le cycle to this. -y father had #ro+n u ne't to the "a1aars/ he esca ed the city for the Cantonments. Bred and, as , sa+ it, suffocated in these remote areas, , lotted to esca e them for the cro+ded city. 4 concrete e'am le of seclusion comes to mind. , had "een to Banaras "efore 19B1, even "efore my reconnoiterin# tri to North ,ndian cities in 19K9 to select a suita"le research site. -y earlier visit had "een as a colle#e #irl in 19&K, +ith t+o cousins and my "rother *unil, to s end the summer +ith my arents, +ho +ere : osted; there. @e lived of course in the Cantonment, in the #racious and totally isolated "un#alo+ of the *enior *u erintendent of Police. 2ur day +ent like this: & a.m., ridin#/ K a.m., +hen sufficiently s+eaty, a s+im at Banaras Clu"/ 9 a.m., "reakfast, on the coolest foods of -ay and 6une/ 1% a.m. to noon, arts, crafts <, +as e' erimentin# +ith "atik that summer=, "ooks and #ames/ noon, a snack and iced Cokes/ till lunch, more of the forenoon activities/ 2 .m., lunch, to ed +ith man#oes and ice cream/ $ to H .m., siesta in a dark room ke t cool "y khas curtains/ evenin#, "adminton, another s+im, cousinly #ames and conversationM9he one time that Banaras im in#ed on our consciousness +as +hen, in res onse to the cavern?dark, #loomy, and eerie Banaras Clu" s+immin# ool and our amusement that there +ere many *hiva <-ahadev= tem les in Banaras ha"itually called -aheshwar, Aireshwar, Ka ileshwar, and so on, +e invented our o+n #od <Ishwar= of the haunted s+immin# ool, Kut?kuteshwar -ahadev, 8e +ho kee s the teeth chatterin#. 4s a child , ke t to my o+n devices, livin# a ro#ressively rarefied life +hose only other deni1ens +ere characters from "ooks and +hose landsca e +as created of the "lack?and?+hite sym"ols of letters. 9he only eo le , kne+ in any sense at all +ere my immediate family and, very unidimensionally, schoolmates and some servants. 2ne erson +ho disclosed a totally different +orld intersectin# +ith mine in uncertain +ays +as *hankar. Puttin# all eu hemisms aside, he +as our servant. 8e had "een attached to my father from +hen "oth of them +ere nineteen or t+enty and had therefore "een my nursemaid and surro#ate mother from "irth. 8e +as as much a art of our home and family as +ere any of the actual family mem"ers/ yet, of course, he +as an outsider. 8e had left his villa#e and +ould #o "ack no+ and then for visits, from +hich he +ould return havin# for#otten his :clean; 8indi and rela sed into villa#e dialect. 9he lan#ua#e chan#eClan#ua#e si#nalin# as it does one?ness or other?nessCleft a #reat im ression on my mind. 8e had a son and dau#hter, the latter the same a#e as me, and sometime +hen , +as t+elve years old, , discovered that she had "een #iven in marria#e. *hortly after, she died in child"irth. *hankar did not hide his tears from me, and the com"ined im act of seein# an adult mother fi#ure cry and of +restlin# +ith the stran#e kno+led#e of the cause of the tears o ened u another vista to me. 4s , matured, , came to acce t that *hankar had his o+n home and family, althou#h +e mutually retended that he shared ours, and my first faint stirrin#s of humanism and e#alitarianism +ere the reali1ation that , must relin>uish my earlier ossessiveness. , +anted to visit his villa#e and meet his eo le and kno+ him as a erson, not as a role, our servant. 2f course , never did/ it +as all too difficult. But *hankarDs e'istence in my life contri"uted to makin# me an anthro olo#ist. 4 lar#e art of the leasure that the reader +ill detect in my accounts of roamin# around in narro+ lanes, as +ell as some art of the difficulties osed "y my shyness and i#norance, is a roduct of my secluded ast. 2ther feelin#s that surfaced durin# my field+ork +ere also le#acies of the ast. -y ersistent love?hate relationshi +ith overty arises from a familiar middle?class attitude: let them "e sim le, i#norant, unha y, in revolt, +hatever, "ut let them "e clean. , had never found filth or #ar"a#e an issue "efore, "ut suddenly, over+helmed +ith it, , found it re ulsive, and "y e'tension, the attitudes

of the eo le +ho tolerated it e>ually so. , suffered from the unarticulated e' ectations of those +ho #ro+ u +ith servants +aitin# on every +himCthe e' ectation of comfort rovided "y the loyal coo eration of allCand condemned any situation that +ould make it im ossi"le. -y ,ndia +as one of ease/ , had never really acce ted that oor communication, inade>uate su lies of necessities, the discomforts of dam ness or drou#ht, or the un redicta"le ersonalities of others could adversely affect me. 4lthou#h eleven years of livin# a+ay from such a life?style, includin# ei#ht years of economic inde endence as an academic, had sufficiently declassed me that , felt little "ut re u#nance for the administrators of ,ndia, the dee er roclivities that had "een cultivated "y livin# in the Cantonments and Civil .ines remained. Eet , continued to strive to understand this instinctive shrinkin# from the oor, and to understand the oor themselves, in +ays that , never strove to understand anyone +ith money or o+er/ the latter , mercilessly condemned "ecause they had the sti#ma of familiarity. Banaras +as such a mystery to me +hen , arrived there in 19B1 ironically because , +as an ,ndian and e' ected to have a rivile#ed insi#ht into it. ,n fact, from Banaras , +as thrice removed: throu#h my education and u "rin#in#, than +hich there is no #reater molder of attitudes/ "y lan#ua#e and lin#uistic culture/ and "y re#ion and re#ional culture. -y education, like my motherDs, had "een conducted +ithin the four +alls of various Catholic convents, the lon#est stay "ein# in .uckno+, from +hich there +ere ne#er field tri s to other nei#h"orhoods, other institutions in the city, to encounter ur"an life directly. @e +ere fed on the "read and "utter of *hakes eare and 9homas 8ardy, and , ima#ined myself akin to those +ho roamed the 7n#lish countryside and rha sodi1ed on :*easons of mist and yello+ fruitfulnessM; 9his #reat olarity "et+een internal and e'ternal +orlds has "een elo>uently descri"ed "y countless e'?colonials, "oth at home and e' atriated.F12G 9alk of it makes me uncomforta"le "ecause it is so much a art of the mental makeu of us @estern?educated ,ndians that it is ne#er discussed "y us amon# ourselves. ,t is reserved only for a @estern audience, and +hen +e attem t to communicate it, it is ironically oversim lified and ro"lemati1ed "y "oth arties. * ace does not ermit me to deal at len#th +ith this matter/ even "y "roachin# the su"0ect, "y renderin# it as a ossi"le 7ast?@est conflict, , feel , am doin# it an in0ustice. Banaras is not the issue/ thanks to my education, , +ould have "een a stran#erCor rather, an o"server Cany+here in ,ndia, cultivatin# as , did attitudes of ity and distress at the ractice of caste, of dis#ust at atriarchy, of scorn at ritual, and of noncom rehension <tin#ed +ith romanticism= at overty. None of these o"served facts +ere art of meCnecessary to study, im ossi"le to live +ithC"ut, as , have since discovered, they do not ha#e to "e for one to "e ,ndian. 8o+ many educated, self?conscious, activist ,ndians suffer this unnecessary distancin# from +hat they "elieve must "e their :real; cultureN F1$G , +as also an outsider to Banaras "ecause of lan#ua#e and lin#uistic culture, since 8indi +as only my second lan#ua#e and in Banaras, +hile 8indi and Urdu +ere kno+n and +idely used, es ecially in my resence, everyone "y reference s oke Bho0 uri, +hich , ac>uired only #radually and artially. 7n#lish +as my first lan#ua#eCthe lan#ua#e of my dreams <as far as one can kno+= and thou#hts, the lan#ua#e , could e' ress myself in, and the lan#ua#e my arents could e' ress themselves in. 9he standard of 8indi im arted in my school days had "een a"ysmally lo+Cit has risen several notches sinceCand had left us schoolfello+s +ith an effective lan#ua#e "arrier. @e could communicate in 8indi +ith servants and older relatives in a rudimentary +ay and amon# ourselves not at all. , im roved #reatly in 8indi +hen +orkin# in Lelhi, "ut conversational fluency , ac>uired only in the field in Banaras, sensin# that my mere ade>uacy in sim le conversation +as not enou#h, that , should achieve the level necessary to "oth transmit and understand com le' thou#hts. -y efforts +ere intense and unfla##in#, a com"ination of readin# ne+s a ers, 0ournals, and fiction/ of conversin# +henever ossi"le/ of kee in# my ears constantly attuned to any nuance of s eech/ and even of e'ecutin# la"orious e'ercises in com osition. 4lthou#h ro#ress in a lan#ua#e is difficult to mark, there came a

oint at +hich, even if , could not understand every s oken +ord, , could understand the sense. ,n my o+n s eech, es ecially, , could note the chan#e: , could #radually deliver myself of more and more com licated thou#hts or ro ositions and emer#e from the trial antin# "ut victorious. )or Urdu, +hich differs from 8indi in scri t and artly in voca"ulary, the ath , follo+ed +as the same, althou#h ro#ress +as much slo+er. )inally, Banaras +as unkno+n to me "ecause of +hat te't"ooks call the :re#ional diversity; of ,ndia, eastern Uttar Pradesh "ein# culturally distinct from +estern or central Uttar Pradesh, +hence my ancestors had come. 9his diversity le#itimated my otherness: every ,ndian #ro+s u +ith the e' erience that re#ions, cultural styles, classes, and intellectual a roaches and ideolo#ies have little in common +ith one another/ that :natural; ractices and attitudesCchild rearin#, treatment of elders, "ehavior to+ard #uestsCvary dramatically from su"caste to su"caste, even from family cluster to family cluster/ that in meetin# a ne+ erson seemin#ly as ,ndian as you, you may actually confront a culture distant from everythin# you take for #ranted. 7ven +ithin a family, encounters +ith :the 2ther; can "e severe. , had never in my various convent situations read any reli#ious te't "ut the Ne+ 9estament. But , had one #randfather +ho +as stee ed in a"stract U anishadic hiloso hy and another +ho +as a assionate devotee of the incarnation 3ama. 9he former meditated three hours in the dark every mornin#, sat on the "ench of the Uttar Pradesh 8i#h Court durin# the day as -D.ord, and layed tennis in the clu" in the evenin#. 9he latter +as a s ecialist on the $amcharitmanas and had u"lished his o+n version of it. -y o+n father recited 7n#lish oems as if they +ere Aedic hymns, that is, +ith re#ularity and di#nity, and also +rote 7n#lish oetry in the tradition of the 3omantics. .ivin# a"road for five years startin# at the formative a#e of nineteen, , "ecame certain that , +ould marry a forei#ner and , felt my ro hesy fulfilled +hen , chose to marry a Ben#ali. -y first visit to Calcutta as a dau#hter?in?la+ +as a hy"rid of ima#es: unfamiliar humidity/ the s+ollen 8oo#hly/ cone?sha ed :Aietnamese; hats on men +ith stran#ely Chinese features/ odd syncretisms of a suddenly unfamiliar British race +orkin# on another unkno+n race +ho ointedly <o+in# to the muddle of their eculiar lan#ua#e= se arated themselves from :8industanis;C syncretisms that found e' ression in strikin# notions of cleanliness and safety, and e>ually in amusin# ha"its like drinkin# mornin# tea only if accom anied "y 9hin 4rro+root "iscuits. 4ll this +as forei#n, the 2ther, yet it +as all me, ,ndia, m! history and society. *i1e, cultural diversity, reference for e'clusivity, a colonial e' erience that made many scratches +hile leavin# many dee er levels untouched, and finally an acce tance of all this untidiness as natural and ri#ht make ,ndians like me very a+are of many +orlds and the shiftin# ositions of *elf!2ther. 9his results not so much in a feelin# of u rootedness or homelessness as in a +idenin# of the s here one can call oneDs o+n. @hen educated *outh 4sians live a"road, they feel not lost or uncertain a"out identity "ut rather at home and comforta"le <at least if they have a ositive outlook as , do= in a ro#ressively #reater num"er of locations. 2ne condition for the makin# of a #ood anthro olo#ist is otentially fulfilled here: the creation of a mind attuned to diversity, variation, conte't, and chan#e. ,n addition, unlike most U.*. ethno#ra hers +hose ersonal accounts , have read, for me there is finally no :home; and therefore no rivile#ed vanta#e oint.F1(G 9he e' erience of field+ork can often "e more formative, as Cesara records it to "e for related reasons.F1HG 9he culture "ein# discovered has an immediacy and a o+er to convert that may form ne+ ersonal locations. @hether this makes for :"etter; anthro olo#y in any sense de ends on other factors that may "e >uite unrelated to these ersonal ones. , did not then discover my :alien?ness; throu#h anthro olo#y/ , +as overly a+are of it already and could :overcome; it throu#h anthro olo#y in favor of a more intellectually satisfyin# consciousness. , had deli"erately discarded the :return of the native; mindset in 19K( +hen, returnin# to ,ndia after a five?year stay a"road, , >uickly reali1ed that , +ould not "e satisfied sim ly to record my im ressions of and res onses to ,ndia as creative literature or as 0ournalism. , +ished to do somethin# more directed

and recise, more trained and rofessional, to+ard understandin# my society. 9he choice of historical anthro olo#y, then, +as a first ste to+ard activism of a sort, thou#h anthro olo#y is hardly re#arded as such. , did not +ish to remain sim ly a sensitive individual, +ith luck may"e an elo>uent +riter. , +anted to have a techni>ue, a theory, a clear?cut method, ri#orous ideas. )orei#n as , felt to Banaras, , am very :,ndian; in an emotional sense a art from the accident of my "irth lace, and, as , #re+ to discover, :Banarasi.; , adore the monsoons and early, early mornin#s in summer. , em athi1e +ith mau% and masti <the ,ndian versions of assion, li#htheartedness, and %oi de #i#re=, althou#h never havin# discovered myself enou#h, , have not myself e' erienced their a"andon. , instinctively :think hi#her of; the erson +ho cares little for tomorro+ and can fully artici ate in somethin# today for its o+n sake, +ithout +orry a"out the fruits of this action, than , do of those +ho lot and lan, chart their actions and #uard their o tions. 4s for the e'trava#ant hos itality +hich "ears no rational relationshi to the hostDs a"ility to ay, the eo le of Banaras com letely +on my heart. 9hou#h my mind condemned the +aste, and my stomach rotested the o ression, and my e' ression dou"tless reflected "oth, , loved the madness of it. 4t a more self?conscious level, the dialectician in me re0oices every time a scholar testifies to the +eddin# of e'tremes, the union of o ositesCthat #ras in# for "alance sym"oli1ed in the :ascetic erotic; ima#eCthat su osedly characteri1es 8induism and that , thou#ht , found in the field.F1&G Because , +as identifia"le as an ,ndian, everyone in the field in>uired after my caste, class, re#ion, and marital status. 3e#ardin# my social status, many >uickly discovered that my father +as a erson of some eminence, then ,ns ector 5eneral and Lirector 5eneral of the Uttar Pradesh Police, that is, the head of the olice force in the lar#est state of ,ndia. , +as often reduced to :his dau#hter.; 4mon# my artisans, this cate#ori1ation did not hinder me/ my fatherDs osition +as immeasura"ly remote for those to +hom the local head consta"le +as the lord of the land. @hat mattered more for them +as that , +as o"viously +ell off, +ell educated, +ell traveled, a metro olitan erson +ho could resuma"ly not understand their 0okes <this al+ays irks, "ecause it is +hat you +ish to understand first=. 9he fact that , had a child made me easier to a roach and to em athi1e +ith/ that the child +as a dau#hter almost com ensated for the +ealth and #ood fortune , other+ise had. 9hen there +as this hus"and +ho +as o"viously not a native/ he la sed into Ben#ali and referred to thin#s far a+ay. 9hat , +as :#iven in marria#e; to him indicated customs in my family so different from local ones as to "e almost forei#n. 9his +as all relatively redicta"le and sim le to deal +ith. @hat , had not >uite e' ected +as the e'istence of a voca"ulary that :e' lained; stran#ers like me so efficiently, +ith no room for disa#reement or amendment. 4t the first mention of +ritin#, for e'am le, there +ould "e kno+led#ea"le nods: :&ha!ara hai. 'ekhika hai( <:*heDs a oet. *heDs a +riter;=. 4t any allusion to handicrafts or artisans, the looks +ould "e even more kno+in#: they reco#ni1ed the :ty e;Cthe arty lady of means +ho took a fancy to collectin# "ric?a?"rac and even did somethin# hel ful for the manufacturers in the "ar#ain. -ost s+ee in# "ut least trou"lesome +as the res onse to all my other meetin#s and +anderin#s that they found difficult to cate#ori1e: :&hauk hai( <:,tDs her ho""y, her fancy;=. @hat did , actually #o to researchI ,t +ould "e a ro riate to a end a co y of my research ro osal here, "ecause , stuck closely to it, considerin# it a stron# anchor in my tur"ulent sea. ,n my +orst moments , could look at it and remem"er, :4h yesN )hat*s +hat ,Dm su osed to do.; -y to ic +as : o ular culture,; that is, :leisure; and :entertainment; activities, +hatever eo le claimed +as their :fun; and : leasure,; all terms that , +as a+k+ard +ith, +hile erfectly confident of the method of discoverin# the ro er terms u on >uestionin# informants. -y su"0ects +ere the artisans of Banaras, a"out +hose e'istence and num"ers , kne+ a fair amount from census re orts. 2f Banaras itself, articularly its history and #eo#ra hy, , felt that , had read everythin# availa"le +hen , +as in Chica#o, "ut this kno+led#e receded ra idly as , ste ed into the field. -y a roach +as to com"ine history and cultural anthro olo#y, +hich in my mind meant, ra#matically s eakin#, t+o thin#s: +ork in the

archives until your eyes fall out and han# around +ith the su"0ects of your study until you kno+ everythin# there is to "e kno+n a"out them. , remem"er ausin# +ith dismay on the very eve of de arture for BanarasCa villa#e ethno#ra hy in my hand, no dou"tCand askin# uncertainly of my hus"and, :, havenDt made a #ood choice, have ,, lannin# to study BanarasI , should have chosen to do villa#ers, that*s +hat +ould have "een a challen#e.; 4nd my hus"and, de enda"le crutch and tonic as al+ays, stated +hat may "e re#arded as the enter riseDs e i#ra h: :Eour artisans +ill "e sufficiently like villa#ers. Challen#e enou#h.;

Notes
1. Bruce 6ackson, Fieldwork <Cham ai#n: University of ,llinois Press, 19BK=. 2. Clifford 5eert1, +orks and 'i#es: )he "nthropologist as "uthor <*tanford: *tanford University Press, 19BB=, . &. $. Paul 3a"ino+, $eflections on Fieldwork in Morocco <Berkeley and .os 4n#eles: University of California Press, 19KK=. (. 3enato 3osaldo, ,ulture and )ruth: )he $emaking of &ocial "nal!sis <Ne+ Eork: Beacon Press, 19B9=. H. ,"id., . (H. &. ,"id., . ((. K. Phanish+ar Nath 3enu, Maila "nchal <Lelhi: 3a0kamal, 19H(=. B. 3osaldo, ,ulture and )ruth. 9. 6ohn Aan -aanen, )ales of the Field: n +riting -thnograph! <Chica#o: University of Chica#o Press, 19BB=, . 'ii. 1%. , allude, for instance, to articles "y 7. P. 9hom son, Keith 9homas, etc., in 0ournals like .ast and .resent in the 19K%s. 11. 4"dul Bismillah, /hini /hini Bini ,hadari!a <Lelhi: 3a0kamal, 19B&=, . B. 12. 4mon# recent +ritin#s, for e'am le: U amanyu Chatter0ee, -nglish "ugust: "n Indian &tor! <19BB=/ Nirad C. Chaudhuri, )h! 0and, 1reat "narch2: India 3453675 <.ondon: 9he 8o#arth Press, 19BB=/ *alman 3ushdie, &atanic 8erses <Ne+ Eork: Pen#uin, 19B9=/ *arah *uleri, Meatless 9a!s <Chica#o: University of Chica#o Press, 19B9=. 1$. )or a statement of this distancin#, see -adhu Kish+arDs comment, >uoted "y 6ulie *te hens, and *te hensDs criti>ue in 3ana0it 5uha, ed., &ubaltern &tudies: +ritings on &outh "sian 0istor! and &ociet!, vol. & <Lelhi: 2'ford University Press, 19B9=. 1(. 3enato 3osaldo, Ilongot 0eadhunting, 3::;634<=: " &tud! in &ociet! and 0istor! <*tanford: *tanford University Press, 19B%=/ 6ames Clifford and 5. 7. -arcus, eds., +riting ,ulture: )he .oetics and .olitics of -thnograph! <Berkeley and .os 4n#eles: University of California Press, 19B&=. 1H. -anda Cesara, >o 0iding .lace: $eflections of a +oman "nthropologist <Ne+ Eork: 4cademic Press, 19B2=. 1&. )or an older re resentation of this see @endy 2D)laherty, &i#a: )he -rotic "scetic <Ne+ Eork: 2'ford University Press, 19B1=/ for a ne+er re resentation, 9. N. -adan, >on?$enunciation <Lelhi: 2'ford University Press, 19BK=.

art One
,n +hich +e learn of the difficulties of likin# anythin# a"out a ne+ lace, from ossi"le livin# >uarters to its naturally eni#matic nature. ,n +hich +e also learn ho+ shyness and a res ect for othersD rivacy have to "e overcome to do field+ork "ut that +hen you do #et close to eo le you cannot hel "ut reco#ni1e their inviola"ility. ,n +hich finally +e hear of ro"lematic #uides and methods, of fruitless searches, and of the vast challen#e of inter retin# anythin# at all.

", h'si)a( and Cu(tura( Sho)*s

4 ma of the laces , discovered in Banaras. <Com iled +ith the hel of -r. N. 3avi of the 4merican ,nstitute of ,ndian *tudies in Aaranasi.= 2ur introduction to Banaras +as not a ha y one. 9he drive +e undertook from .uckno+Csome 1B% miles of technically metalled roadC+as deadenin#. Because it +as monsoon season, , had voted for #oin# "y car, thinkin# that the lon# drive in the rains +ould "e "eautiful. But +e had a s ell of dry +eather at e'actly that time, and dust oured into our s eedin# car. 9he road, already "roken u "y the rains <+hich ha ens +ith annual re#ularity and arouses s eculations a"out dishonest contractors=, +as full of otholes. @hat +ith the "um s and the dust, life did not seem +orth livin# over the ei#ht or so hours that constituted the 0ourney. 2ur "a"y, ,rfana, then t+o?and?a?half months old, +as the most cheerful assen#er for a lon# time. 9hen she #ot u set as +ell and +ould not nurse. @e sto ed, and , +alked her u and do+n, cooin# and sin#in# "y the .uckno+?Banaras road for much of an hour. @e then #ritted our teeth and covered the last la of the 0ourney. 9he Banaras +e entered seemed art of the #eneral misery +e had e' erienced the +hole day. 9here +as not a lonely tem le s ire or si#n of a mi#hty river to "e seen, only more dusty roads and the ty ical lo+?lyin# vista of an unam"itious North ,ndian city. @e sto ed at the #uest house of the Aaranasi Levelo ment 4uthority, a +ell?e>ui ed, em ty, and a arently little?used lace. , colla sed +ith a fever. *om"a"u #ot "usy, as he es ecially does in crises, "athin# the "a"y, +ashin# do1ens of dia ers, festoonin# them on our mos>uito net oles. 9he room +as air?conditioned, and all sle t eacefully e'ce t feverish me. , remem"er the di#nified look of my dau#hter as she lay on her side, +ra ed in a +hite sheet, her fists curled into "alls, not "ud#in# an inch all ni#ht. 4nd such a nice rest did she have, so much had she needed it, that u on a+akenin# the ne't mornin# she s ent the first hour lyin# on her "ack, e'ercisin# her lim"s u in the air, chirru in# and sin#in# +ith the "irds outside. ,t +as the ha iest and most vocal that she had "een since "irth. 4nd so in the months to come: +hatever mis#ivin#s +e har"ored a"out Banaras, she +as al+ays sure that she loved it. 9his +as si#nificant for youn#, first?time arents: a sure test for the acce ta"ility of surroundin#s is +hether the "a"y res onds favora"ly to them. 4s for me, , remem"er "urnin# +ith a fever, then s+allo+in# some ills that miraculously cooled me do+n, so that +hen the doctor came he didnDt have much to check. 8e rescri"ed "ananas, yo#urt, dry "iscuits, and a ale lemon com ound called 7lectral <to "ecome a household +ord for us, as it +as for every other family in the city=. 4 little later marched in a rocession: the driver, the #uest house +atchman, the olice su"?ins ector +ho had sho+n us the lace, and an unkno+n recruit, each carryin# one of the rescri"ed foods. 9he driver, as "efit the head of a rocession, looked the most solemn, s+in#in# on a knotted strin# a clay cu containin# a half? ound of yo#urt covered +ith a leaf. , looked at the cu , leaf, and strin# +ith aesthetic a reciation, and noted, :9his is ho+ they do it in BanarasN;

2ur initial tri to Banaras +as for the sin#le ur ose of findin# a lace to live. )riends in Chica#o +ho +ere in different de#rees alumnae of Banaras research had #iven us three names in a city of a ro'imately one million. 2ne of the three contacts +as a dru#store o+ner +ho directed us to a "ank mana#er +ho, it +as rumored, +as havin# a house "uilt. 2ur ur#ency then, and al+ays, +as a+k+ard to eo le in Banaras. 9hey +ould, one and all, res ond to a re>uest +ith, :0o %a!ega( <:,t shall "e done;=. @e +ould counter +ith an im olitic :@henI; or, +orse, :8o+ a"out no+I; 9he "ank mana#er had many visitors, many cu s of tea, and many flies in his office. , sat +ith my ermanent little "undle of "a"y on the only seat availa"le, and *om"a"u stood ne't to me. @e looked and felt uncomforta"le, out of lace, and des erate. 9he "ank mana#er a"andoned his cro+ded office to sho+ us his house. ,t struck us as hi#hly desira"le 0ud#in# "y its desi#n and its convenient location in the central +ard of Bhelu ura, on the #rounds of the old Ai0ayna#ram estate, +hich +as "ein# artitioned and sold off for commercial develo ment. But the house had many months of +ork to #o, and the o+ner +as not even sure that he didnDt +ant to live in it himself. 5oaded on "y our interest, ho+ever, he not only romised it to us "ut assured us that it +ould "e ready "y the end of the month. @e retended to "elieve him/ +e needed to. 2ur initial im ression of the city did not chan#e on that visit: dusty, dirty, architecturally unremarka"le. 2ne could not readily feel any interest in it, leave aside love for it. Perha s the only remarka"le thin# in that tri +as that the mana#er of our #uest house turned out to "e a *anskrit scholar +hose s eech +as e ered +ith syllo#isms. 8e also stands out in my memory "ecause of the rolon#ed stare he #ave us as one of our arty <my cousin -ano0 from Chica#o= asked him for a fresh roll of toilet a er. :8as it all "een consumedI; he asked, distur"ed. 9he stress +as not on all "ut on consumed. @hat distur"ed him +as the same reali1ation re orted "y the famed vocalist *u""alakshami, +ho in the middle of a erformance a"road found herself una"le to continue sin#in# "ecause the thou#ht suddenly came to her that :all these eo le in the audience use not +ater "ut toilet paper.; 9rivial enou#h at the time, this e'chan#e +as an effective fore+arnin# of t+o thin#s: one, the cultural im ortance of +ater in #eneral and of cleansin# in articular/ and t+o, my am"i#uous osition "et+een t+o sides, the toilet? a er?usin# and the +ater?usin# sides as it +ere, +hich +as seen as such. Clear as , had "een until then that "oth sides +ere valid and that , could em athi1e +ith each, , reali1ed then that , did not have the in#enuity to e' ress this osition and could only seek to avoid any controversial issue, itself a limitation in in>uiry. @hen +e sho+ed u in Banaras t+o +eeks later, +e +ere no closer to findin# a lace. -ore eo le kne+ of our search, so +e +ere taken around more re#ularly to a #reater num"er of ro#ressively unacce ta"le laces. 9his time +e stayed in the #uest house of the 4merican ,nstitute of ,ndian *tudies, +hich had many advanta#es com ared to our first sto in# lace. )ood +as cooked on the remises and had a homey flavor. ,n our revious lod#in# it had "een "rou#ht over from the nei#h"orin# 4shoka 8otel in covered china "o+ls, every dish the same and #arnished similarly, everythin# outra#eously e' ensive. But this #uest house +as in the south of the city, off the main thorou#hfare and unconnected to it "y a ro er road or lane. 9he monsoon season +as much advanced, and instead of dust +e had floods. *om"a"u took a ricksha+ out one day and it rom tly overturned in a ditch. , desisted from #oin# out +ith ,rfana for a lon# time, "ut +hen +e +ere loaned a 0ee , , "e#an to risk it. , remem"er the +ettest of such tri s. ,t rained continuously and the +hole vehicle dri ed and leaked. @e +ere lookin# for a nei#h"orhood called Nava ura, "ut since +e did not even reach the +ard it +as in, +e did not find <on that tri = a sin#le erson +ho had ever heard of it. , unched the canvas roof of the 0ee to ush a+ay the store of +ater that re#ularly collected directly over my head. Passionate self?declared lover of the monsoons as , +as, , decided, :9his is the +orst.; Lia ers +ould not dry in the humidity. @e +ere marooned in the #uest house. @e had "een invaded "y monsoon insects and other creatures. 4ll of this made us look harder for a lace of our o+n, "ut the

ros ects of findin# somethin# remained as distant as ever. @e had e'hausted our t+o or three ac>uaintances <in "oth senses of the +ord=, the "ank mana#erDs house +as of course no closer to com letion, and +ith self?sufficient smu#ness, Banaras no+here dis layed advertisements or notices for a artments to let. 4t this oint in the story +e have to learn of the mechanisms of the state and local olice. Banaras had ei#ht olice stations, or thanas. @e +ere currently stayin# in the territory of one, Bhelu ura, and had earlier "een in that of another, -aduadih. 2ver the ins ectors, or station officers <*.2.Ds=, of these thanas +as the Le uty *u erintendent of Police, of +hich there +ere actually t+o in the city: Circle 2fficer <C.2.= , and ,,. 9he senior C.2. +as more o ularly kno+n as the Kot+al, a osition that dates from -u#hal times or such and one that , instinctively treat +ith res ect <these ersons shall fi#ure in our story later=. 2ver them +as the *u erintendent of Police, and over him the *enior *u erintendent, kno+n to all as the 7ss 7ss Pee <*.*.P.= and e>ually as the *u ri 9andon *aha", +ho +as the o+erful e'ecutive and de facto head of the olice in the district. 8e +as the man +ho had arran#ed for our stay in the first #uest house, and -aduadihDs ins ector had arran#ed for the doctor and the un alata"le, e' ensive food. 2ver all these officers sat the Le uty ,ns ector 5eneral, the head of the olice in the ran#e <there are ten or t+elve ran#es in Uttar Pradesh=. 8e +as the man su lyin# us +ith the dri in# 0ee s. @e had never met nor did +e kno+ "y name any of these ersona#es. @hy +ere they #oin# out of their +ay to "efriend and assist usI Because +e +ere distin#uished scholars from Chica#oI No. -y father +as at that time ,ns ector 5eneral of Police, the head of olice in the entire state of Uttar Pradesh. 8e had one dau#hter and that +as me. @e never did fi#ure out to +hat e'tent our status as distin#uished visitors +as due to his e@plicit directions and to +hat e'tent to inherent ideas of service in the different echelons of a #overnment "ureaucracy. But 0ud#in# from the inconsistency and s ontaneous nature of the service and from my fatherDs #eneral i#norance and indifference re#ardin# our activities, , +ould say the e' lanation +as lar#ely the latter. -y fatherDs mind +orked on a #rander scale any+ay. @hen , +as stuck in .uckno+ a year later "ecause of a thirty?hour train delay and +as ready to e' lode +ith ve'ation at missin# a crucial event in Banaras called 5ha1i -ian ka -ela, he calmed me: :6ust tell me +hat you +anted to #o and see. I*ll have the event or#ani1ed for you here.; @e >uickly learned of the olice hierarchy in Banaras, and res onded a reciatively to offers of hel . 8o+ever, all the attentions of all the olice officers of Banaras could not alter our "asic circumstances: +e had no lace to live and no idea ho+ to find one/ +e +ere isolated "y the lack of a tele hone in the #uest house and hysically stranded "y the monsoons/ and the discomfort of our o+n dam clothes and lack of clean, dry clothin# +as only sli#htly less than the inconvenience of our do1ens of ermanently +et dia ers. 4fter lookin# at scores of houses, arts of houses, rooms artitioned and su"? artitioned, +e understood a fe+ thin#s a"out Banaras. 2ne reali1ation +as that the taste of the local o ulationC, mean here the middle classCand es ecially of those +ho sho+ed us around +as a allin#. @ithout "attin# an eyelid, they +ould oint out im ossi"le "athrooms and kitchens created out of the dirty undersides of staircases, leavin# us s eechless +ith a#ony. 9he other reali1ation +as that my dream of livin# some+here on the "anks of the river, lookin# do+n at its la in# +aves and smellin# its s+eet, rotten smell, had "een unrealistic. *ome+here in this dream had "een the old narro+ galis, the con#ested lanes, of the city, +ithin +hich , +ould do my research all day, even as , sho ed for ve#eta"les or turned to #o u stairs to our a artment "y the riverside. 9he galis +ere there, as +ere houses "y the river, to#ether +ith con#estion and a#e. But livin# in those arts +as a decision , referred to in those days as :fatal.; 9he #round there +as thick +ith steamin# tur"ans of co+ dun#, the leaves of lates and shards of clay cu s used for fast food, the filthiest and smelliest of domestic refuse, and even, , "elieve, human e'creta. 9he air +as e>ually thick +ith flies and those unidentifia"le articles

occasionally visi"le in a lone shaft of sunli#ht, "ut, dee in the Banaras galis, visi"le all the time, lookin# not mysterious and #raceful as they can at other times, "ut ositively threatenin#. 9o share oneDs livin# s ace +ith flies that "red on the refuse litterin# the streets +as a ossi"ility soon re0ected, thou#h for months after+ards , continued to feel "etrayed "y BanarasDs filth. , had mentally admitted defeat re#ardin# my va#ue dreams of +here to live "efore +e ever found the lace +e did: the first floor <in ,ndian arlance= of a solid cement fortress in a nondescri t art of the city called *i#ra. ,t +as solid "ecause its o+ner +as an en#ineer in a #overnment concern from +hich he had diverted all the cement ossi"le/ that it +as a fortress +e discovered as +e tried to hammer some nails into the +alls for ictures and +hatnot. ,t +as ainted in one hue and trimmed in a #rotes>uely contrastin# one. @ith its t+o dyin# alm trees, it looked u#ly and inhos ita"le from the outside. ,nside it +as a daily reminder of the tastelessness of a certain class of Banarasis. 7ach room had three lar#e +all cu "oards +ith olished +ooden doors mounted on the +alls, all rotrudin# out+ard. 9+o rooms +ere connected to "athrooms and mi#ht have served as "edrooms, e'ce t that one also contained the entrance +ay. @hat +as erha s the livin# room had five massive cu "oards and could "e reached only "y #oin# ast the kitchen and the other "edroom. 9he sole e' lanation for the floor lan +as that the o+ner had intended to rent each room out se arately, an e' lanation confirmed +hen he sho+ed sur rise that +e +anted the entire five rooms. 2ur main +orry +as ho+, articularly +ith its collection of cu "oards takin# u all the +all s ace, to make the lace liva"le for the ne't ei#hteen months. 9he cro+nin# touch +as that the central corridor +as doorless/ if +e +ished to secure the house, +e +ould have to lock u each room se arately. 2n a ractical daily "asis, this meant that certain creatures like monkeys had access to every room. @e eventually #ot used to comin# u on them, a"out once a +eek, cleanin# u the food on the dinin# ta"le, ransackin# the fruit "asket, sneakin# into the kitchen, even layin# +ith toys, as +ell as destroyin# +hatever +as left on the front orch and the "ack roof, of course. @hat +as unfor#iva"le +as that they re#ularly de leted our +ater su ly "y takin# ela"orate drinks from the ta on the roof and then royally lea#ing it open. @e tried securin# the ta "y every means short of "all and chain, "ut their #odlike a#ility <the Ben#ali art of my family actually called them, to my consternation, 8anumans, or monkey?#ods= outmatched our merely human strivin#. , never even for#ave them for their more #eneral sin: to make it im ossi"le for us to have a civili1ed cu of tea in our o+n outdoors, to #ro+ lants there, or arran#e a sittin# s ace/ in short, to#ether +ith the landlord, to cons ire to revent us from livin# the +ay +e referred. @e +ere erha s choosy re#ardin# our domestic conditions. @e did not care for +et "athrooms or for visitorsCof +hom +e had an unusual assortmentCstrollin# throu#h our "edrooms/ +e liked to maintain a constant tem erature as far as ossi"le throu#h the e'tremes of the seasons and to kee "u#s out. ,n retros ect, our stay seems to have "een a constant fi#ht to achieve all this. 4t the time, every effort seemed a"solutely indis ensa"le, articularly +ith an infant. @hen our truckload of ossessions arrived and +e set u our curtains, stove, refri#erator, desks, and "ookshelves, +e "e#an a virtual odyssey of e' erimentation +ith the rooms. 2ne room +as too hot for a study in summer, another too noisy for a "edroom in the monsoons/ a third #ot the +ron# +inds <+hich carried the fumes of a nei#h"orin# car et?dyein# yard= in the mornin#, and so on. 9he cu "oards turned out to "e an une' ected "oon: they came to "e used as dust shields for "ooks, stereo, musical instruments, and toys. @e looked, erha s unconsciously, for like?minded eo le to share our feelin#s of discomfort and in0ury. But no local visitor, from the oorest of +eavers to the *.*.P. himself <he ha ened to "e from eastern U.P.=, ever voiced anythin# "ut dee a reciation for this cra1ily desi#ned u#ly fortress of a house. ,t +as a matter, then, of "oth class and culture. , may have thou#ht that char oys +ere more ,ndian than sofa sets or that o en +indo+s +ere essential for some kind of oneness +ith nature <an idea our landlord also tried to con0ure u +hen +e re>uested a "ack door for the central corridor=. But the

issue, , reali1ed once in Banaras, +as not an authentic versus an imitative life?style at all, "ut mos>uito screens, hy#ienic toilets, and ro er laces for thin#s <our reference= versus disease, discomfort, and lack of control over s ace and time <the eastern U.P. version=. -y mind +as effectively cleared of all mists re#ardin# ,ndianness and non?,ndianness, and , had no desire to com romise my instincts re#ardin# ho+ to live nor any >ualms in characteri1in# them as "ein# as ,ndian as any rival instincts. , also "e#an reflectin# on the anthro olo#istDs :ur#e to mer#e; +ith the native. -any academic friends atroni1ed lod#es and #uest houses of du"ious comfort, studdin# dee galis never free of #ar"a#e. @hy did they have such a dou"le standardI Laily they looked u on, and lived surrounded "y, refuse they +ould never tolerate as individuals. Lid it not #ive them a ske+ed vision of ,ndiaI 2ne did not have to re?create the -u#hal 5ardens, "ut certainly, #iven the royal sti ends of U.*. researchers <mine +as "ein# li"erally ta'ed "y the ,ndian #overnment=, they could choose a more comforta"le life?style than most did. 9hey could afford #ood ,ndian cottons for the summer, a refri#erator, a cooler, a servant or t+o, ro er furniture, and s ace. , sa+ very fe+ scholars in Banaras +ho +ere #ivin# ,ndia a fair chance "y acce tin# the ada tations to climate and ur"an livin# that +ere availa"le. , remem"er my an#er at visitin# an 4merican friend in the heat of 6uly. 8e +as clad in his synthetic U.*. clothes, sittin# on a strin# cot and eatin# +arm +atermelon/ the a roach to his #uest house stank +ith the #ar"a#e of the +hole nei#h"orhood, and he +as +ithout a ro erly cooled room, chilled drinks, suita"le utensils, or anythin# he +ould undou"tedly consider necessary "ack home. @ell, , thou#ht, they +ere necessary in ,ndia tooCif you could afford them. , felt resentful that he +as returnin# to the United *tates +ith the notion that filth, discomfort, heat, and s+eat +ere ine#itable in ,ndia +hen these thin#s +ere at +orst ro"lematical, and , su ose , resented also that in the rocess of har"orin# and then ro0ectin# this re0udiced ima#e of ,ndia he +as also savin# so much money. , erceive my distance from 5andhi, close as , have al+ays felt to his hiloso hy of service and indi#eni1ation. Eou do not have to li#e oorly in order to understand or to +ork for the oor, +ith a ven#eance that im licitly claims that the oor refer to live that +ay. )rom our search for a house, and thanks to our "a"y, +ho necessitated direct confrontation +ith these issues, , reali1ed that , could not choose to live in dirt and discomfort at the e' ense of roductive +ork and mental eace.

$, The Cit' as O-.e)t

7ven +hile all this +as "ein# +orried over and accom lished, +e turned our attention to discoverin# Banaras. , had started #oin# to the archives +ithin a day of our arrival, a modest and certain ro0ect. @hat +as needed no+ +as a feel of the city as a reliminary to field+ork. @e had never seen the river, for e'am le, or any of the #hats, those famous "uilt?u river em"ankments, indis ensa"le for "athin# and rituals. 2n a cloudy, leasant monsoon day, +e mounted a ricksha+ and announced, :Lasash+amedh #hat.; 9hat ritual of s+in#in# over the hi#h ste of the ricksha+ and roclaimin# the destination of the day "ecame for me the istol shot that started off each dayDs +ork, and it +as im ortant to do it in a ro er collected mood, as +ell as to have somethin# fresh and different lanned each day. 9he ricksha+ unloaded us at an unremarka"le #?sha ed 0uncture of t+o roads +ith arallel ro+s of sho s. 9hese +ere the t+o roads that led to Lasash+amedh #hat. 2ne +as lined mostly +ith sho s of cloth, clothes, ve#eta"les, and other roducts reco#ni1ed as necessities "y the eo le of Banaras, like erfumes, mats, and "askets/ the other +ith pan sho s and "e##ars. 9hese "e##ars +ere different from the ones , +as familiar +ith. 9hey did not cro+d you or lead, make you s>uirm "y almost touchin# you, or sin#, or demonstrate sores and am utated lim"s. 9hey sim ly sat in a line all do+n the ste s on one side like normal eo le #oin# a"out their 0o"s. 9hey had their

"o+ls in front of them, +hich they and donors alike re#arded as sufficient declaration of ur ose. *ome, in fact, +ere "usy cookin#, +ashin#, foldin# clothes, or rayin#. 9here are more "e##ars in Banaras than in any other city its si1e, and there can "e no t+o +ays of thinkin# a"out them. ,t is their lot to "e# as it is yours to #ive. 4 chance event has laced them there/ "ut for the #race of 5od, there +ould "e you. 9here is a"solutely no >uestion of "rushin# them off as undeservin#Cthe common middle?class attitude to+ard "e##ars. 9hey do not in#ratiate themselves. Eou can i#nore them, as you can i#nore an architectural or a natural feature in the landsca e, "ut you do not necessarily feel in the ri#ht. 9hey are in the ri#ht in "ein# there. ,t has "een sanctioned in the scri tures and confirmed "y centuries of social ractice. @e +ere un re ared, ho+ever, and dismayed, not merely "y the "e##ars, "ut even more so "y the s>ualid stalls, "y the unlova"le co+s and "ulls ruminatin# or e'cretin# on the road, and "y the +hole une'citin#, de ressed scene and its inha"itants. @e +alked on to the river, and there it +as "efore us, +ide and #ray and >uite still. 4nd there +ere the um"rellas on the #hats, a favorite illustration for tourist "rochures. Boats la ed at the "ank or la1ily floated ast. 4ll activity +as su"dued. 9his +as a"out 11 a.m., the time <, +as later to discover= +hen the riverside takes a "reak from its early mornin# and evenin# eak hours. 4s +e stood on the to ste , clutchin# our "a"y in her *nu#li, surveyin# the still +ater and the um"rellas, , +as conscious of not #oin# a"out this the correct +ay. 2ur senses +ere not alert, our e' ectations +ere not readied, our mood +as not ri#ht. @e came erha s to "e +ooed, to "e sur rised and im ressed, to "e confirmed in our 0ud#ment of Banaras as a otentially fascinatin# lace. ,nstead, here +as a scene that didnDt reach out and serve u a feast "ut +aited indifferently to "e attended to, if +e liked, to "e understood and inter reted. 4t the least, +e could have come at a time of characteristic activity, erha s +ith a local erson +ho +ould either communicate or casually let sli his o+n feelin#s a"out the lace. @e stood and +alked around for some time. @e didnDt #o do+n to the +ater, not only "ecause +e could see everythin# from the to "ut also "ecause +e felt as if +e had seen it all. 9he most interestin# thin# for us that day +as a ha+ker +ith a "asket of lentils "alanced on a "am"oo hour#lass stand. 9hey +ere little colorful hills of arrot?#reen, mustard, "ro+n, and e er?red dals, and he himself smiled and san#. 9his active little marionette stood out a#ainst the dull, still "ack#round as "oth incon#ruous and #ratifyin#. @e did not note any of the other "i# or small features that mark Lasash+amedh and other #hatsCthe *itala tem le, for e'am le, or the 5an#a tem le, or even eo le +ashin# clothesC that , +as to rha sodi1e a"out later. @e +ere disa ointed and "ored, and , could sense +hy. ,t +as a lessonCnot very clear, "ut >uite o+erfulCin the fallacy of tourism. ,f you +ant to kno+ a lace, start di##in# to understand it from the first day. LonDt look around as an outsider +ith the va#ue notion of :familiari1in#; yourself +ith the surroundin#s and "ein# charmed "y their intrinsic >ualities. @e "eat a hasty retreat to the covered verandah of the stores, a li#ht dri11le havin# started. @e +aited out the dri11le "y lookin# carefully for a sari for our ne+ a!ah, or maidservant: not chea or coarse, "ut >uiet, modest, clean?lookin# < refera"ly +hite=, and of course not too e' ensive. 8avin# made our urchase, +e +ere a little fortified and decided to continue our e' lorations. @e took a ricksha+ to Chauk. 9he Chauk, or *>uare, as in every old North ,ndian city, is the central, cro+ded, indi#enous "a1aar area. 9o me, +ith the t+o decades that , have s ent in distant Cantonments and Civil .ines, it stands for everythin# fascinatin# and #lamorous in the ,ndian city. 9he Chauk is in fact interestin# for everyone, from those seekin# "ar#ains and e'otic roducts to those curious a"out social structure, history, and culture. 9he Banaras Chauk is on a hill, and to reach its nucleus the rickshawalla had to ull the t+o of us +ith our various "undles u a slo e of a ro'imately five hundred yards <see fi#. 2=. Bein# dra##ed u the hill "y a s+eatin#, undernourished man of un#uessa"le a#e cau#ht us un re ared and left us

+ith a sense of "etrayal and acute discomfort. 4s +ith livin# in filth, it +as as if +e +ere suddenly "ein# made to artici ate in activities not to our taste.

9he u hill of Chauk , should add that those +ho live in Cantonments never take ricksha+s, and Ne+ Lelhi does not have them at all. @e looked around ea#erly, "ut the touristDs disa ointment a#ain a+aited us. 9he sho s and si#ns and eo le cro+ded into our vision from all directions "ut meant a"solutely nothin#. By the time +e reached the to of the hill, the center of Chauk, a dri11le had started a#ain. 9hat day stands out articularly "ecause +e had em"arked on t+o ma0or discoveries: Lasash+amedh #hat, the fa"led millennia?old seat of the 9en 8orse *acrifice, and Chauk, nerve center of the city. But most of our early e' eriences +ere like that. @e had only the va#uest notion of +hat to e' ect of laces such as, say, Banaras 8indu University. @e +ould ack u "a"y and "a"y thin#s and ride a+ay on a ricksha+, fallin# over ourselves on the +ay to stare at assin# si#hts. 9he "a"y seemed much more in tune +ith her surroundin#s, erched hi#h on one of our la s, le#s s+in#in#, chortlin# contentedly. 8er +orld, unlike ours, +as limited to +arm sun and fresh air and the security of her erch. 2urs, or , should say mine, +as afloat in "oundless s ace as , strove to construct a ma : :@hat kind of lace is thisI 8o+ shall , understand itI; @hen +e reached our destination, there +ould "e a "lank, incom rehensi"le +all. @e +ould #o around, okin# at this or that, tryin# to kee u our enthusiasm. But the truth +as that +e did not en0oy those early days of discovery. 7ach tri +as a disa ointment. 9here +as nothin# to make of +hatever +e sa+, artly "ecause of the very nature of the o"0ects of our attention and artlyCto "e a#ain unfair to touristsC"ecause of our acka#ed tour a roach. But to "e fairer, it +as more es ecially "ecause of my lack of re aration as an ethno#ra her. , had not trained my senses/ , had not re ared my >uestions. 9hat +as the missin# vital link, a notion of the a ro riate Auestions. , had never read a thick ethno#ra hic account of an! ,ndian city. 8avin# chosen Banaras for its hoary, alim sest?like venera"ility, , +as discoverin# that its a#e did #ive it an inscruta"ility +hich confounded my naive e' ectation that it +ould rove allurin# and irresisti"le at first si#ht. , did not have sufficient information a"out the lace. , could not have had: there +as no+here to #et it. , +as there to iece it to#ether. @hen , com are those early days +ith later ones, it seems incredi"le that one can look at so much yet see so little, or +ant to en0oy and a reciate so intensely yet not "e a"le to do so. 8ad +e "y some chance "een o"li#ed to leave after one or t+o months, +e +ould have had ractically nothin# to re ort of Banaras, e'ce t the aridity of our residential area, the difficulties of survival, the lack of com any, and the eni#matic and unattractive nature of #hats and streets. , carried on my archival +ork steadily throu#h all this. -y first tar#et +as the Na#ari Pracharini *a"ha, the *ociety for the * read of Na#ari. Na#ari in this conte't +as a eu hemism for 8indi, not in its literal meanin# of the *anskrit?derived scri t, "ut as a cultural? olitical tool. .ocated in the northeast, across the city from us, the societyDs archives +ere a clatterin#, "one?shakin# half?hour ricksha+ ride a+ay. .uckily for me, the route took me throu#h the heart of the city every day, thou#h the virtues of this route +ere more evident in the "e#innin# than +hen my senses "ecame dulled "y hundreds of tri s. 6ust as there is an u hill and do+nhill to the Banaras Chauk, there is an u hill and do+nhill to field+ork. Clim"in# u ainfullyC ulled u manually "y informants, analo#ous to the Chauk rickshawallas, you mi#ht even sayCyou reach a hei#ht of clarity and erce tion. 4t a articular oint, inevita"ly, the decline "e#ins, and as you #o do+nhill thin#s "ecome fu11y a#ain, esca in# you, you are +orn out, and your e' eriences are all anticlimactic. 2ne of the calculations , al+ays had to make as +e a roached Chauk +as, do , leave my ricksha+,

+alk u hill, and then take another one for the ride do+nI )or , had to ne#otiate the center of Chauk, from a ma0or crossin# called 5odaulia at one end to another called -aida#in at the other, and then #o a fe+ yards further east. 2r, , de"ated, do , retain my ricksha+ "ut ali#ht and +alk alon#side it for the stee est art of the clim"I , tried each variation several times "ut never resolved the dilemma. @alkin# alon#side my ricksha+ marked me as a fool and a forei#ner lon# after , sto ed "ein# these thin#s. 9ryin# to "ar#ain for a ne+ ricksha+ in the middle of Chauk, +here the rickshawallas +ere at their most su ercilious, +as al+ays a dou"tful ro osition. , +ould inevita"ly +aste recious minutes, and a tri "roken u into t+o +as al+ays more e' ensive. 9he days that , refused to make u my mind and sat, dummy?like, on my athetic little carria#e as my man slave inched me u the stee hill +ere more uncomforta"le still. 7very moment of the 0ourney +as s ent in cursin# the system, the #eo#ra hy of the lace, the >uality of the creakin# ricksha+, and my o+n stu id indecision. *uch mental ressures revented me from thinkin# ositively or ima#inatively a"out the u hill half of Chauk, +hich +as in any case the market for roducts, such as electrical #oods, cloth, time ieces, and eye+ear, for +hich , had no use. , rather des ised the lar#e, clean sho s and their +ell?dis layed roducts. 9he do+nhill art of Chauk +as more su"dued and interestin#, +ith a ma0or ost office from +here you could even make international tele hone calls. ,t ended in the crossin# of -aida#in, for +hich, a#ain, , could not care at all, +ith its ta'i stand, one of the t+o "i##est in the city, dis layin# ro+s of, in Banaras, white cars. @ho took them and +here , couldnDt ima#ine, seein# that there +as "arely s ace to #o on foot or "y ricksha+ in most arts of Banaras. 9here +as also a :tem o; standC those three?+heeled auto ricksha+s that +ere desi#ned for t+o and carried, as a rule, si' or seven eo le. , >uickly found out +ho took those. 9he first time , volunteered to accom any a ne+ informant, 4"dul 6a""ar and his family on their 9hursday tri to the shrine they atroni1ed, +e reached the main road and "e#an "ar#ainin# +ith the drivers of different modes of trans ort. 4 tem o, at ten ru ees, +as chosen. *i' of us cro+ded into the vehicle, e'cludin# 4"dul 6a""ar, +ho shared the driverDs seat in front. @e +ould have needed at least three ricksha+s at five ru ees each/ , thou#ht, :9his is ho+ rickshawallas +ill "e inched out.; 4t the -aduadih shrine, , had a minor ar#ument +ith the family +hen , tried to ay the ten ru ees myself. ,t seemed condescendin# on my art, "ut , couldnDt ima#ine ho+ they could afford so much out of their mea#er earnin#s. ,n fact , +as sur rised that they ar#ued +ith me. ,n their situation, , +ould have immediately let someone vastly "etter off than me ay the fare. ,t +as 0ust one of those s+ift and fre>uent lessons in their different attitudes to+ard honor, de"t, and e>uality. 9here +ere t+o other routes "y +hich , ty ically arrived at this crossin# of -aida#in, and they "oth deserve to "e descri"ed here. 2ne +ent throu#h Pan Lari"a, the +holesale market for che+in# to"acco, "etel nuts, and leaves, and all the related condiments that #o into the makin# of the Banarasi pan. ,t +as a narro+ lane fronted "y tall attached "uildin#s/ on the #round floor +as an o en store each fe+ s>uare yards. 8ills of to"acco, coated +ith silver, color, or erfume, and "askets of symmetrically arran#ed pans, accessi"le only from the central artery, +ere all dis layed to assers?"y and +ere al+ays o en to my scrutiny. 9his e'treme o enness made for the result that, occasional resolves not+ithstandin#, , never started a conversation +ith any of the merchants and never num"ered one amon# my informants. 9here +as not a corner or crevice to take refu#e in/ to start a conversation there +ould have meant holdin# u the traffic and collectin# a cro+d. 9he other route sometimes taken "y my rickshawallas +as throu#h the locality called .alla ura. 9he very first time +e s+un# into it, , asked the driver, :@ho lives hereI; 8e turned "ack to #a1e at me in ske tical amusement, :+ho lives hereIN; , e' lained, :, mean, 8indus, -uslims, artisans, merchantsMI; 4nd the rest of the tri +as a nice discourse on the social com osition of .alla ura, thou#h , have al+ays felt #uilty a"out makin# rickshawallas talk +hile um in#. .alla ura had certain features that al+ays struck me as medieval even thou#h , kno+ there is nothin# :medieval,; :modern,;

or :ancient; a"out Banaras. 9here +as a lar#e mansion, for e'am le, in +hich , "elieve lived ele hants, for a si#n han#in# outside read, :7le hants can "e hired here for marria#es, rocessions, etc.; 4nd, true enou#h, , had seen ele hants #o to and from that lace, clutchin# lar#e leafy "ranches in their trunks, #ra""in#, as it +ere, a >uick snack around the corner. 9here +as no unity to the .alla ura area/ s ra+lin#, crisscrossed "y lanes, evidently very oor, , could not >uite #ras it. , al+ays assed an o en +orksho +here drums of various sha es and of different shades of leather +ere made and stored. 9hat +as medieval. , +as still lookin# at all this, it mi#ht seem, from the vanta#e oint of the tourist. 4lthou#h , descri"e my first im ressions casually no+, even indifferently, , +as very serious a"out everythin#, and curious to the oint of a"surdity, thou#h often amused, in s ite of my seriousness, not at them "ut at the confrontation of me and them. , +as strainin# to understand, and , could sense at least ho+, +ith every assin# day, , had to try less and less hard. 2ne #lim se of somethin# o ened u a +orld of meanin#s. 2ne comment from a asser?"y e' lained many thin#s. 9o look into, "ehind, and under shades and door+ays "ecame my second nature. 9o act s+iftly, +ith >uestion, direction, note"ook, or camera "ecame a ha"it the ade tness of +hich sur rised me. Both these routes met at Ka"ir Chaura, a crossin# named after the saint Ka"ir and famous for many reasons. 9here is somethin# very meanin#ful a"out crossin#s for Banarasis, and they kee referrin# to their main ones. ,n a "ook on Banaras, the old?time resident Aish+anath -ukher0ee takes his readers on a tri around the city. 4ll his oints of reference are crossin#s, laces +here one territory ends and another "e#ins and +here cross?movement is ossi"le, a artial reflection of the sta"le and culturally differentiated constitution of nei#h"orhoods in old cities. ,ndian crossin#s are intersections of four roads <chauraha, four aths=, hence the hu"s of commerce and communication +here life at its most intense can "e o"served. 9he "usiest teasho or pan sho , for e'am le, +ill "e at the crossin#, and, +ith its cro+ds, serve in turn to make the crossin# more acked, im ossi"le, and +onderful. Ka"ir Chaura +as distin#uished "y the main u"lic hos ital of the city, called "y the same name, and "y dru#stores and fruit vendors for the atients and their families. ,t +as also a :dan#erous; crossin#, a thou#ht that came to me each time as an involuntary touchO to my anthro olo#ist friends +ith their har in# on sym"olic and ritual dan#ers. 8ere the threat +as from the traffic flo+in# ra idly in all directions, includin# 0ee s, trucks, and "ullock carts. 9he rickshawalla +ould stick out his arm to si#nal the direction of his turn and lun#e in +ithout further confirmation. *omeho+ +e +ould al+ays survive, erha s "ecause everythin# +as roceedin# slo+ly des ite the illusion created "y the s+in#in# of the ricksha+. , never sa+ an accident there, althou#h , al+ays clutched my vehicle +ith all four lim"s and noted ho+ , +as a ro'imately one inch a+ay from "ein# crushed from the left, the ri#ht, and "ehind. ,f .alla ura seemed medieval, then +ith the ne't la of the 0ourney, .ohatiya, +e +ere in the third millennium ".c. of -ohen0o?Laro itself. 9he road here +as of round, olished co""lestones, makin# ricksha+s 0erk their assen#ers roof hi#h. 4ll the stores, a#ain o en to the road, sold iron #oods, 'ohati!a meanin#, literally, : lace for iron.; 9he sho s looked dark, heavy, and, +ith all the fat traders and skinny ironmon#ers, in them, very male. *ome of the +oks dis layed in front +ere si' feet in diameter, the ails four feet hi#h. , tried intervie+in# here the very first or second day, "efore , had ac>uired the necessary techni>ues or confidence, and +as too discoura#ed "y the res onses to #o "ack a#ain. , had ressed on "ravely +ith a s ate of >uestions addressed to an ironsmith hammerin# a metal late, and our conversation had #one like this: ,: :8o+ FbangG many FbangG hours FbangGMFinaudibleGI; 8e: :Bahi <6ust this=MFbang, bang, bangG; *ome re0udices and mental "locks ersist/ most, fortunately, are +ashed a+ay +ith time. , never made

a study of the iron #oods industry or of the ironmon#ers of .ohatiya after my remature and totally unsuccessful initial incursions. But the .ohatiya crossin# came to sho+ itself as endlessly fascinatin#. 4t the -uslim mournin# eriod of -oharram, the rocession called Luldul assed throu#h in its most chokin# and ushin# hase and #ave me an intuition a"out the attractions of cro+ded laces. 4t Aish+akarma Pu0a and Lur#a Pu0a, and a#ain at 3amlila, there +ere many sta#es and cano ies for the #ods and it +as easy to catch the or#ani1ers. 9o the immediate south of .ohatiya +as Nakhas, +here car enters had their +orksho s. Nakhas led to Kashi ura, the locality of the "rass +orkers and co ersmiths. 4ll the nei#h"orhoods "ordered on one another, connected "y hidden lanes traversa"le on foot. 7very time , +as in .ohatiya, the surroundin#s +ere less and less o a>ue. 9he city +as a "lank ma #radually "ecomin# filled in +ith lanes, "y+ays, and turnin#s, dotted +ith names of localities, individuals, and homes. Because of the ro'imity of .ohatiya to the archives, it "ecame one of my first e' loratory field+ork sites. 2n a #iven day, , +ould +alk hundreds of yards in the galis, +ith sto s to visit a do1en eo le #radually assumin# the status of #ood friends: a car enter, a co ersmith, a tea seller, a +ido+ +ith a pan sho , a oliceman ya+nin# on a "ench, and so on. 4nd +hatever dou"ts , may have entertained a"out informal conversation as a method of field+ork, u on en#a#in# in it and seein# the incom ara"le richness of my results , "ecame a total convert. No conceiva"le >uestionnaire could have revealed to me the casual details, the ironies, the su remely confident or the hesitant tone em"edded in eo leDs conversations. 9he ride +ith +hich a lace +as ointed out or an event mentioned, or, on other occasions, the utter indifference, if not do+nri#ht deni#ration, of tone and mannerismCthese +ere all ri1ed "its of information to me, and the only +ay , could have #ot them +as the +ay , did, "y loiterin# around, ada tin# to the informantDs ace and inimita"le style. 9he archives of the Na#ari Pracharini *a"ha in Aishesh+ar#an0 +ere a fe+ hundred yards further east of .ohatiya, "eyond a steady ro+ of teasho s. 9easho s, around +hich much of my day revolved, came to fi#ure as ivotal elements in my +ork. , #ave them a fair amount of thou#ht. 4 tree +ith a hefty trunk +ould "e taken as the startin# oint for the construction of a teasho . )rom one side of this trunk a lar#e stove <say, +ith four "urners= of "rick, stone, clay, and co+ dun# +ould "e "uilt. )rom the sturdier "ranches of the tree +ould "e sus ended +ire "askets of e##s, "uns, "utter, and cakes. 9he shady leaves +ould rovide shelter for the customers. 4 fe+ "enches here and there +ould com lete the tea stall. 9his +as its infancy, ho+ever. , have seen many teasho s at this sta#e, leasant and o ular enou#h, "ut the ones in -aida#in +ere more ela"orate. @alls +ere hun# u on three sides: "am"oo frames/ discarded mattin#, 0ute, and #unny "a#s/ tin canisters hammered out into sheets/ even ne+s a ers. 9hese +alls +ere servicea"le and +ere atched re#ularly. 9he roof had to have stron# "eams, "ut, like the +alls, anythin# mi#ht cover the surface. 2ften tin sheets, still sho+in# off the name of the ori#inal canistered or canned roducts, +ere used. ,nside this co1y room, toasted "y the sun in all seasons "ut al+ays airy and shady, +ere fitted an ama1in# num"er of "enches and ta"les. 9he teasho "ecame a re#ular restaurant, and you "ecame o"livious to the com osition of the roof and the +alls and to the tree that had "e#un it all. Crockery +ould clink, little "oys darted around to serve and mo , omelets and french toast +ere created, +ater +as served as you sat do+n, ne+s a ers +ere rovided, and ti s +ere discoura#ed. 9here +as one teasho ri#ht ne't to the #ate of the Na#ari Pracharini *a"ha. ,t had #ro+n, in fact, not from a tree "ut from one of the illars of the #ate. Because of its location, it had a rather intense intellectual atmos here, thou#h all teasho s tend to "e oriented to discussions of hiloso hy and olitics. , +as, ty ically, the only +oman resent. 7veryone i#nored me in a masterly manner, "ut everyone +as a+are of me. , "e#an to take a certain amount of rotectiveness for #ranted from this teasho . ,f a servin# "oy s lashed a little +ater near me, he +as re rimanded. 9he sho kee er +ould

in>uire, :BiscuitsI *+eetI *altyI BreadI; as , laced my order for tea. @hen , arose to leave, knees +ould "e ulled in and "acks strai#htened on the "enches , had to ass. ,f my +ay +as held u "y a erson not ayin# attention, there +ould "e cou#hs and erha s a +arnin# announcement. 4s , "rushed ast someone +ith his "ack to me, the sho kee er t+irled around and "arked at him, :.adiesN; No one ever, ever, in my one?and?a?half years of atrona#e, tried to talk to me. Nor did , s eak to anyone. 4fter considerin# it at len#th, , decided that in this one case the atmos here and inner harmony of the lace had to "e reserved from my active interference.

/, The Li-rar' and Its Surroundin%s

Na#ari Pracharini *a"ha itself +as unreco#ni1a"le as a li"rary and invisi"le as a "uildin#. 3ed, symmetrical, #racious, it stood inde endently in its com ound. 3ecently the decision had "een made to use the land in front for commercial ur oses. 9his meant the construction of a ro+ of t+o?story sho s that sold te'tiles, dry #oods, tea leaves, and medicines. 4ll that +as kno+a"le of the *a"ha from the road +as a #ate, half?concealed "y the teasho , and a front of modern stores +hose o+ners, if asked, +ould most likely deny that any li"rary e'isted in the vicinity. ,f you did #o "ehind the stores, you came to the lar#e red "uildin#, im ossi"le to evaluate immediately "ecause it loomed over you and could not "e vie+ed in ers ective as lanned. 9he remainin# o en land on "oth sides had "een ruined, too, as an aftereffect of the construction: iles of "ricks, i es, and "roken?u stone lay around. 2n each "rick +as inscri"ed the +ord :"10 $,( a fact that u11led me until it +as revealed that the kiln from +hich the "ricks came +as o+ned "y a devotee of the holy men of the sect of that name, a sect , +as to ay a #reat deal of attention to in my research. 9hese small revelations +ere like #ifts of the #ods: after seein# those "ricks , needed no more evidence that it was a live cult. ,nside the Na#ari Pracharini *a"ha +as a dark hall, fifty yards lon#, at the center of +hich stood a massive +ooden ta"le for readers. 4t its head sat five or si' officials of the *a"ha, some scri""lin# or turnin# over a#es, most lookin# out restfully. 9he +hole lace +as still, uncro+ded, unencum"ered. 2n three sides of the hall +ere verandahs studded +ith doors to the outside, many of +hich +ere o en to let in sunli#ht and air. 4fter you #ot used to the lace, it +as leasant. 9he hall +as too dark for me, "ut the verandahs +ere idealC cool in summer, sunny in +inter, erfect for +atchin# the rains in the monsoons. , +ould ull a "roken chair and ta"le to my desired s ot, "alance my folio of ne+s a ersC t+ice the si1e of the ta"leCon one side, and lace my note"ook on my knee. , note the use of :"roken; here: most u"lic o"0ects in ,ndia strike one as "roken or in disarray. 2nly t+o e'ce tions shine out as models of orderliness and a state of erfect maintenance, "oth of +hich , #re+ u +ith <+hich mi#ht e' lain my alacrity in noticin# the "roken=: official "uildin#s and ossessions at a certain level, such as those o+ned "y the olice and military, thou#h not those of civil, re resentative, or other u"lic or#ani1ations/ and certain reli#ious institutions, such as maths <monasteries=, tem les, akharas <#ymnasiums=, and Christian missionary schools. 7very+here else the notion seems to "e attuned to total recyclin#: everythin# is allo+ed to crum"le uninterru ted "ack into dust, from +hich it is "uilt u ane+. @here all the *a"ha "ooks and a ers +ere stashed +as a mystery in the "e#innin#. 4t the head of the hall, "ehind the seated officers, +as a stone staircase. No one ever used it, or could, since it had "ooks all over it, this "ein# +here loose material +as de osited until it +as #radually catalo#ued and shelved. 9hou#h never used, the stairs im lied that there +as another floor. 9hou#h the hall itself had a ceilin# the hei#ht of the "uildin#, the verandahs had a second story +here the stacks +ere located. 2ccasionally, a reader asked for a "ook, and there +ould "e creaks overhead after an interval. 9he old ne+s a ers and ma#a1ines , +as interested in +ere iled hi#h on dusty shelves alon# the +alls of the very verandah , chose to sit in. , mean literally : iled.; 9o see +hat +as in the middle of a ile, a team

#ot to +ork. 2ne man on a ste ladder +ould ass do+n the volumes, each of considera"le +ei#ht, to another man on the #round, +ho then called out the date on the volume, and thus their search ro#ressed as , stood "y and fid#eted. , had nothin# a#ainst the men +ho ran the lace, or even a#ainst their system of +orkin#, e'ce t that it +as very "ad for the materials. 9he dust and accom anyin# s iders and insects o"viously dama#ed the a er. -ost of the volumes had too much +ei#ht ato them/ , #athered they +ere too oversi1ed to "e shelved u ri#ht. But "ecause their s ines +ere not marked, the movin# around that +as re>uired +hen a scholar needed a articular volume ulled and ounded at the "indin#s. 9here is a"solutely no dou"t that the materials , used +ere in a far +orse condition after , called them. , couldnDt think of a ready reform. , learned #radually of the o+erful eo le of the *a"ha, the mem"er of Parliament and the mem"er of the .e#islative 4ssem"ly +ho held court in the office and #uest rooms in the com le' "ehind the *a"ha. , kne+ they +ere unconcerned a"out the condition of old ne+s a ers and could not "e motivated to do anythin# a"out them unless they "ecame an issue at the level of state or national olitics. , donDt +ant to "e un0ust. *urely there +ere other, more academic, mem"ers of the Na#ari Pracharini *a"ha Committee. But they +ere never mentioned/ nor did they make themselves kno+n "y si#nin# anythin#, or comin# around, or sho+in# themselves in any other +ay. , kne+ only of the oliticians at the to and then the foot soldiers at the ta"le in the hall. , "e#an my +ork there smoothly enou#h: entered one day, si#ned some forms, made a de osit, and started lookin# throu#h lists. 2n the first day , made a reliminary note of a"out t+enty 0ournals that +ould "e of interest to me. , looked throu#h the issues of only t+o 0ournals in detail in the ne't fifteen months. 9hen, alarmed at the fast?a roachin# end of my stay, , >uickly scanned a do1en more. But , left feelin# that , had "arely #lim sed the real treasures of Na#ari Pracharini *a"ha, and thou#h , have #one "ack since , continue to feel that +ay. 9he men +ho sat at the head of the ta"le +ere a little like the three or four vultures in /ungle Book <the @alt Lisney movie version= +ho seem to "e do1in# on a "ranch +ith their chins on their chests "ut shake themselves a+ake every fe+ minutes to ask, :@hat do you +ant to doI; :, dunno, +hat do !ou +ant to doI; 9hey did have +orkC, could see them filin# a ers, makin# lists, dealin# +ith readersC "ut it +as ro"a"ly sufficient +ork to occu y one erson four hours a day. 9+o of them +ere youn# men in ants and shirts, and they +ere mo"ile, "ein# the ones +ho +ent u stairs. 9he others never "ud#ed, e'ce t to #o and relieve themselves in the com ound. 9hey +ore dhotis, those ela"orate len#ths of +hite cotton +ound around and "et+een the le#s, and all they had to do +as #ather u the cloth and s>uatC somethin# , firmly "elieved only +omen did till , sa+ them. 9heir dhotis made me nervous. 2ne of these men, Chacha0i, often sat +ith one knee folded u on his chairCnaturally he #ot tired of sittin# still for so many hoursCand , +as afraid to look at him, not sure ho+ revealin# his osture mi#ht "e. No one asked me any >uestions or took notice of me. 2r so , thou#ht. Chacha0i had his sources of information, ho+ever. 4"out a month after , "e#an +ork there, he suddenly asked me a"out a cousin +ho lived in Banaras. 9hrou#h that connection he esta"lished that my father +as +ell kno+n and that , +as a pakka, or authentic, U.P. Kayastha, that is, of one of the <tenI= linea#es of the Kayastha, or scri"e caste, of Northern ,ndia <Ben#ali Kayasthas did not count, thou#h , never #ave u tryin# to include my hus"andDs Kayastha linea#e in the on#oin# fi#ht to esta"lish my normality=. *o, it turned out, +as he. , cannot retend , had not "een curious, and +e "oth "reathed more easily after that. , had "een itchin# to lace all my recent ac>uaintances and daily com anions accordin# to caste, class, occu ation, family, and area of residenceCfor my o+n reasons of course. But 0ust as they made little sense to me, so , made no sense to them +ithout this ositionin#. , am fundamentally a shy, retirin# erson, not a 0ournalist or a socialite "y nature, and if , could esca e havin# to make conversation +ith stran#ers , +ould. ,n the early days of my field+ork, that side of my ersonality dominated the rofessional anthro olo#ical one. , +onder no+ +hy , remained so su"dued and inefficient instead of startin#

natural conversations +ith eo le, askin# them +ho they +ere, and tellin# them, of course, +ho I +as. But at that time the dark hall +as a recious retreat from my ener#y?drainin# :natural; conversations on the street and my sycholo#ically e'haustin# curiosity. 4t Na#ari Pracharini *a"ha , could "e myself, not my self as resented to others/ , could think my o+n thou#hts and "e almost o"livious to the +orld as , scri""led a+ay. @hat did , scri""leI 9he first +eeks, as usual, +ere difficult to com rehend or to 0ustify. , read throu#h the one a#e on Banaras in every issue of the fortni#htly Bharat /iwan, "e#innin# in 1BB(, and +rote do+n +hatever seemed of interest. 8avin# no immediate intention of chan#in# the research to ic outlined in my ro osalCthou#h , thou#ht , mi#ht in the lon# run, since everyone seemed toC, took do+n mention of all festivals, music erformances, other u"lic events, the city itself, olitics if they +ere interestin#, and social affairs, that is to say, everythin# "ut the strictly accidental: the local thefts, fires, and carria#e accidents, +hich seemed to dominate the ne+s. , +ish , could say that , found thin#s a"out, or even casual mention of, lo+er classes and artisans. But they mi#ht as +ell not have e'isted. 9he +orld of Bharat /iwan +as one of middle?class, educated babus, interested in +orld affairs and olitical analysis, socially com etitive and some+hat amused "y one another/ their city +as hummin# +ith activity, includin# the Parsi theater, +restlin# matches, "alloon?flyin# demonstrations, the Calcutta circus, in?house arties and rece tions at 8oli, Li+ali, and a do1en other festive occasions of the year. 9he Banaras of Bharat /iwan +as much like the Ne+ Eork of the >ew Borker. ,t seemed some+hat irrelevant to me, +ith my stated interest in the lo+er classes, "ut , do##edly ke t co yin#. @ithin +eeks the icture started chan#in#. , knew +hat the 0ournalists +ere talkin# a"out, not "ecause their re orta#e chan#ed "ut "ecause my notions of the city and its life "e#an to fill in and develo . 7verythin# in Bharat /iwan, for e'am le, +as al+ays #iven a seasonal reference. :4h, the month of *a+anN; it +ould rha sodi1e. :Ba"u so and so and arty +ent on a icnic to *arnath.; 2r, :,tDs the season for %hulas <s+in#s=/ there are dark clouds in the sky, and each tem le thron#ed +ith visitors.; No+ , +as discoverin# that my informants, fe+ as they +ere, +ould say the same kinds of thin#s. 9hey +ould al+ays #ive seasonal references, talk of similar activities, such as #oin# outside and makin# e'cursions to #ardens, assume the centrality of tem les, and so on. 9he im ortance of the discovery +as not that nothin# had chan#ed "et+een 1BB( and 19B1 "ut that the u er?class +orld reflected in this 0ournal +as much the same as the street?level +orld , +as #ettin# to kno+ in my field+ork. Consider this: the elitist Bharat /iwan, like all such eriodicals, +as acked +ith advertisements, and amon# the amusin# and distressin# items +as a recurrent ad for "ooks of son#s, seasonal son#s, accom anied "y ronouncements such as :8e +ho has not read this has done nothin# in life; or :)or the educated, cultivated, and leasure?lovin#.; 9hese +ere the same son#s my artisan informants san# out in pan?red?mouthed a"andon. , could not have found more convincin# evidence of the oneness of Banaras culture than this unsou#ht coincidence of +hat +as im ortant for "oth the elite and the masses. ,t #ave me a solid handle for investi#atin# chan#e throu#h the issues of location, atrona#e, social constitution, ideolo#y, and function of cultural events. U er?class artici ation in the ast #ave me "oth a record of activities , could not have found other+ise and an inter retive insi#ht <re#ardin#, for e'am le, the crucial nature of seasonality= that +ould have taken a#es of la"or to develo from field data alone, and even then +ithout relatin# it to the ast. *uch discoveries rovided thrills "eyond com are. , turned to the Bharat /iwan +ith fresh interest, takin# care not to leave out an!thing on Banaras. , had hit on the relationshi of history and anthro olo#y that , had al+ays e' ected , +ould hit u on at some oint "ut had not "een sure +hen and ho+. , com"ed volume after volume for such treasured statements, and +hen , +ould finally leaveCmy limit +as three?and?a?half hoursCit +as "ecause of sheer hun#er. .unch +as al+ays a ro"lem in Na#ari Pracharini *a"ha. , tried "rin#in# some sand+iches, "ut they tasted a+ful. 9hen , made the +hole family e' eriment +ith havin# our main meal in the mornin#,

"efore the dayDs +ork, and tea and snacks in the afternoon. Unused to this, , +ould stuff myself in the mornin# and +ould feel dull and heavy for the ne't t+o hours. 4nd the truth is that no matter +hat you eat in the mornin#, you #et hun#ry a#ain in the afternoon. 9here +as little choice "ut to flee to the teasho a#ain, as , did in mid?mornin# and mid?afternoon. *ometimes the :e## and toast; concoction roduced there +as >uite delecta"le. 4t other times , fortified myself +ith "iscuits and "uns. 7lse+here in the city findin# somethin# to eat +as not such a ro"lem. 9here +ere fruits a? lenty, as +ell as corn, cucum"ers, eanuts, and so on, accordin# to season/ and there +ere, as far as , +as concerned, e'cellent s+eet sho s. But in the street from -aida#in to Na#ari Pracharini *a"ha there +as nothin# to eat e'ce t at the teasho s. 2nce , found a lone ha+ker sellin# third?rate #uavas, "ut he must have reali1ed that he had lost his +ay, "ecause he never a eared a#ain. 2ne day, driven "y my stomach, , decided to #o the other +ay from -aida#in, that is, east+ard, to+ard totally unkno+n areas. , had +alked "ut a fe+ yards +hen , found myself in the midst of +hat seemed a #radually thickenin# mela, a fair. ,t must "e a s ecial day, , thou#ht #reedily, lookin# left and ri#ht for easily collected information. , didnDt venture more than a hundred yards or so, +alkin# in a strai#ht, safe line from Na#ari Pracharini *a"ha. Peo le s+armed over the road and avement/ ha+kers occu ied the middle of the road, and "uyers cro+ded "ehind them to a roach the avement stores. 7veryone, of course, roceeded on their "usiness +ithout noticin# me. 9he one interaction , could think of +as to 0oin in the "uyin#, +hich +as the idea that had "rou#ht me there ori#inally. , "ou#ht voraciously, until it struck me that , had no +ay of #ettin# my urchases home. , didnDt carry a sho in# "a#, and the "est the lar#er sho s could offer me +as a half? a#e from an old ne+s a er. 9he ha+kers had not even that, and #estured to+ard the end of my sari. , mi#ht have #uessed +here , +as "y reason of the #oods "ein# sold: foodstuffs ran#in# from commodities , +as "lind to, such as ghi, oil, and 0a##ery, to fruits, ve#eta"les, and snacks. @hat articularly attracted me +as the ran#e of batashas, cris +hite su#ar confectionery. , had eaten such s+eets in childhood, "ut as "alls a"out one inch in diameter. 8ere +ere ovals and s heres u to ei#ht inches +ide. -y cloth shoulder "a#, in +hich , carried recious notes, +as soon crammed +ith #uavas, batashas, savory lentils, and other odd delicacies ra idly turnin# to crum"s and ul . , hastily took a ricksha+ and +ithdre+. 9he rickshawalla had to +alk till he came out of the #lutinous mass of human "ein#s. 4 sim le measure of my i#norance a"out Banaras, and a"out ,ndian city life in #eneral, +as the fact that , had thou#ht this +as a mela, a s ecial fair, and had failed to reco#ni1e it as the cityDs main +holesale center for food: the market of Aishesh+ar#an0. 2nce the northeastern side of the city had "een incor orated into my ran#e of activity, , +ent throu#h Aishesh+ar#an0 fre>uently. Curiously enou#h, the cro+d +as never a#ain so over+helmin#, nor did the rickshawallas have to disem"ark to take me across. 9he roducts on sale never a#ain seemed so e'otic or desira"le. , came to see Aishesh+ar#an0 as a dirty, chaotic, difficult lace +ith too much hay stre+n around and, as a conse>uence, too many +anderin# co+s and far too much co+ dun#. 9here came a time +hen it +as con>uered as +ell, a time +hen , +ould #o to a house askin# for old residents and ar#ue confidently +ith the nei#h"ors a"out +ho had actuall! lived there/ or late at ni#ht +ould turn "riskly into a t+o? foot?+ide lane unmarked "y any road si#n to #o to the house of my friend, Pandit Baikunthanath U adhyaya, to record his sin#in# #rou / or +ould crisscross the ma1e of lanes that lay "et+een Aishesh+ar#an0 and Chauk in the early mornin# or late ni#htCand, "etter si#n of con>uest still, +ould do this in the com any of 8indu informants leadin# me to tem les and -uslim com anions sho+in# me to mos>ues. Lurin# these days of refu#e in the Na#ari Pracharini *a"ha, my earliest days in Banaras, , +as #atherin# coura#e to "e#in field+ork in earnest. -y first attem ts, to a roach an im overished family of "rass +orkers in .u'a and the arro#ant ironsmiths in .ohatiya, had roved total failures. 9he "rass +orkers had in effect re>uested that , kindly #et off their remises and never return, and the ironsmiths

had communicated the same invitation "y continuin# to hammer at their iron sheets +hile , >uestioned them. , have one +eak #enealo#y and one a#e of disconnected notes for each. But those meetin#s had indeed "een undertaken in a tentative +ay. 4s +ith the first visit to the river, , had sim ly not "een ready. 4ll this "un#lin# in the first month of my stay +as, u on reflection, artly deli"erate. , +as not an'ious to roceed +ith a strict rofessionalism that o"tained immediate results at the e' ense of insi#hts into the com le'ities of the +orld , +as settin# out to construct. 9he method of actin# like a child in another culture in order to learn its :#rammar; suited my redilections. ,n those first days , +as sli#htly too naive, overly careful to assume , kne+ nothin# and had to learn all. , +as scared to im ose "y mistake my cri led, o"no'ious middle?class!u er?class resu ositions on these ro"ust natives. 2nly the! kne+ +hat they +ere doin#, and , thou#ht , should "e re ared to discover it the slo+, ainful +ay, +ithout even the #uarantee of success that a child has unless , could ass the test of childlike naivete. By Li+ali, at the end of 2cto"er, , had made a ma0or "reakthrou#h on all fronts, as they say of "attles, and , had the same ima#e of con>uest in mind. , kne+ metal+orkers and +ood+orkers and had visited +ith a +eaver. , also had romises of friendshi from a otter and a ainter. @hen , think in +onder at ho+ it ha ened, , can credit it to nothin# else "ut sheer erseverance, the assa#e of time, and an incidentally #ro+in# reali1ation that , did not need to de recate myself to a reciate others.

0, Un*no+n 1ods and Life2St'(es

9he story "e#ins +ith Aish+akarma Pu0a <the @orshi of Aish+akarma=, the first si#ns of +hich +ere idols, +heeled to and fro on cycles, ricksha+s, and scooters, of a deity seated cross?le##ed, +ith a aternal face framed in a mane of flo+in# +hite hair. 8e looked "eni#n, even harmless, and +as su osed to "e the ori#inal creator. @ell, , reflected, that +as a difficult "ein# to re resent, and this a ro'imation, o"viously relyin# on many venera"le traditions #lim sed in :mytholo#ical; movies and calendar art, +as as #ood as any. 9he ima#e +as re roduced in the thousands, in si1es ran#in# from that of a thum" to that of a full?#ro+n man. 4ll the Aish+akarmas looked identical. 9hey +ere made "y the otters of Banaras, +ho could not face u to my unsu"tle in>uiry concernin# the ori#in of the icono#ra hy, thou#h all a#reed that the Aish+akarma icon +as not very old. 4fter +anderin# around their stalls for a +hile, , +isely decided to avoid them on this, their "usiest day. 4s , discovered slo+ly, many days +ere e>ually "usy, and it +as im ossi"le to find them in a >uiet moment. 9hey +ere al+ays #ettin# their roducts ready for the ne't festival, and they had an unnervin# ha"it of fo""in# off the curious intruder +ith a olite :Lo come after Li+ali; or +hatever the ne't event on the calendar +as. Conse>uently, the eo le , #ot to kno+ on that momentous day, the 1Kth of *e tem"er, +ere not otters at all "ut a family of co er +iredra+ers. .u'a 3oad, althou#h close to the center of the city, +as a safe lace to han# around in, not teemin# +ith o"0ects, eo le, and im ressions like Chauk. ,t +as a modern road, more so than the so?called Ne+ 3oad, cro+ded enou#h, "ut not over+helmin#. No one kne+ +here the soa y?soundin# name had come from. 9here +as a 9heoso hical *ociety office and school +ithin a lar#e, shady enclosed com ound, and there +as the vast 3amakrishna -ission 8os ital, +hose name had never suited o ular tastes and "een re laced "y :Kauria 4s atal;Cthe :Co+ries; 8os ital, from the a#e +hen co+ries re resented the smallest unit of currency. 9here +ere also one or t+o estates +ith massive +alls and #ates, no+ "ein# su"divided and sold off. .inin# the street +ere ne+ sho sCtailors, stores for ready?made clothin# and electrical a liancesCmostly around the *ikh 5urud+ara, the +hole com ound evocatively called 5uru"a#h, the 5arden of the 5uru. 4t the main crossin# on the street +ere older sho s, for s+eets, "icycle re airs, "askets, ottery/ one had "een converted into a video store. Potters o"viously lived off the road to the north side/ 0ust +here the northern lanes 0oined the

main road +ere little dis lays of clay toys and other clay roductsCfor sale +hen ainted, for dryin# in the sun +hen not. ,n 19B1P19B2 .u'a also had a video arcade, and, in the same cate#ory as far as , +as concerned, t+o tem les, "oth under s readin# "anyan trees, that hosted all?ni#ht ro#rams once a year. 9he arcade rovided me +ith one of the most memora"le si#hts , ever encountered in Banaras. 2ne day, on the other side of the road near the arcade, +alked a man clearly from another a#e, +ith his dhoti, kurta, gamchha <native clothes ar e'cellence=, thick sli ers of recycled tire, all the evidences of overty, illiteracy, andC+ellC a"sence of modernity. Preoccu ied and inattentive, he +as mutterin# somethin# to himself that , discovered +as a layful re etition of the sound emanatin# from the arcade, a kind of 1in#y :Po+N @o+NN P?o?+N @?o?+NN; 8e +as artici atin# in yet another cultural lea , +hich, like all such, +as o"vious only to the o"server/ he himself +as not a+are of any incon#ruity in his "ehavior. 2n Aish+akarma Pu0a day, , +as han#in# around the old stalls, o"servin# +ho +as "uyin# the ima#es, +aitin# to tra a likely erson in conversation. 4n unshaven, sli#htly "uilt man of erha s t+enty started "uyin# at a otterDs from a lon# list that included, it seemed, all the in#redients for the devotional ritual of a pu%a. 9he len#th of his list #ave me time to think <see fi#. $=. Pro"a"ly the "est rule in field+ork is not to think too much, "ut rather to act s ontaneously and unhesitatin#ly. But sometimes you a"solutely must "e sure of +hat you are #oin# to say, and you should not interru t someone in the middle of an activity either. @hen the youn# man aused to consider +hether he had #ot everythin# and the sho kee er tied u his urchases, , a roached him +ith #reat interest. 9hat +as my line, , had decidedCnot casualness or indifference, "ut dee interest. :9hese are all for Aish+akarma Pu0a, arenDt theyI Eou cele"rate Aish+akarma Pu0aI;

Aish+akarma "ein# taken out for immersion , am not sure +hat he ans+ered then or later in the day. 9he +hole event is rather ha1y. , +as so reoccu ied +ith my o+n >uestions, lannin# them in advance, sha in# my reactions, considerin# the im ression , +as creatin#, +onderin# +hat on earth , could do ne't, and so on, that , could hardly "e said to have "een concentratin# on the other, as one ou#ht to. 8e +as ositive and encoura#in#, ho+ever, and +hen , told him , +as ne+ in the lace and +ould lo#e to +atch Aish+akarma Pu0a, he led me into a lane south of the road. 9his, as , +as to discover, +as the nei#h"orhood of Nai Basti, +hich also had an instance of every other kind of cultural activity , could +ant. ,t +as an e'hilaratin# "e#innin# for field+ork, thou#h the incident itself did not match the more e'citin# ones to occur later. 9he family +as :irre#ular; and difficult for me to fi#ure out. Brothers +ho lived in a 0oint family +ere ne+ly se arated, and thou#h , met only one, , "ecame ac>uainted +ith the +ife and dau#hter of the other. 9he "rothers lived in rooms o osite each other, shared a common s ace in "et+een, and retended not to s eak to each other. 9hey referred to each other as :pattidar,( a technical term for co?sharers of ancestral ro erty that +as unfamiliar to me and er le'ed me for a +hile. 2n the #round floor there +ere three vast +iredra+in# machines in a artially covered courtyard and a little room +ith a strin# cot and some clothes. 9his +as the kothari, or storeroom, "etter descri"ed as a :room +ithout +indo+s.; 4 art from stores, it had the si#ns of a male usin# it, "ut , couldnDt #uess +ho. -ay"e those +orkin# at the machinesCin turnI 4nother three rooms u stairs, as +ell as a verandah and terrace, +ere divided "et+een the "rothers, as +ere the machines, "ut , +as to #et to kno+ the u stairs and the +omen only later. Kishan, the man +ho had "rou#ht me here, +as not one of the family "ut a day +orker. ,t +as a holiday for him, and like all those +ho +orked in a factory, he cele"rated at his lace of +ork. 8e set u his urchases, created a ty ical pu%a scenario, and erformed the ritual. 8e +as ine' ert "ut

unem"arrassed and unfalterin#. 9he pu%a , had sat throu#h at the Aedanta *ociety in Chica#o for a headache?laden t+o hours, +ith every flo+er <or +as it every etalI= addressed individually, a roached +ith the ordained t+ist of the fin#ers, and moved ma0estically from lace a to lace b, had "een one e'treme/ KishanDs +as the other, in its utter sim licity and "revity. , sat on a stool and took hoto#ra hs. 9he others stood around and #a1ed on, not indifferent, "ut not artici atin# vocally <+ith :8ishwakarma ki /ai2(C:8ailM; etc.= or in any other +ay, not, , concluded, "ecause they didnDt kno+ the form of the ritual "ut "ecause they +ere not in to s irits. 9o recite or 0oin in chorus at a cele"ration s ecifically !ours, you have to feel #ood a"out yourself and the course of your life. 7veryone ate prasad, the food "lessed "y the deity, and the three silent hunks of machines +ere #arlanded and da""ed +ith vermilion. ,t +as all over in four or five minutes. Kishan said to a co? +orker, :5auri, letDs make a ro#ram to #o to the cinema.; , +as almost sure that +hat , +ould do ne't +as to "ecome invisi"le and accom any them to the cinema, s yin# all the time on their +ords and thou#hts. ,n fact, all , did +as sit around till the mood of the pu%a faded, the "rief flicker of somethin# s ecial that had "een created died a+ay, all of +hich ha ened rather >uickly. , sat there till everyone else moved off. , didnDt have the heart to in them do+n +ith in>uiries a"out themselves, their +ork, their lives. ,t +as their holiday after all. , +asnDt a friend yet, and , had "een admitted "ecause of my rofessions of curiosity re#ardin# the ceremony. 9hat art "ein# so clearly over, , could only continue +ith an a olo#y for e'tendin# my ro0ect, no matter ho+ , defined it. No one in the >uickly disinte#ratin# #rou hel ed me "y su lyin# a >uestion, comment, or even e' ressive #esture. :4t least , kno+ the house,; , told myselfCthe ultimate ar#ument , "ecame used to #ivin# +hen , could not "rin# myself to force +hat +ould not yield. -y first real artici ation may +ell "e said to have "een none too dramatic. 9here +as no sudden shock of discovery, no vision of vistas rollin# forth. But , had seen Aish+akarma Pu0a, and if it +as "rief, triflin#, casualCso "e it. 9he informants could not "e +ron#. @hen , came "ack to this house a month later, acka#e of s+eets in hand, sei1in# u on the occasion of Li+ali, none of the eo le , kne+ +ere there, and , met a totally ne+ cast of characters. 4t a hand um in the courtyard, ri#ht ne't to the entrance +ay, a fresh, erky youn# +oman +as +ashin# some utensils. :Lo you +ork hereI; , asked innocently. :@hy, noN 9his is my houseN; she told me. , +as not sure +hether to "elieve her, "ut then she led me u stairs. *he +as Usha, the older of t+o dau#hters of one of the se arated "rothers. -is0ud#in# her status sim ly "ecause she had "een cau#ht doin# domestic chores +ith her sari tucked u and her hair disheveled #ave me such an elo>uent e'am le of my narro+, middle?class re0udices that , +as almost cured of them. , s ent the rest of the day +ith Usha and Nisha and their motherC ticed across the courtyard in the middle for an hour "y their pattidar*s familyCand , count that as the "e#innin# of Phase ,,, +hen you not merely #et ac>uainted, scri""le do+n "asics, and +alk a+ay thinkin#, :4t least , kno+ the house;/ "ut rather you artici ate in your hostsD activities, reco#ni1e each mem"er of the family, feel comforta"le in their home, and de art +ith their e'hortations to come a#ain soon. Usha had attended school, as Nisha +as doin# no+. 9hey shared one school dress, and "oth had studio hoto#ra hs of themselves in it. 9heir full name for school ur oses +as Aerma. 9his +as, for me, the inside vie+ of the school#irls in identical uniforms, each +ith a lacea"le name, that , had seen all my life. Neither the uniform nor the name :"elon#ed; to the #irl, as , had assumed they did all throu#h my school daysN Usha must have "een a"out si'teen and had "een married a fe+ months. *he +as s endin# her first Li+ali after the +eddin# in her natal home, as +as the custom. 8er father?in?la+ +as e' ected any time for a meal. 9he meal itself +as an eye?o ener on many counts. 9he father and father?in?la+ sat do+nstairs in the kothari, +here they +ere served/ they e'chan#ed not a +ord +ith any of the +omen, includin# me. 9he

food itself, the flour, ghi, ve#eta"les, and fuel for cookin# had all "een s ecially "ou#ht for the #uest and sufficed only for him and his male host, +ith some leftovers for the +omenfolk. 9he ghi +as enou#h, for e'am le, for puris for the men/ as it #ot used u , the dee ?fried delicacies +ere re laced "y +ell?#reased toasted parathas, then "y dry rotis +ith sim ly a lin#erin# touch of ghi on one side. 2nly a taste of ve#eta"le +as left over, and this +as >uietly ut aside for Usha and NishaDs "rother, Bahadur. 4 art from the se#re#ation of the se'es and the o"viously limited resources, the third eye?o ener +as the sheer frolickin# fun of it all, as +e, the #irls, ke t u a "anterin#, #i##lin#, carefree e'chan#e all throu#h the cookin#, servin#, and eatin#. , su ose , must have e' ected de ressed s irits, some e' licit si#ns of de rivation, scarcity, and o ression, some si#ns of revolt may"e, of the oor a#ainst the rivile#ed, of +omen a#ainst men, as one ate dry and the other rich. But these +omen +ere havin# a +onderful time/ and ,, as one of them, chatterin# ceaselessly a"out UshaDs school, their nei#h"ors in Nai Basti, UshaDs father?in?la+, and their a+ful pattidars, felt, too, that life +as fun, "ut ke t +onderin# ho+ to e' lain it. 9heir e'hilaration u on the occasion of the festival and the dau#hterDs return home +as matched "y mine on the inau#uration of Phase ,,. 8avin# "een confined to one small +orld as a child, , also had a personal need to e' and my arena of e' erience into other +orlds. )ield+orkConce it succeeds "eyond a ointCallo+s you to do that. , had suddenly, rather ma#ically, "ecome a rivile#ed insider, reco#ni1ed "y some hitherto unkno+n Usha, Nisha, and family, as one of them. 9he overty of the house +as "rou#ht home to me only on my later visits. 9here +as ne#er enou#h to eat. , made #ifts under every rete't , could think of till , didnDt need any and develo ed the techni>ue, later to serve me every+here, of resentin# a "o' of s+eets +ith the "arely audi"le murmur, :.rasad hai( <:5odDs leavin#s;=. , never sa+ Usha a#ain, "ecause she de arted for her in?la+sD home shortly after Li+ali. 8er father, , discovered, +as unem loyed, su osed to have #one cra1y u on the shock of the artition +ith his only "rother in their hitherto harmonious family. 9he household +as su orted "y the other male in the family, ten? or t+elve?year?old Bahadur, +ho o erated the +iredra+in# machine and earned the usual three to four hundred ru ees a month. Bahadur looked morose, his father avoided the house alto#ether, and the mother and dau#hter took in all kinds of +ork to kee "usy, since there +as nothin# to do at home in the a"sence of food to cook and ossessions to take care of. 9hey rolled papars, dry lentil cakes, at the rate of one ru ee er hundred and hooked chains of artificial "eads at ei#ht annas er t+elve do1en. , +atched them endlessly. , reali1ed ho+ much difference an individual ersonality makes, and indeed a s ecial event like a festival. @ith Usha #one and the silly a"andon of Li+ali over, there +as not a trace of the #aiety and li#htheartedness that had left me +onderin#. ,n that sense, , had "een ri#ht to +onder. , had al+ays held my o+n stern vie+s on the referential treatment of sons over dau#hters. But seein# in this case ho+ the mother and dau#hter to#ether earned thirty ru ees a month and +ere inca a"le of doin# anythin# else, and ho+ the far youn#er "oy earned t+elve times as much and su orted them, , could understand the lo#ic of treatin# him as s ecial and su erior. 8e didnDt drink, #am"le, or kee "ad com any, they said, in the voice of those +ho +ould neither control nor interfere, and , could foresee youn# Bahadur maturin# into a #ruff, distant, uncommunicative man around +hom the +omenfolk of the family +ould flutter, "ecause, after all, he had sacrificed his childhood to kee everyone alive. 4s for the female rota#onist of the tale, his sister Usha, not only had she had a ha y childhood "ut she +as still "u""lin# over +ith the 0oy of a child, untouched "y any care. 4t Nai Basti , had a #lim se from the very "e#innin# of somethin# that +as #oin# to confront me directly only later, +ith -ohan .al, 9ara Prasad, and such close comrades: the dan#ers of oversim lification re#ardin#, amon# other >uestions, the characteri1ation of the oor, the class?s ecific nature of leasures, and the assivity of +omen.

3, Further ursuit of Informants4 The 5eta(+or*ers

4s *e tem"er advanced and the monsoons dre+ to a close, it suddenly "ecame ossi"le to achieve much more in any #iven day. 7ven so, , re#retted the end of the monsoons. )rom the moment +e had reached Banaras in 6uly, , had reali1ed that there +as a lot of :cultural activity; there. ,f you took one of the t+o key roads traversin# the city from center to south, you assed Lur#a tem le and 9ulsi -anas tem le. 9he area around them al+ays seemed festive, +ith cro+ds "lockin# the roads, hundreds of little stores, flo+ers, s+eets, ri""ons and trinkets for +omen, uddles, and monkeys. ,t +as *a+an, the fifth month of the North ,ndian 8indu calendar, the time of year for fairs and music and small local cele"rations. @hen , say :local,; , mean it. None of the eo le +e encountered +as a"le to tell me of even t+o or three of the cele"rations, leave aside the +hole variety or ran#e of them. , had to discover them for myself over the ne't fe+ months, fervently ho in# that , +as searchin# for, and then lookin# at, the ri#ht thin#. ,t +as a de ressin#, disheartenin# rocess. U on hearin# of my research, a olice ins ector, head of the central, im ortant Chauk thana and an e' erienced officer +ith many years in the sector, remarked, :2hN 9his is *a+an, so youDll find lenty of festivities.; , ressed him ur#ently: :+hat festivitiesI; 8e looked at me as confidently as ever: :2hN @ell, this is *a+an, so, letDs seeMin *a+anM+ell, there are lots of festivities.M; 8is name, Chandra Bhushan, +as inned on his shirt, "ut , remem"er it +ith difficulty, for after this inaus icious "e#innin# he never evolved into a friend or an informant. 8e did assist me in unforeseen +ays thou#h. 8e had hel ed us "uy a refri#erator in Chauk <and received a cutI , could not hel +onderin# later, as , #re+ to feel uncharita"le to+ard him=, and havin# made his ac>uaintance throu#h that transaction, , +alked into his olice station early in my field+ork. 8e 0um ed u from his chair, e'claimin#, :Eou hereN ,s the refri#erator +orkin# all ri#htI; , reassured him, made myself hum"le, and introduced myself ro erlyCnot as the ,.5.Ds dau#hter "ut as a researcherCa#ain. 8e recovered and made an im ortant and mysterious hone call. 4s a result of this, an old, frail, "ut strai#ht?"acked man in a dhoti and kurta sho+ed u at the thana. 9his +as 5ovind 3am Ka oor. ,t took me a fe+ days to lace him ro erly, "ut , +ill sum him u here. 8e +as a "usinessman +ho im orted and sold silk yarn and some silk fa"ric. -ore than that, he +as a community leader and the most active mem"er of all the Citi1ensD Lefence Committees in the city, voluntary or#ani1ations set u in every nei#h"orhood to hel authorities maintain eace and order. -ore im ortant still, he +as syco hant of all officialdom, a middleman "et+een the u"lic and administrators, and a #eneral meddler in all u"lic affairs. By virtue of havin# a sho in Chauk, 5ovind 3am Ka oor kne+ all a"out the sari "usiness/ "y e'tension, a"out +eavers and their culture. 8e and the station officer there and then a ointed him my #uide and mentor. @iser after my :@hat ha ens in *a+anI; e' erience, , inned him do+n to a time and lace. 9+o days later , +as +indin# my +ay +ith him throu#h the co""led galis of -adan ura, kno+n as the central +eavin# district of Banaras. 9he lanes +ere +onderfulC dless and confusin#, a travelerDs dream. 2n all sides rose tall "uildin#s 0oined "y common +alls, tra in# the sun. )rom the #round floor +indo+s of these came the sound of handlooms cla in#, "ut the +indo+s +ere too small to ermit hurried o"servations. ,t +as not a oor locality at all. 3oads and houses looked clean and +ell maintained. Children ran around, and thou#h they +ere eatin# the usual t+o? aisa and one?anna thin#s from ha+kers, they +ere com"ed and fully clothed. 9+o or three less innocent months later , +as to discover the reason for this o"vious ros erity. -adan ura +as not the central +eavin# district at all "ut the center of Banarasi sari e' ort, +here the -uslim traders had their "usiness esta"lishments <the 8indu "usinesses +ere located in Chauk=. 5ovind 3am Ka oor naturally kne+ them "ecause he had dealt +ith them for decades, "ut he kne+ no

+eavers +hatsoever. Nor did he seem to kno+ that the +eavers of Banaras +ere concentrated in t+o areas, 4dam ura and 6ait ura, >uite distant from +here he had taken me. @hen , made this discovery and reali1ed ho+ far a+ay these t+o +ards +ere, , felt such a set"ack that , didnDt venture "ack to -adan ura for another fe+ months. 9hat day +e +ent to Banaras *ilk Cor oration, or :B*C; as its o+ners called it. @e sat in a comforta"le office?cum?sho+room on +hite sheets s read +all to +all, "acks restin# on "olsters, everyone rela'ed "ut me. 2nce a#ain my mind +as on +hat the most a ro riate >uestions +ould "e. , intervie+ed them at to s eed, scri""led do+n +hatever they said, and understood almost nothin#. , #athered that a hu#e family ran the B*C, +ith a do1en "rothers and sons either introduced to me or alluded to. Both "ecause the B*C ran o+erlooms and hired semiskilled la"or from villa#es outside Banaras and "ecause those , +as s eakin# +ith +ere o"viously not +eavers, , >uickly rele#ated the encounter to the "ack of my memory, to "e resurrected only +hen , had to formulate an o inion a"out sari "usinessmen. 5ovind 3am kne+ +hat he +as doin#, "ut his choices in social interaction +ere different from mine: he liked to mi' e'clusively +ith "etter?off eo le. 4 second foray into the galis +ith him roved e>ually frustratin#. 9his time he took me to a :museum; of the metal roducts of Banaras that also served as a clu"house, meetin# hall, and dis lay room for a society of traders in metal #oods. ,t +as in the control of one Ba"u *harad Kumar 3asto#i, head of one of the "i##est such tradin# houses, +ho had his "usiness do+nstairs in the ad0oinin# "uildin# and his home u stairs. )or my enli#htenment he had called in t+o of his craftsmen, +ho mostly smiled and said :yes; to everythin# , asked. 9he other activities that afternoon consisted of feastin# on #reasy s+eets and savories and tourin# the ceilin#?hi#h #lass closets stuffed +ith rather u#ly "rass, co er, silver, and 5erman silver artifacts. , took do+n the addresses of the t+o artisans +ith ade tness, and as , thanked 5ovind 3am u on leavin#, told him, :@ell, no+ , can #o to their homes and see ho+ they live.; 8e +as distrau#ht. :No, noN Eou should not #o to these eo leDs nei#h"orhoods. ,t isnDt seemlyN; 9hatDs +hen , reali1ed, "elatedly, that his ideas of a ro riateness +ere different from mine, and that , could dis ense +ith his hel . 4s , shook off his offers of further assistance, he #ave an en#a#in# smile that left me s eechless: :9hen you are determined to #et rid of meI; ,n a day or t+o, , set off on the trail of the first of the t+o metal+orkers, -aster *ita 3am, nakkas <re oussO +orker=. 3a0a Lar+a1a, the area +here he had told me he lived, is a le#endary lace. @henever old mohallas <nei#h"orhoods= or galis of Banaras are mentioned, 3a0a Lar+a1a is included. 2f course, the truth is that as soon as you ac>uaint yourself +ith a lace in your field+ork, you for#et the le#end. 4s , ste ed into 3a0a Lar+a1a, , +as afraid. ,t seemed only a"out si' feet +ide, thou#h ricksha+s are a"le to traverse it and , once even sa+ an automo"ile arked in a makeshift #ara#e. Both sides of this narro+ street are lined +ith attached sho s, all elevated a"out t+o feet and accessi"le "y ste s or a 0um . -ost of the sho s are tiny, and their floors are s read +ith +hite sheets on mattresses. 9he first sho s in the market sell 0e+elry, +hich is mostly ke t out of si#ht, so you donDt see anythin# inside "ut one or t+o o+ner?salesmen. 9hey seem to fill the tiny sho s till you see one +ith a do1en customers s>uattin# inside and +onder +here all the s ace has come from. No+ the sho kee ers do not have "usiness all the time. @hereas some look do+n at ne+s a ers, many sit lan#uorously, facin# the road and starin# at the assers?"y, so +hen you ste into 3a0a Lar+a1a, it is immediately an une>ual "attle. Eou are lon#in# to en>uire into the lace, the eo le, and the activities, "ut do1ens of airs of eyes are already ro"in# you to discover your activity and your ur ose. , could not stand the onslau#ht that first day and hastily +ithdre+ my in>uisitive #a1e. , looked do+n and roceeded strai#ht ahead as if , kne+ e'actly +here my otential urchase +as located. 4fter a fe+ yards 3a0a Lar+a1a "ecomes a market for other thin#s "esides 0e+elry, rimarily 0ute roducts and chea cloth. 9hen it "ecomes Kashi ura, lar#ely a market for machine arts, and looks #rimy, oil?drenched, and heavy +ith the +ei#ht of iron and steel. , had heard from many sources that

Kashi ura +as the home of the "ra1iers and co ersmiths of Banaras, as , kne+ it to "e the home of the one artisan , had met. 8e had #iven me his mohalla and had assured me that to find him , need only ask for -aster *ita 3am, nakkas, in Kashi ura. , asked do1ens of eo le, and no one could tell me +here he lived. 9here are, a arently, lenty of :masters; and lenty of nakkases, and, seemin#ly, no *ita 3ams. *o it has "een throu#hout my research. , "e#an to re#ard +ith "itterness the myth of ersonali1ed, face?to?face contact in the traditional city, +here everyone kno+s everyone else in a mohalla. 4fter my first fe+ +eeks in Banaras, , stron#ly resisted residentsD efforts to resent their address as :Q, of mohalla E, ask anyone,; and +ould insist on havin# their house num"er, +hich every "uildin# in Banaras ossesses, and a #ra hic descri tion of ho+ to reach it. 9he +hole day , searched for -aster *ita 3am, my lone contact amon# metal+orkers. @alkin# "ack and forth on the road +ith his va#ue address in hand, "ein# #a1ed at s eculatively "y idle sho kee ers, , felt a trifle more kindly to+ard 5ovind 3am Ka oor and a little more tolerant of his rotective :,t isnDt seemlyN; 7>ually tiresome, , couldnDt fathom the lace, +ith all those machine arts sho s linin# the streets. @here did all those "rass +orkers and co ersmiths han# outI @hen , finally sa+ a sho +ith metal roducts rominently dis layed, , sto ed at it, determined to make this my com ensation for the other disa ointment. 4t the sho sat a "eautifully a#ed man +ho could neither see nor hear +ell. )or all that, he had time and +armth, and +elcomed me. 9hat first day , didnDt care +hat , asked or +hat he said, as lon# as , could #et ac>uaintedCor, less eu hemistically, in#ratiate myself +ith him. 2f course, it +as rather easy not to care a"out +hat he said, "ecause all he said that first day related to himself as he sa+ his needs, not to himself as , sa+ my need of him. 8e ke t re eatin#, :Ba"u, if you can #et a 0o" for any of my sonsM, have four, and there is not enou#h +ork for themMBa"u, +e can make anythin#, +hatever you +ant to #et madeM9here are t+enty?five eo le in this house, and +hat else is there to sayM overty, Ba"u, overtyM9here is no market no+, no +ork for usM; 4nd on and on. ,t +as not a "e#innin# full of leasure and satisfaction, as , had unconsciously antici ated +hen +e started talkin#. But here +as a metal+orker at last, an ancient one at that, and here +as ,, firmly lod#ed, determined never to relin>uish him, and all that he +as sayin#Cho+ever limited in sco eC+as necessarily 9rue and 3eal. 7ven if his com laints of overty had never fi#ured in my calculations as the refrain , +ould re eatedly "e su"0ected to, , thrilled at the situation itself +hile feelin# a"0ectly hel less a"out the content of the conversation. -ohan .al, the old man, sat in the sho to occu y his time <see fi#. (=. 8e almost never sold anythin#. 8e and his four "rothers had "een le#ally se arated for a"out t+enty years and had divided the ancestral home alon# +ith the "usiness. 7ach house, sharin# a +all +ith its nei#h"or, +as only a"out ten feet in +idth "ut ten times as dee and five stories hi#h, like a tall chimney. 9he staircase alon# one side +as e'tremely narro+ and stee . 9he front room on the #round floor in each house +as the +orksho , or karkhana, in -ohan .alDs case +ith a little sho in front. 9he +orkroom had a mud floor, a hearth and fire, a lathe, metals, and tools. 9he sho had a +all?to?+all dirty +hite sheet on the floor, a cash "o' from +hich coins +ere al+ays "ein# handed out to the children of the house, a $ama!ana that -ohan .al eered at +ith his thick #lasses +hen he had no one to talk +ith, and miscellaneous merchandise. 4 heavy air of scales hun# from the ceilin# "ecause everythin# +as sold "y +ei#ht.

-ohan .al -y first im ression of life in the lace as a ho eless, dismal drud#ery ra idly e' anded and ela"orated in +ays that added myriads of dimensions. , confirmed that -ohan .al +as indeed oor and +anted a "etter life for his family "ut discovered that that +as not allCor even the most im ortant thin#Cto "e

said a"out him. , +as ut in a >uandary re#ardin# the interaction of economic and other controllin# conditions of life till , could not in all honesty se arate them from each other at all. 4fter , "ecame a re#ular visitor, had met -ohan .al at different times of the day, on different days of the year, had eaten +ith him, lau#hed +ith him, heard the story of his life, told him my o+n, and sim ly had sat +ith him for many, many hoursC, "e#an to feel that life +as a matter of moods and flavors and te'tures. 8o+ and +hy one did thin#s +as as im ortant as +hat one did. 2neDs actions +ere al+ays affected "y stron# rinci les and hiloso hies, not merely "y sheer :need; and :necessity.; @ith -ohan .al , fully and finally lost my assum tions of determinism. *oon after #ettin# to kno+ him, , +as asked "y an intelli#ent +oman comrade also +orkin# +ith : eo le;: :*o, +hat is the "asic motivatin# factor for these oor artisansI; , could sense the ran#e of ans+ers her mind +ould acce tC economic necessity, rest as a com ensation for heavy manual la"or, caste, reli#ionCand felt a sudden #a o en "et+een us as , heard myself e' ress an un remeditated thou#ht for the first time: :@hy, theyDre 0ust like us. 9heyDll #o for a +alk if they feel like it, chat +ith friendsMtake u theaterM; -ohan .al had taken the seemin#ly e'traordinary ste of launchin# a theatrical #rou that rehearsed every evenin# after +ork. 8e loved to talk of it, to descri"e its roductions, "oast of its re ertoire and >uality, and articularly of the accolades received in various com etitions. *ome+here in the "ack of my mind lurked dis"elief, not full and total, "ut sufficient to demand some roof. 4ccordin#ly , estered him to let me take hoto#ra hs of the sta#e curtains they had used, +hich <he claimed= +ere no+ rolled u and stored near the ceilin# of the Kasera <the metal+orker caste= community center and clu"house. , kne+ the "uildin# and its halls, and +hen , +as sho+n #iant rolls of dusty canvas sus ended u hi#h, , a#reed that it +as hardly ractical to "rin# them do+n. , +as accumulatin# evidence a lenty from other sources mean+hile that -ohan .alDs toothless chatter +as more than the transformed memories of an a#ed man. 5ir0a Levi, the res ected vocalist of all?,ndia fame, mentioned suddenly in the middle of an intervie+: :9he Kaseras of Banaras, they are the "est sin#ers of all.; 4 so histicated theater #rou in the city referred res ectfully to their roductions of ast decades. 4ll testified to their amateur talent in 3amlila sta#in#, and it +as +ritten of as +ell in old issues of the Bharat /iwan. 2ne can e' lain certain thin#s as :res ected traditional activities that they "elieve in.; But to say a"out -ohan .alDs theater #rou that :artisans +ork hard/ they like their leisure/ they have diverse interests and a love of life,; as , finally did <at #reater len#th, of course, and more analytically=, misses the actual flavor of -ohan .alDs +orld. 4s a statement derived from this des erately over+orked, under aid, "ut inde endent?minded, assionate old man +ith his 1est for livin#, it is sim listic and therefore incorrect and o"0ectiona"le. -ohan .al +as the first informant to +hom , un>ualifiedly #ave the title :friend,; not only "ecause +e "ecame close "ut also "ecause he lacked certain ideal >ualities of an informant. 8e consistently refused to o"0ectify his values and e' eriences and to resent them coherently for my ins ection. 8is descri tions +ere al+ays some+hat muddled and incom lete, not "ecause he +as inca a"le of clarity "ut "ecause he assumed a ri#ht to fei#n fati#ue, i#norance, or la se of memory, to chan#e the su"0ect and in>uire a"out me instead, or to cackle and convert a serious to ic into a ludicrous one. 9he more he did this, the closer +e "ecame, for , sensed immediately that he resented "ein# studied, 0ust as any self? res ectin# erson +ould, 0ust as I +ould. 8e had tremendous stores of di#nity and tau#ht me the recious lesson that sim ly "ecause , +as the o"server and he the o"0ect did not mean that he +as sim ler, easier, more static, more accessi"le than me. 2f course +e +ere miles a art, "ut it +as not a#e, #ender, education, or culture that se arated us/ our difference could erha s "e summed u in the clichO re#ardin# the rich havin# more money. -ohan .al "e#an a hase of my field+ork in +hich, thanks to his com le' ersonality and our stron# relationshi , , learned to shed the inner lens forever refractin# the outer +orld. , left "ehind forever

most of my comrades and all those elo>uent o"servers of the same confusin# +orld that , +as studyin#, all the Nai auls, Aed -ehtas, Nirad Chaudhuries, and U amanyu Chatter0ees. 9hey +ere all, it seemed to me, reoccu ied +ith their o+n feelin#s a"out the o"0ects of their #a1e, not +ith the o"0ects themselves. , found it more difficult at that oint to talk +ith someone from my o+n class and educational "ack#round than +ith my : eo le; such as -ohan .al.

art T+o
,n +hich there is #reat ro#ress in findin# informants, in #ettin# closer to them, and most of all in understandin# them throu#h the use of indi#enous cate#ories. ,n +hich also there are many dead ends, as in tryin# to find +eavers/ and distractions, as in tryin# to kee the household runnin# efficiently, dealin# +ith the death of a family mem"er, and usin# olice contacts to advanta#e.

6, A Shift in Te)hni7ue
Lurin# my first months in Banaras my ro"lems, ho+ever, +ere less of inter retation than of #ettin# to kno+ eo le. , "ecame anicky as *a+an assed me "y, follo+ed "y the ne't monsoon month of Bhadon, and still , had located almost no :cultural activities.; , +ent to talk to my local #uide and every"odyDs mentor, Lr. *uryanath 5u ta. Lr. 5u ta al+ays had a mysterious, satisfied e' ression im lyin# a kno+led#e of many thin#s that +ould never #et shared sim ly "ecause you couldnDt ask him a"out them since you didnDt kno+ +hat thin#s they +ere. Eou could #uess at random, as , did, and sometimes hit the mark. @hen , asked a"out the 3amlila, Lr. 5u ta "ecame suffused +ith e'citement and talked ra idly for hours. 2r, +hen you missed, as +hen , asked a"out the indi#enous system of +restlin# in akharas, he could look as #rum y as a child and say somethin# like, :2h, a lot has "een +ritten on that already,; or, re#ardin# the culture of a articular community, sim ly, :No such thin# e'ists.; But all these idiosyncrasies aside, Lr. 5u ta +as one of the most kno+led#ea"le eo le in Banaras on the su"0ect of the cityDs social and cultural life. 8e told me that at that very time an im ortant mela, or fair, called *ohariya -ela +as in ro#ress, so called "ecause it lasted si'teen <solah= days. ,t +as "ased at .akshmi Kund <one of the many artificial tanks, or +ater reservoirs, in Banaras=, centered on the +orshi of .akshmi, and +as the occasion for the dis lay of handicrafts "y the otters of Banaras, +ho rivaled one another in their roduction of toys and es ecially of ima#es of .akshmi for the mela. ,t sounded fascinatin#. But the third #eneral rule , discovered a"out field+ork <after the ones a"out le#endary laces losin# their charm and eo le in the same mohalla "ein# unkno+n to one another= +as that the descri tion of an event is very different from the direct e' erience. 9o "e#in +ith, , had no idea +hat a mela +as, a art from the e' ectation of dust and chea stalls +here everythin# could "e "ou#ht for a fe+ iceC"oth ideas derived from a short story "y Premchand read in my school days. , had "een to the Nauchandi mela in -eerut as a child, "ut all , remem"er is #ro+n? u s around me sayin#, :.etDs #o to Co1y CornerN; -y ima#ination had soared, and , had e' ected scones for tea, erha s cakes and macaroons. , +as readin# 7nid BlytonDs school adventures at the time and relished +ords like :marmalade,; :fruitcake,; and : ie.; Co1y Corner turned out to "e the e'act o osite of all its name su##ested, a com letely desi, or indi#enous <in the +orst sense=, lace, almost dirty to my an#lo hile eyes. 9he #ro+n?u s ate hot, #reasy pakora?fritters. 9here is an easy +ay to find out +here somethin# is, and accordin#ly , took a ricksha+ and directed, :.akshmi KundN; 4s soon as vendors and "alloon sellers a eared, , ho ed off. 4#ain, my timin# +as +ron#. ,t +as the middle of the day and the ma#ic +as #one. , +as to find it very different +hen , came

a#ain the ne't year +ith three +omen all "earin# trays to +orshi .akshmi, arrivin# in the evenin# and stayin# on as darkness fell. But this first time, "ecause , +as keyed u +ith e' ectation, "ecause , +as still so i#norant, and "ecause it +as the middle of the day, , found nothin#. 9here +ere stalls on either side of the lane from a"out a furlon# "efore the tank to the tank +ith its nei#h"orin# tem le. -ost of these +ere manned "y children, their arents "ein# "usy +ith more roductive +ork. Children take over many stalls around mid?day as mothers +ash and cook, fathers "athe and eat, and youn#sters are made to sit still after school. 9he stalls all sold clay roducts, mostly ima#es of .akshmi and a variety of toys, +ith some toys like the 3amlila "o+ and arro+ already makin# an a earance, 3amlila "ein# ne't on the festival calendar. 9he variety +as not as #reat as it seemed at first si#ht. 4fter , had e'claimed over a little clay 9.A. set and "ou#ht a fe+ other charmin# oddities, there +as no attraction in the stalls. , made some effort to find out from the children +here they lived, +ho made the toys, ho+, and so on, "ut they +ere really not the eo le to ask and did not relish "ein# interro#ated. , have found it a+k+ard to a roach children as informants on the +hole "ecause it is difficult for me to +ei#h their interest a#ainst their indifference and to talk on their level. -y +orst moment +as +hen , started havin# a #ood time +ith a #rou of five or si' dusty little "oys on a street near .ohatiya, "e#innin# to understand their #ame, their fun, and their ersonalities. Before de artin# , +anted to +rite do+n their names and +here their homes +ere, driven "y my familiar #reed to kno+ one more erson that , could come "ack to later. 9hen , made the #i#antic "lunder of resentin# each +ith a coin for a treat. .ike +ildfire the +ord s read over roofto s and throu#h dusty galis, :5et your name +ritten and receive a coinN Come and #et aid for your nameN; , have never made a less di#nified retreat. 4fter loddin# throu#h all the lanes of the .akshmi mela, , thou#ht that , should at least enter the tem le at the center of it all. 9here +ere a fe+ +orshi ers here, alon# +ith "athers at the tank, and a little more to o"serve. But once inside, , could feel everythin# floatin# a+ay from me. 9he old uneasiness , feel in tem les came "ack, alon# +ith >uestions not to "e resolved "y mytholo#y: :@hat is thisI @ho is thisI @hat do , doI @hy is everyone doin# +hat they doI; , also never kno+ +hat to focus on as o"server in a tem le and try to take in everythin# at once: the architecture, the scul ture, the ritual, the social dramaM4fter this e' erience of my first mela, , +as truly at a loss and in need of conversation. , had heard of Aish+anath -ukher0ee for some time/ an amateur author, historian, and ethno#ra her, he seemed to vie +ith *uryanath 5u ta for the osition of #reatest e' ert on Banaras. , sou#ht him out at his lace of +ork, the ,ndian -edical 4ssociation, +here he +as on the editorial "oard of "pana &wasth!a < ur 0ealth=. , re ared a list of >uestions for him, of +hich one +as, :@hat is a melaI; Aish+anath -ukher0ee +as confused "y my to ic, o ular culture. .ike most eo le , talked to in the "e#innin#, :culture; meant for him the #reat musicians and +riters of Banaras, and : o ular culture; +as a contradiction in terms. 8e ke t listin# for me all the :#reat; eo le , should s eak +ith, and they still +ei#h on my conscience as a task never accom lished. , ke t tryin# to elucidate my ur ose to him. @hen , told him that , had "een to a mela "ut could not com rehend it, and that , had heard of others like the Nakkatayya "ut couldnDt #uess the sense of them, he seemed to erceive a lo#ic. 8e never did tell me a"out melas, "ut +e came to another milestone in my research. :Eou kno+ the most s ecial thin# in BanarasI; he said that first day. :Peo le like to #o on icnics.; :PicnicsI; , asked incredulously. :Ees, they #o outside, cook, and eat.; :*ince +hen has this "een #oin# onI; , >uestioned, convinced that it +as a thorou#hly middle?class activity, at "est learned do+n+ard throu#h :tricklin#; or :see a#e.; :*ince al+ays. Banarasis have al+ays loved to do this,; he ans+ered com lacently.

:4nd does it continueI; , ersisted, +onderin# +hy, if he +as correct, , had come across no si#ht or mention of this activity. :,t +as o ular till 19(K.; , discovered later that most eo le used 19(K as a landmark in their memories to denote some ma0or chan#e durin# their lives. 2r they +ould say, :t+enty?five to thirty years,; im lyin# 19(K, or sim ly, :"Cadi ke sama! se( <:*ince ,nde endence;=. 9hey meant, as it +ould turn out after further >uestionin#, +ithin one #eneration, or +ithin their livin# memory, that they had "een familiar +ith somethin# in their youth "ut that their children +ere not. 9he lead that -ukher0ee #ave me +as confirmed in the most direct +ay ossi"le less than a +eek later. , +as talkin# to 3am0i *ah#al, o+ner of Khatri -edical 8all in the heart of Chauk, as +ell as a te'tile store across the street and a store of dried fruits and fruit drinks. @hen he had a visitor, instead of re#alin# the erson +ith the usual tea, he +ould offer, say, a #lass of a le 0uiceC"ut unlike the customary tea offered at each visit, his refreshment +as limited to the first visit "ecause it +as so much more e'otic, s ecial, and e' ensive, or so it +as in my case. 3am0i *ah#al is a scion of one of the old, esta"lished families of Banaras, not one of the rais, or aristocracy, "ut on the frin#e. 8e is active in his community and is founder?mem"er or secretary of assorted cultural or#ani1ations such as Na#ari Natak -andali <4ssociation for Na#ari 9heater=, Aed Aidyalaya <*chool for Aedas=, *an#eet Parishad <-usic Clu"=, and so on. 8e s eaks in a reserved, some+hat om ous +ay, as "efits his ositionC+hich , have al+ays found "est defined "y his location, that is, sittin# in his o en?fronted sho , e'actly +here the galis turn for the famed -anikarnika cremation #hat, #overnin# the vista of +hat is therefore the most cro+ded, interestin#, and im ortant art of Chauk. , made friends +ith him "ecause of his location. 2n that day, after a #reat deal of interestin# talk, , ut the >uestion to him, :@hat are the leisure activities of the eo le of BanarasI; 8e re lied rom tly +ithout a momentDs thou#ht: :Bhang chhanana <strainin# bhang, the local narcotic=, +ashin# your clothes +ith soa , and bahri alang %ana <#oin# outdoors=.; 4ma1in#ly, he mana#ed to look om ous and di#nified even as he said this. , +as some+hat alarmed to feel reality sli a+ay from me so s+iftly, and to #ain time , asked my formulaic >uestion: :8as it chan#edI 8o+ is it chan#in#I; 8e said, Ees indeed it had chan#ed. 9he first, bhang, +as no+ too e' ensive/ for the third, bahri alang, there +as no+ less time and money/ "ut the second continued to "e the :ho""y; <his term= of the eo le of Banaras. , left, still in a da1e, tryin# to icture 3am0i *ah#al dou"led over, scru""in# the shirt from his "ack +ith soa . 8e +as dead on the mark: soa +as a valued o"0ect and a recious sym"ol of lu'ury and #ood livin#, "ut no amount of o"servation could ro"a"ly have "rou#ht the fact home to me, +ith my reconce tions on the su"0ect, had it not "een stated to me so "landly. -any disconnected ictures fell in lace: families #athered at u"lic ta s +orkin# u a 0oyous lather of cleansin#/ a 8indi movie , had recently seen +here the middle?class cou le comes to the ver#e of "reakin# u "ecause the soa of the other+ise docile hus"and is used "y the +ife/ the o+erful advertisin# industryDs e' licit focus on soa . 9hus , entered yet another hase of my field+ork, in +hich , started +hat may "e called a systematic search, askin# everyone , met a"out :indi#enous cate#ories,; in this case bahri alang, soa , bhang, and +ater. )or the uninitiated reader, bahri alang is "est e' lained "y its literal translation, :the outer side,; and refers to the activity of #oin# outside and a+ay. @hen , thou#ht a"out it, : icnickin#; +as >uite an acce ta"le +ay of uttin# it, thou#h in my mind , forced an :indi#enous; to refi' the : icnic.;

9he ne't time , visited -ohan .al, , ut to him the >uestion, :@hat is the manoran%an <entertainment= of you eo leI; 8is ans+er: :Bathin# in the 5an#aMe'ercise in the akharaDbahri alangDnahana? nipatana <defecation and "athin#=M; 8e +as one of those old men +ho, artly "ecause they have "een e'tremely ener#etic their +hole lives and feel inca acitated +ith old a#e, develo a ha"it of claimin# for everythin# that it is no+ finished. *o -ohan .al added, :No+ everythin# is for#otten. 9en eo le +ould #et to#ether, #o out, have bhang. No+ there is no money, no interest. ,tDs also a lot of trou"le. .i>uor is >uicker.; But "y that time, , had sto ed takin# everythin# informants said at face value. , could di# "eneath the surface of their s eech >uite effectively to uncover the latent references and re0udices. , also learned to chan#e my style of >uestionin# from the innocuous, :@hat is CCI; or :9ell me a"out CC,; +hich failed as surely as askin# a reschooler <, +as to learn=, :8o+ +as schoolI @hat ha ened todayI; @ith indi#enous cate#ories, , had ossession of a key, , felt, +ith +hich to unlock eo leDs minds and mouths, one +hich never failed at its task. 9he element of sur rise +as essential in its de loyment the first time. @ith a ne+ +ood+orker friend, for e'am le, , turned suddenly in the middle of a conversation a"out somethin# else to ask, :0ow man! times a year e'actly did you #o to bahri alangI; 4nd 9ara Prasad looked at me ha ily and chortled, :@ell, +e have to #o to *arnath and 3amna#ar, as you kno+. 4nd then in the NavratrasM,t adds u to >uite a lot.; @ith my ne+ metal+orker families , +ould smoothly inter0ect into a discussion of, say, overty, :9hen thereDs the #oin# out, the "athin#Msoa Mthat must cost >uite a lot.; 9hey +ould e' ress a reciation of my ers icacity and roceed to ela"orate in #ratifyin# +ays. By then also, if further documentation +as needed, , had my first hoto#ra hs of bahri alang revelers, on their +ay +ith bhang and lota <+ater ot= to the other "ank of the river.

8, 9ood+or*ers
,n the first +eeks of my ro#ress +ith :the eo le of Banaras; , also met 9ara Prasad, +ho eventually "ecame the closest friend , made amon# the artisans, and a#ain , use :friend; advisedly. 2ne fine 2cto"er mornin#, feelin# it +as #ettin# :too late;Ca feelin# that "e#an comin# to me more and more oftenC, decided to e' lore Kho0+a. 4n e'cellent article in "%, the local 8indi daily, had informed me that Kho0+a +as +here the +ooden toymakers lived. , had +ith me that day my sister?in?la+, Bandana, a serious youn# +oman doin# her Ph.L. in industrial sociolo#y at Kashi Aidya ith. @ith a #ood idea of :+hat sociolo#ists do,; , did not +ish to "ore her, so , didnDt loiter as , +ould have if alone. <, e' ected her to tire very >uickly and to ask me ointedly, :@hat are you searchin# forI; *he had already ut me on #uard "y askin# innocently, :@hat is your universeI;= , ut on an a earance of kno+in# my mind, ali#hted from the ricksha+ at the first si#ht of +ooden toys, and started talkin# to a youn# man tendin# a sho . ,t turned out to "e an ela"orate introduction to the industry and the eo le, far "etter than , +ould have had "y +anderin# around. 9he sho +as called 4rya Kashtha Kala -andir, the 4ryan 9em le of @ooden 4rt, and the youn# man +as 3am Chandra *in#h. 8e +as readin#, had no customers, and +as more than ha y to sho+ off his e' ertise and kno+led#e. @ith ity for my i#norance, +hich , +as at ains to em hasi1e throu#h +ord, #esture, and facial e' ression, he recounted the history of +ood+ork in Kho0+a, the caste and social com osition of the +orkers, and the nature of roduction. 7verythin# +as very clear e'ce t, as usual, his o+n family and social "ack#round. 8e +as one of ten sonsCcould , have #ot that ri#htIC+hose names +ent thus: 3amesh+ar, Parmesh+ar, Chandresh+ar, -unesh+ar, 5yanesh+ar, 4mitesh+ar, 5o esh+ar, *hrimantesh+ar, and then, for some ine' lica"le reason, 3a0 Kumar. 9here +as also one sister, -ina Kumari. 2f courseN 9he t+o #litterin# stars of the Bom"ay screenN )or reasons of my o+n C ersonality, family "ack#round, academic trainin#C, al+ays felt a+k+ard and unsure in ro"in# family relationshi s and rocesses, considered the su"0ect irrelevant, and tried to rele#ate it to later

meetin#s. 4n hour +ith him felt other+ise like time +ell s ent. 9he only other discomfort , e' erienced +as in retendin# , shared his taste +hen he "e#an sho+in# me the choicest e'am les of Banaras +ood+ork. 2nly the handmade +ooden idols struck me as +onderful, utterly lifelike and charmin#. @ho made thoseI @here did the ideas come fromI Usually from calendars, , +as informed, and my heart sank. , had e' ected somethin# more :artistic; and creative. 3am Chandra then unrolled some calendars for my "enefit and "oasted articularly a"out one that he +as #oin# to order the craftsman to make ne't: the Panchmukhi <)ive?)aced= 8anuman. , sei1ed on the mention of the craftsman: +here +as he, ho+ could , meet himI 4nd immediately another youn# man, Kailash Kumar, +ho had mean+hile +andered in, volunteered to take me around to the craftsmenDs homes the ne't day. 9hat +as ho+ , +as introduced to 9ara Prasad, thou#h , had to kee him too for another day "ecause of Kailash KumarDs riorities.<see fi#. H= KailashDs uncle had a factory of stone #oods in Kho0+a, and, as often ha ened, Kailash sa+ me as overim ressed "y 3am ChandraDs roducts and +anted to over+helm me +ith his o+n. 8e +as also educated, and dou"tless full of va#ue am"itions, some of +hich , va#uely seemed to touch, "ein# from some va#ue fara+ay lace in his va#ue mind. , ins ected the stone roducts: a seemin#ly unvaryin# array of candlestands, incense holders, ashtrays, o"lon# and round "o'es for unnamed thin#s. , tried to reason that this a arent sameness +as e' lained "y the lathe they de ended on, +hich could only +hirl the stone around ra idly like a otterDs +heel +hile the +orkers scoo ed +ith different files to mold the stone. But in+ardly , acce ted that it +as for sheer lack of ima#ination. , sa+ some more :factories; accordin# to KailashDs taste, had tea and pan re eatedly, and e'tracted romises from everyone for hostin# my further visits, all necessarily after Li+ali. -ost eo le offered to tell me the whole histor! of car enters, toymakers, and stone+orkers in Banaras +hen , +as ready <that is, after Li+ali=, and one #rand man, 3am Khila+an, father of the ten sons, directed me to a u"lication, &ingh 1ar%ana, for enli#htenment. 9his, as , immediately #uessed, +as the laudatory mytholo#ical history of his caste.

9ara Prasad <ri#ht= erformin# a pinda ritual , +ent to Kho0+a a#ain the ne't day, thou#h , almost never +ent to the same lace t+o, leave aside three, days consecutively. )eelin# like a thief, , took a different route, afraid to "um into those +ho had already assured me my +ork +as over. 2f course , lost my +ay and found myself returnin# to 3am Khila+an. ,t turned out to "e no ro"lem at all to meet him a#ain, and , took one un lanned ste for+ard in overcomin# my diffidence and tendency to shy a+ay from sudden familiarity and contact. Lurin# a "rief chat he told me of +hat local eo le had drunk in the ast, somethin# called madag, made out of o ium, "ut , felt utterly i#norant of the realm of dru#s and into'ication con0ured u "y his talk and intuitively +ished to i#nore the +hole su"0ect. @hen , knocked at 9ara PrasadDs door, hun#ry and des ondent, , discovered that he +asnDt in. 8is +ife +as illiterate and s oke only Bho0 uri. , for my art s oke : ure; 8indi and had al+ays assumed that , +ould "e a"le to follo+ Bho0 uriCor for that matter any :dialect; of 8indiC+hen the necessity arose. But this articular s eaker sho+ed me the fallacy of my sim listic and arro#ant "eliefs. .ilavati +as crusadin# in her o+n +ay for the cause of those +ho resisted the cate#ori1ation of Bho0 uri as a mere dialect and had lastered Banaras +ith osters, usually erasin# notices in 8indi, ur#in#, :Eewal Bho%puri2( <:2nly Bho0 uriN;=. *he s oke fast, +ith the unconcern for listeners that those little e' erienced in u"lic life articularly have. 7very time , tried to slo+ her do+n or to translate her +ords into mine, she either fro1e into uncom rehendin# silence or steamrollered ri#ht over me +ith her o+n thou#hts. , had to admit to myself that , could not follo+ her and that she had no idea +hat , +anted, "ut , +as determined to make it +ork. , sat ensconced on the +ooden seat, she "efore me on

the floor, and +e talked to and fro for an hour, re eatin# much, and mostly at cross? ur oses. 4 fe+ thin#s "ecame clear, ho+ever. 9ara Prasad +as very sick. 9here +as no money in the house. ,t +as near Li+ali and the +a#es for ast +ork had yet to "e collected. But ho+I 9ara +as too ill to #o any+here. 8is +ife never ste ed out, she did not like to meddle in all this. @hy +as he not restin# then, +here +as heI 8e had decided to make his +ay to the doctor, restin# and #oin#, sto in# and +alkin#, as she ut it, +hich , thou#ht +as +onderfully descri tive. Aery soon , +as on my old track a#ain, leadin# +ith her to let me someho+ hel them. *he resolutely +arded off my offers, va#ue as they +ere. ,Dm not sure +hat , had in mindC erha s findin# out +hich route 9ara Prasad had taken, follo+in# him, and hel in# him "y the el"o+ to the doctorDs. , kne+ , didnDt have the coura#e or the confidence to take out some money and hand it to her. 9hinkin# over the scenario many times in my mind, , concluded that #ivin# her money +ould seem the hei#ht of insult, sittin# there as , +as, an uninvited and uncom rehended #uest. 7ven as my heart #re+ heavy at the ho elessness of overty, and no less at the hysical seclusion and resi#nation of this +oman, as an anthro olo#ist , +as mentally notin# :useful; facts, such as the name of the doctor atroni1ed, one could say, "y the +ood+orkers of Kho0+a, or the economic, educational, and #ender divisions that characteri1ed Bho0 uri and non?Bho0 uri s eakers. 9o file a+ay information thus, even +hile e' ressin# and indeed e' eriencin# sym athy for a li#ht, al+ays aroused in me the an'iety that , +as reducin# the situation to a drama, even a farce. ,an one "e detached and concerned at the same timeI 7m irically s eakin#: yes. , +as often "oth. , reali1ed, ho+ever, +hich attitude had recedence for me. , o"viously had a roclivity for detached o"servation: , +as makin# a rofession out of it. ,t took me a fe+ more years and some +ell?intentioned "ut mis#uided efforts to #ras ho+ , could also mark a +ell? defined s ace for actin# on my other roclivity: to interfere in areas , desi#nated as ro"lematic. -y ne't visit to their house +itnessed 9ara Prasad ro erly medicated and restored. Lis layin# his unla"eled "ottle of violet mi'ture to me like a tro hy, he #reeted me hos ita"ly and in the ri#ht state of mind to take time off for conversation. 4s all further visits revealed, he +as as "usy as only the #rossly under aid iece+ork +a#e earner can "e: he had to #et throu#h the first sta#e of carvin# at least ten statues every day. , could only sit "y him and +atch, calculatin# that one >uestion er five minutes +as all , should su"0ect him to. 9ara PrasadDs home +as a roached "y a narro+ galiCsi' feet acrossCthat "ranched off the main road of Kho0+a a"out t+o or three hundred yards after the "a1aar "e#an. , could take a ricksha+ till the galiF indeed , felt it +as essential. 9he main road itself +as not too "road, and +alkin# on it could "e ositively dan#erous, +ith its "ullock carts, hand? ulled carts, and s eedin# ricksha+s, all iled hi#h +ith heavy sacks, headin# to+ard the #rain market of Kho0+a. )or Kho0+aDs im ortance did not lie in its "ein# the residence of +ood+orkers/ it +as kno+n and feted as the second most im ortant +holesale market for #rain in the city, after Aishesh+ar#an0. 9he market +as in *outh Kho0+a, and , ke t a distance from it for the lon#est timeCtraders and so on, after all, +ith their Aaishya <tradin# caste= values and "ra1enly economic motivationsCuntil , reali1ed +hat a unity a mohalla constitutes. -ost of the oints of interest that 9ara eventually led me to, such as akharas, +restlin# matches, 3amlila sta#es, tem les, and meetin# laces for late ni#ht music, +ere located in the market, as +ere scores of articulate and culturally active men, all traders. , confronted yet another re0udice , had #ro+n u +ith: a trader, , su ose , had ima#ined, +as only half a real erson, "ein# en#rossed in rofit ma'imi1ation/ , discovered rather s+iftly that traders +ere, in s ite of their rofession, as im ressive as my artisans in their reference for livin# +ell. No ricksha+s entered 9ara PrasadDs gali, nor could , "rin# myself to stay on my "icycle in such a narro+ s aceCeven after , started ridin# a "ike every+hereCthou#h everyone else in Banaras could

do it to erfection. , al+ays +alked, +hich itself needed the ela"oration of certain techni>ues. ,f a "ell? rin#in# "ike announced itself as you +ere +alkin# alon#, you had to turn to the +all >uickly and hu# it, ho in# that the edals +ouldnDt scratch you or the "ike s>uish some fresh co+ dun# on you. 2r, if you +ere near a ste , you sim ly ascended it and +aited at the front of a house for the "ike to ass. 4s in Chauk, every house +as raised a fe+ ste s, +hich hel ed +hen the lace +as full of rain+ater, slime, mud, and +ashed?u #ar"a#e, "ut +hat other ur ose this feature served , could not discover. 4 fe+ Banarasi informants told me that it +as the :seat; of the house, that houses +ere al+ays "uilt +ith :chairs; to sit on. 4s , a roached 9ara PrasadDs house, , al+ays had moments of tre idation, for 0ust there +ere three or four vie+in# #alleries: a +oman sellin# chea acka#ed foods on a little latform, a man carvin# in a +indo+less room o en to the street, and a house+ife and mother inevita"ly massa#in# her children out on her verandah. 9hese +ould all ins ect me thorou#hly and, seein# me often, must have felt they had a certain res onsi"ility to+ard me, for as , a eared they +ould announce, :5o on, theyDre at home; or :9araDs out, "ut -an#raDs mother is in.; ,f ,, +hose 0o" +as to meet stran#ers, felt the nei#h"orsD in>uisitiveness so keenly, +hat did my hosts themselves feelI , sometimes +ondered. @ere they su"0ected to taunts, cross?>uestionin#, accusations of acce tin# money, of "ein# in lea#ue +ith the #overnment, or sim ly of "ein# made foolsI 4ll these +ere ro"lems mentioned o"li>uely "y less? +illin# informants/ of my closer ones, none ever com lained that my fre>uent visits caused them any trou"le. 9he nei#h"ors, in any case, +ere clearly not malicious, sim ly torn "y curiosity. @hy did , not incor orate them into my +idenin# net of informants and settle the matter once and for allI 7ven if , had done so, there +ould still have "een :nei#h"ors;: for every erson you #et to kno+, there are a do1en to +atch you. Eou also have limited resources/ if you concentrate on one erson or family, you cannot make an e>ual effort to "ecome intimate +ith others sim ly "ecause they a ear alon# the +ay, so to s eak/ it is a drainin# ro osition. -ost of all, , +ould say, , could not summon u sufficient intensity to overcome the hurdles their different ersonalities and situations thre+ u . 9o make one con>uest itself roduced a certain rela'ation of tension <:8aN , am movin# to Phase ,,;= and +eakenin# of effort. 9hen there +as the element of chanceC9ara Prasad had drifted into my or"it >uite +ithout lannin#Cand the still?lar#er element of com ati"ility. -ohan .al, 9ara Prasad, and all those , #ot to kno+ e>ually +ell +ere ordinary eo le in most res ects "ut different from others in one: they had the ima#ination and the #enerosity to e'tend to me their friendshi . By some triflin# mannerism or characteristic, they had stuck out in an anonymous cro+d in the first lace/ throu#h some further >ualities they made it ossi"le for me to #et to kno+ them +ell. , did not feel the same +ay a"out most of their immediate nei#h"ors. , did make a conscientious effort to kee u the momentum, ushin# my coura#e and a##ressiveness to their limits. 4t -ohan .alDs, my earliest visits +ere enou#h to make assers?"y ause, stare, and try to overhear +hat this short?haired, smartly dressed youn# +oman and the "lind and deaf old man in tatters could have to say to each other. 9he sho itself, +ith its front overhan#in# the lane, +as almost art of the u"lic s ace. 4s for nei#h"orin# sho kee ers, it al+ays seemed to me that they had far more leisure than +as normal, and they inevita"ly assumed various oses in their sho s that #ave them the ma'imum vie+ of me. -ohan .al minded none of this, and, addin# to my em"arrassment, +e "oth had to shout "ecause of his artial deafness. 9he ne't family , tried to #et to kno+ in Kashi ura took much lon#er to acce t me. , turned into a little laneCthree feet +ideCat random, and there "efore me in a co""led s>uare +as a +ell and a chabutara <"rick latform=, that e'cellent device for outdoor recreation. 4ll around +ere houses o enin# to the s>uare. 9he one directly in front of me +as the lar#est, and in its front room, the +orksho , s>uatted half a do1en men +orkin# on silver, an earthy si#ht, if there ever +as one. 9heir smooth?chested,

muscular "odies #lo+in# in the em"ers of their o+n fire, +hich rose and fell +ith the "ello+s, their "are?floored +orksho +ith tools of all si1es on the +alls, and nothin# "ut metal in different de#rees of readiness all aroundCno matter ho+ , have tried to s>uash this crude association, the memory has al+ays left me +ith the aesthetic satisfaction of havin# seen somethin# totally ictures>ue. , +as in the uncomforta"le osition of standin# on the #round a fe+ feet "eneath them, tryin# to interru t five or si' +orkin# men +ith no very recise >uery. 9hey layed deaf and dum" for a +hile, then , think asked each other, :@ho is sheI @hat does she +antI; , +as totally intimidated and +ould have run a+ay if , could have, "ut it +as easier to hold my #round. )inally, , said, :-ay , come inI; , +as #iven a folded sackcloth to sit on, "ut +ork continued on all sides as usual. 9hat first day , #ot little information from them, "ut , +as content sim ly to sit and +atch them +hile they decided +hether it made any sense to take a fe+ minutes off to talk to me. -ean+hile, a cro+d of children re eatedly #athered at the doors and +ere shooed off incessantly for "lockin# the li#ht and +astin# the menDs time. 9hat the males in the family +ere less irritated "y my distur"ance of their +ork than sim ly shy and distrustful of me "ecame clearer +hen , started hoto#ra hin# the children. -y camera +orked as a +onderful ice"reaker. 9he men "e#an to lau#h, 0oke, and talk, and thou#h they did not look at me directly, they made me feel +elcome. ,t +as even more difficult to #et to kno+ +ood+orkers "ecause the lathe o erators +orked in #rou s in sho s that +ere o en to the street and +ere "usy, cro+ded, dusty, and noisy +ith +hirrin# lathes. ,t +as al+ays more difficult to a roach a #rou of men than an individual, and it +as nearly im ossi"le to interru t a #rou at +ork, es ecially +ith the deafenin# machines near"y. , "e#an seekin# introductions. )or every erson , kne+, , +ould ask to "e introduced to one more. 9ara Prasad "ecame my assistant as +ell as my informant. Not only did , ee into all the rocesses of his and his familyDs life "ut also , could come to him +ith any >uestion and, for all his resistance, ester him for an ans+er. 2ften , +ould sim ly sho+ u and say, :9ake me to so?and?so.; 8e +ould hem and ha+ "ut +as irretrieva"ly amica"le enou#h to do it. 9o the end he +as uncomforta"le at my :intervie+s.; @hen , re>uested, :9ake me to your sardar, the head of the Aish+akarmas,; he literally 0um ed. :@hat do you +ant to ask himI @hat are you tryin# to find outI; 2n another occasion , asked him if he could take me to the +ido+ of a man mentioned in my records as an im ortant cultural atron. 8is dismayed, "y then familiar, reaction: :@hat shall +e tell herI @hat +ill you sayI; ,t +as useless to remind him of my ro0ect or to e' lain that , needed to kno+ others as , kne+ his family, "ecause he thou#ht of me as nothin# "ut a friend. -y ro0ect had never "een that clear to him to "e#in +ith, and he had rele#ated all kno+led#e of it to o"livion. 2nce, tellin# him that , sim ly must s eak to more +ood+orkers "ut +as una"le to do so, , asked, @ould he please introduce me to four friendsI 9here follo+ed an old?style anthro olo#ical encounter. , sat on the sin#le +ooden seat in 9ara PrasadDs house, his friends s>uatted on the floor, and , asked them >uestions as everyone else listened in. , have never used the information , #athered there. ,t +as a silly tactic that turned out all +ron#, nor did it make 9ara Prasad understand that art of me "etter. ,t must "e said that 9ara +as a +onderful erson +hom , #re+ to love, "ut he +as too stu""orn and taciturn and, as , +as al+ays a+are, far too "usy to "e a #ood informant and assistant. 9he lesson , +as learnin# +ith -ohan .al +as reinforced: the reluctance of eo le to talk, to "e intervie+ed, to "e inned do+n, +as really their reluctance to "e o"0ectified. , measure my #ro+th "y my increasin# a"ility to see the validity of their side of it, to dro the effort at outri#ht o"0ectification, to think of my informants as friends, and to acce t that most of the time my information #atherin# had to "e indirect. 9ara Prasad revealed his s ecialness in +anderin# around the city, attendin# music ro#rams and such events, ursuin# his o+n activities +ith me in attendance. @ith him , came closest to fulfillin# my some+hat neurotic and erverse dream of sim ly follo+in# an informant around every+here +ithout "ein# seen or heard.

9ara had t+o rooms in his house, a art from the covered nook +here he carved, the little "it of s ace that +as the kitchen, and the tin shed +ith s+in#in# door that must have "een the toilet. ,n one room lived the family: the craftsman, in his si'ties, erha s/ his Bho0 uri?sa"er?rattlin# +ife/ and the ten? year?old dau#hter, at the eak of re?adolescent shyness. 9he second room +as kachcha, of clay and thatch, and +as rented out to a youn# mi#rant lathe+orker from the villa#e, to#ether +ith his family. 9he #reat thin# for me +as that this cou le had an infant dau#hter e'actly the same a#e as mine, #ivin# me an honest, un?self?conscious to ic of conversation ri#ht from the "e#innin#. , could even "rin# my offs rin# alon# +ith me, and +ith these credentials in my hand, they had so much less distance to cover in formulatin# an ima#e of me that they could acce t. 9ara +orked at home e'ce t for the necessary tri s to the otters? ainters +ho #arnished his toys +ith aint and varnish and to the sho kee ers to "arter for a fe+ ennies his strenuously crafted, ma#ically lifelike thin#s of leasure and +orshi . 8is home, accordin#ly, "ecame one of my :centers,; to +hich , could head from any lace in the city, to "reathe easily, talk slo+ly and at leisure, en0oy the restfulness of kno+in# that the family acce ted me and had ceased >uestionin# my ur oses. -y dau#hter took some of her first ste s there and visited them at all times of the day and ni#ht, eatin# every kind of meal and #ra""in# her com ulsory na s. *omethin# a"out the clean?+i ed, "are floor, the em tiness of the room, and the fact that everyone there did +hat children find refera"le any+ay, that is, conducted all activities on the #round, made ,rfana feel in harmony +ith 9ara PrasadDs home. , remem"er her sittin# crossle##ed on the floor, around the a#e of one?and?a?half, "ein# directed "y her hosts to eat from a late in front of her. *he addressed the rice and +as told, :7at the ve#eta"lesN 9he ve#eta"lesN 9heyDre on to .; 4nd little ,rfana dutifully looked u at the ceilin#, +onderin# +hat other sur rises her motherDs friends had for her. ,t +as only 0ust and fittin# that she should have returned to Chica#o, at the a#e of t+o, fluent not in 7n#lish, Ben#ali, or 8indi, the lan#ua#es of her arents, "ut in Bho0 uri.

:, 9ea&ers
-y success +ith +ood+orkers and metal+orkers +as not easy to match +ith +eavers, and , made four a"ortive attem ts to enter their +orld "efore , finally succeeded. )irst attem t: , had decided to esche+ the dece tive mohalla of -adan ura, +hich eo le in their i#norance insisted on callin# the center of silk +eavin#, "ut , +as not sure +here to #o instead. -ean+hile , +as "roadenin# my circle of archival investi#ation. 2ne 2cto"er mornin# , visited Bhelu ura Police *tation to track do+n the olice festival records , kne+ e'isted. 9he station officer +as not in and others +ere not in a mood to "e o"li#in#, so , started my customary stroll in a randomly chosen direction. ,mmediately , sa+ a ainter aintin# si#ns in his +ooden stall, #ettin# all the s ellin#s +ron#, +ith some finished ortraits of local oliticians and #randees standin# "ehind him. :4 ainterN; -y "rain, as *om"a"u claims it does on such occasions, started +hirrin#. , ordered a name late from him and "e#an talkin# to him a"out his +ork and his family. -y ur ose had to "e e' lained, and as soon as , did so, he introduced me to a stout old man +ith a -uslim #oatee in the sho of Li+ali firecrackers ne't door. Clearly :han#in# out,; this man +as sittin# on a +ooden led#e in the sun and s+in#in# his le#s/ he +as e'actly the kind of man , +anted to meet. 8e took me to his home in near"y 5auri#an0, +here his sons and #randson +ove saris. 2n the +ay , noted other +eavin# esta"lishments, includin# a "arely visi"le si#n dee inside a lane that +ould "e my ne't sto : 8ai *ilk 8ouse. @ith the friendly -uslim, Kamruddin 4nsari, , had the old ro"lem of not kno+in# +here to "e#in. No+ , asked the family a"out their +ork, ho+ lon# they +ove, ho+ much they earned, and so on. No+ , asked them a"out their family life and +hat it had "een like in KamruddinDs youth. :@e e'ercised a lot in those days, daily, and ate ra+ chanas Fchick eas, lentilsG soaked overni#ht after +e +orked out,;

he said, lookin# at his sons. :9hese youn#sters donDt do anythin#. .ook at their healthN; No+ , asked a"out their festivals and +as informed that 8a1rat *hish Pai#am"ar <+hoever that mi#ht "e= had started the craft of +eavin#. 9he most titillatin# information +as that they +ere, all +eavers +ere, 4nsari. 9hey +ere not 6ulaha <the caste name for +eavers, "oth 8indu and -uslim, in +ritten sources and o ular usa#e=/ 6ulahas did :coarse +ork.; *ome days reviously -ohan .al had told me confidentially that they, the metal+orkers, +ere Kasera, not 9hatera, as some eo le "elieved. 9hateras only did :coarse +ork,; he had +his ered in my ear. 9he sons at first lar#ely i#nored me as a friend of their fatherDs/ Kamruddin, it +as clear "y their demeanor, they "arely tolerated, thinkin# him old?fashioned and sim ly old. 4fter a #ood hour of eavesdro in# on our conversation and lacin# me in some +ay, they aroused themselves from their indifference and "rou#ht me their :family; al"ums to survey. ,t turned out that they had arran#ements +ith rickshawallas and ta'i drivers, +ho "rou#ht loads of tourists to their doorste to "e #iven an inside look at silk +eavin# and almost certainly to make some urchases. KamruddinDs sons had fat ackets of hoto#ra hs sent them "y their forei#n friends and a diary crammed +ith addresses from 6a an to 8a+aii, travelin# +est+ard. ,t +as KamruddinDs turn to look amused and indifferent. , did not stay lon# after that. , didnDt fancy havin# my name added to the cro+ded rostrum of forei#ners, +hich +ould ro"a"ly soon have ha ened. 4s , +alked a+ay, , heard a shout, and Kamruddin cau#ht u +ith me. :LonDt for#et,; he anted. :LonDt for#et to +rite in your "ook that , used to eat ra+ chanas every day in my youthN; *econd attem t: 8ai *ilk 8ouse +as a com le' of three or four houses 0oined to#ether, one used for dyein#, one for +eavin#, and so on. -r. 4"dul 8ai sat in his baithaka, literally :sittin# room,; on his gaddi, literally :seat,; the term used for all those +hite sheets and "olster illo+s set out in every lace of sale and rece tion. -r. 8ai +as a middle?level "usinessman, not im ortant enou#h to dismiss me offhand "ut ho eful that there mi#ht lurk a ossi"le "usiness deal in our e'chan#e. 8e had a 8indu accountant +hom , +as itchin# to >uestion a"out +hat it +as like to +ork in a -uslim esta"lishment, "ut , could only #et enou#h of his name to #ather it +as 8indu and could come u +ith no ready e'cuse to include him in the conversation. -r. 8ai claimed that thirty years "ack he had "een an ordinary +eaver and "y the sheer skill of his hands he had risen to his resent osition of o+nin# fifteen to t+enty looms. 8e could descri"e the looms and the com osition of the ra+ material in accurate detail. 9hen +e came to :society and culture.; :2ur +ork +as started "yM; he "e#an/ :8a1rat *hish Pai#am"ar,; , finished, ee in# at my revious a#e of notes and thinkin# a#ain, +hoever he mi#ht "e. 4"dul 8ai did not take kindly to this dis lay of kno+led#e on my art. :Bou seem to kno+ all a"out usN; he e'claimed, not amused, scrutini1in# me closely. :8ey, munshi2; he "rou#ht the accountant into the conversation/ :8o+ does she kno+ e#er!thingG; .ike me, he had "een a+are that the munshi and , formed some kind of a t+osome, "oth "ein# 8indus. , +as startled, to say the least. @hat did he think , +asI 4 -uslim from a +eaver family, dis#uised as a 8induI 4 #overnment a#entI 4 forei#n s yI , couldnDt #uess, "ut the intervie+ +as over. 9hird attem t: , made at least t+o other misdirected attem ts to enetrate the +eaversD +orld. 9he first +as throu#h the a#ency of a sari "usinessman called *eth 5ovind 3am <different from 5ovind 3am Ka oor=, +ho invited me to the satti, the +holesale market for saris, "et+een (:$% and &:$% in the evenin#, +hen do1ens of +eavers +ould come to him, as to other middlemen in the satti, to sell their +ares. , +ent, and sat on his gaddi, and sa+ the +eavers come. 8e +ould recall my resence occasionally and 0ovially announce, :4nd hereDs a bahan%i <res ected sister= from Chica#o +ho +ants to find out a"out +eaver societyN 9ell her somethin#N; 4nd a fe+ +eavers +ould "e directed to me. 3ed and hot and in dee ain at the +hole roceedin#, , +ould mum"le, :@here do you liveI @hat do

you cele"rateI 8o+ lon# have you "een doin# thisI; )ourth and enultimate attem t: -y last unsuccessful foray follo+ed a disa ointin# encounter +ith some otters at 3eori 9ala". ,t +as the eve of Li+ali and the +ron# time to s eak to them, as , should have kno+n. *o , "ree1ed into a sho of firecrackers on the other side of the street +hich had a #ood dis lay and +here a team of three "rothers and their uncle +ere uttin# the final touches on more e' losives. , thou#ht , +as collectin# data on the firecracker industry until , discovered that the +ork +as seasonal. 9+o of the "rothers did +eavin#/ the third carried on a trade in mutton. 9he youn#est, as , #uessed him to "e "y his looks and ener#y, escorted me inside to see his loom. None of them seemed to "e married, nor did they have a mother or sisters or any kind of a : ro er; family or home, "ut all +ere e'ceedin#ly e'troverted. , +as uncomforta"le +ith all the o"vious evidence of "achelor e'istence and their readiness to +elcome me into it, "ut in those days the last thin# , could do +as voice my thou#hts or clarify a dou"t la#uin# me. , 0ust +ent a+ay and never came "ack. ,n fact, "oth 5auri#an0 and 3eori 9ala" are +eavin# areas, as is -adan ura, "ut the real centers are in the north of the city, the +ards of 4dam ura and 6ait ura. , finally reached 6ait ura +ith the hel of the :contact; of a :contact.; .ike 5ovind 3am Ka oor, he +as a silk yarn dealer, "ut one +ho actually kne+ +eavers. 8e himself lived in Nati ,mli, and ne't to his house, conveniently, +as located the Bunkar Colony, or @eaversD Colony, a #overnment?su"sidi1ed housin# scheme that had made a"out fifty homes availa"le to oor +eavers throu#h lottery. @e +ent to the house of *haukatullah, a heavy, "aldin# man, +ith thick?rimmed #lasses throu#h +hich he eered shortsi#htedly, a li#ht?hearted, amused man, and a true atriarch. 8e himself had retired from +eavin#, thou#h he +as erfectly fit as far as , could make out and evidently seemed to refer sittin# in the sun, shoutin# at his #randchildren, and #oin# to the market for every little thin#. 9he +eavin# +as done "y his t+o sons and a hired hand, and after a cursory look at the +orksho , +as handed over to :the family.; 9his +as no small challen#e for me to face. 9here +ere at least a do1en small children, half a do1en "i##er ones, and as many adults. , settled do+n for the mornin#/ in those days, so a+are +as , of my o+n limitations, , sa+ it as essential to #ive four hours +here one +as needed, reco#ni1in# that it +as not only my informantsD natural reticence that had to "e overcome "ut my o+n shyness and i#norance as +ell. ,n a household settin#, , +as articularly lost. 4s soon as , had an ans+er to one >uestion, , +ould sim ly nod and look sym athetic, not >uite sure ho+ to follo+ u . -atters of child rearin# and child careI No, that su"0ect did not >uite a eal to me. 8o+ did they cook and +hat did they eatI -ildly interestin#, "ut not terri"ly so. @hat +ork did the +omen doI 9hat +as clear enou#h: every sta#e of nursin#, feedin#, teachin#, cleanin# u , #ettin# "o""ins ready, and se+in# and em"roidery "esides +as "efore me to o"serve. 9hey, in fact, asked me more direct, meanin#ful >uestions. :@here is our "rother?in?la+I 8o+ many nieces and ne he+s do +e haveI @hat do they do +hen you #o out to +orkI; , am ashamed no+ to re ort that , could not even understand in the "e#innin# that they +ere askin# a"out m! family, havin# acce ted me as a sister, so unversed +as , in Banarasi, and ,ndian, conversational rules, "ut as their meanin# da+ned on me , rushed to take advanta#e of the o ortunity to esta"lish ra ort. 9hey had me all fi#ured out "y the end of the mornin#, +hereas , needed another four visits to have their :case history.; ,n the rocess, throu#h the familiar anthro olo#ical situation of role reversal, +here they +ere the in>uirers, , the o"0ect, they #uided me in necessary +ays. , aid close attention to their style of conversation, their Bho0 uri?8indi lin#o, to ics that startled them and those they assumed to "e natural, and , assimilated and ada ted ra idly. 9hree thin#s dominated my im ressions on that first visit. 2ne +as the fact of over o ulation and the related fact of filth. @e sat in the courtyard, a cemented ten?foot?s>uare s ace "et+een the +orkroom, t+o family rooms, and the outer +all. 4ll around it +as a narro+ o en drain +here the children +ere encoura#ed to ee, and at least one small child to defecate. @here the older ones relieved themselves , did not discover, then or ever. 9he rest of the courtyard +as littered +ith s illed food, #ar"a#e, and

+hat must have "een urine. 9here +ere flies every+here, and , +as the only one conscious of them. , +as determined not to let one ali#ht on me, seein# as , could +here it must have visited the minute "efore. @hen s+eets +ere ordered and set "efore me on a freshly +ashed latter, , "ecame en#a#ed in a "attle +ith the flies to kee them a+ay and +ith myself to decide +hat "est to do +ith these #reasy s+eets. *hould , #o""le them u "efore they could "e further contaminated/ refuse them +ith the e'cuse that , +as un+ellC:But these are made of chhena <cotta#e cheese=/ theyDre #ood for you,; +as the res onse , had learned to e' ectC/ or distri"ute them amon# the children in a s+ift, decisive move. ,nca a"le of the last, , ni""led and suffered, eatin# far more than , need have "ecause , chose the disastrous course of sayin# that , could not tolerate much su#ar and that tea and pan instead +ould "e :0ust fine.; *o, , ended u "ein# lied +ith the s+eets and dee ?fried salty snacksCsince tea could not "e drunk after s+eet "ut only after saltCand tea, +ith an e'tra layer of cream on to for my s ecial en0oyment. 9he second im ression, then, closely linked to the first, +as of over"earin# hos itality. 9he third, "y contrast, +as the im ression of erfect order, as , sa+ the rest of the rooms. 9he floors +ere "are, +ithout furniture or o"0ects, everythin# neatly folded and stored u on led#es, #rain and other food in hu#e tin canisters, thin#s of daily use in ro+s on shelves in the +all. 7very +oman kne+ her 0o", no child could touch or lay +ith anythin#, and there +as an o"vious ride in housekee in#. :8o+ "eautifulN; , could not hel e'claimin#. @hat kind of s ace +as the courtyard thenI ,t seemed that a "ottle of >uinine or some other household disinfectant +as not "eyond their "ud#et "ut that they sim ly did not care. @hen , recollect that , did not mention those terri"ly unsanitary conditions in the middle of the house +hen , finally +rote my "ook, , +onder +hether , cared either. 2r rather, , forced myself to care less since , +as hel less to do anythin# a"out it, and may"e that +as true for the +omen as +ell. Perha s there is a direct relationshi "et+een o"servation of certain ro"lems and oneDs a"ility to do anythin# a"out them, includin# re ort on them meanin#fully. , remem"er one informantDs +ords, as , stood at the head of a re ulsive, stenchin# lane and e'claimed, :9his is im ossi"le/ this +ill have to "e cleaned u N; :9his +ill not #et cleaned u , sister,; he re lied mildly/ :"ut your eyes +ill #et used to it.; 9o +rite on the issues of filth and the indifference to it has "een on my a#enda from 19B1, "ut , have "een attendin# to easier tasks first. 4t *haukatullahDs , +as for the very first time in the middle of a hu#eC"lossomin#, "loomin#, they +ould have saidCfamily, as o osed to "ein# amon# the men in their +ork lace or +ith one or t+o mem"ers in a s ecific conte't. , made it very clear that , did not +ant concrete information on this or that/ , 0ust +anted to #et to kno+ them, to "ecome intimate +ith them, to #et to understand them. 9here +ere three or four #irls seated on the #round "eside me, the older +omen movin# in and out of the rooms as they minded the cookin# and children alon#side, the children all surroundin# me and starin#, "ein# ushed a+ay for touchin# me or my "a#, and the men "usy +ith their 0o"s. 9hey +ere the ones , really +anted to catch, "ut they +ere too elusive. 9he oldest son, -a0id, had ordered the refreshments and stood "y me to su ervise their consum tion, and the father, +ho had nothin# to do, still referred to sit a art in the sun rather than to meddle in the +omenDs chatter, directin# occasional sallies at me: :Eou +ant to kno+ a"out 4nsaris. @ell, even amon# 4nsaris there are many castesN; 2r: :@e start +orkin# from the a#e of ten or t+elve. @e really #et to kno+ lifeN; 4ll of this +as delivered in a teasin#, "anterin# +ay. 9o make the most of a situation like this, one needed the skills of a olitician, or at least the e' erience of someone used to addressin# and controllin# num"ers of eo le to#etherCa olice station officer, a school rinci al, or even my mother on her lar#e estate +ith her staff of si'teen. , +as acutely conscious of "ein# in a -uslim householdC not a+k+ard or nervous "ut sim ly e'tra? sensitive to nuances of +ord and #esture, a#ain an admission of my o+n i#norance. , felt , had an :in; on -uslims "y virtue of my .uckno+ "ack#round <distant "ut useful to evoke=, thanks to +hich , s oke in a +ay that made all lan#ua#e?conscious ,ndians e'claim, :Eour Urdu is so #oodN; -y fatherDs

oldest "rother, my tau%i, +ho lived in .uckno+, looked in his youn#er days like a maul#i, and he and his "rothers had all "een educated in Urdu, 4ra"ic, and Persian in madrasas. 2ur Kayastha family +as acculturated into :-uslim; +ays of s eech, dress, and civility from the days +hen :8indu; and :-uslim; +ere not distinct cultural cate#ories at all. ,n times of diffidence, tau%i*s ima#e comes to mind and , feel encoura#ed that , can "e trusted to kno+ ho+ to act in -uslim com any. , had never actually "een ut to the test. 4ll these feelin#s of closeness to -uslims +ere va#ue ones. 9he -uslims , had actually kno+n +ere either non ersonalities like #overnment "ureaucrats or those other+ise neutrali1ed "y education and life?style. 4s a child, my closest friends +ere -uslims, *hani and 9ashi, +hose house , visited fre>uently. 9heir food +as distinct, "ut then so +as that of every 8indu family , kne+. 9he main difference , remem"er is that in their home the #randmother used the s ittoon, +hereas in ours only the males did. ,n *haukatullahDs family, there +as much to make a 8indu o"server feel at ease. 9he +omen +ere dressed in the :rural,; or old?fashioned, style of sidha palla, the loose end of the sari "ein# dra ed over their head and ri#ht shoulder. 9heir 0e+elry +as rustic and their s eech +as redominantly Bho0 uri, the lan#ua#e s oken "y every caste and community in Banaras. 9he terms and hrases , noted do+n from them and other such informants "ore little resem"lance to the Urdu ori#inals, and for months , did not discover the recise reference for the less familiar ones. 9hey used 8indu ima#ery freely, s eakin#, for e'am le, of :.akshmi de artin# from the house; to mean destitution or of :fillin# the artin# +ith sindur; to refer to marria#eCnone of +hich +as necessarily hel ful, since , +as not a ty ical :8indu.; , +as not a 8indu o"server/ , +as sim ly a naive o"server. 9he more closely someone fit a stereoty e, the easier it ro"a"ly +ould have "een for me, "ut these eo le fit no stereoty es at all. Eet, u on reflection, the fact that +e moved to+ard mutual acce tance so >uickly surely had somethin# to do +ith *haukatullahDs sim le notions of "rotherhood and love "et+een all and +ith my va#ue identification +ith -uslims from my familyDs ast. 9he >uestion of the :actual; and the : ro er; feelin# of 8indus and -uslims to+ard each other continued to haunt me throu#hout my field+ork. , +ished to discard all idealism or romanticism a"out this relationshi and see it for +hat it +as. 4do tin# an inductive rocedure of the crudest kind, , o"served every instance of interaction carefully and asked everyone +ith +hom , had dealin#s +hat their reflections on the matter +ereC+hich +ere also then o"servations to "e inter reted. , usually learned more a"out the erson >uestioned than a"out 8indu?-uslim relations. 2ne #ood e'am le of this +as the o+ner of a +atch sho +hom , ha ened to "e intervie+in# on the same day , had talked at len#th +ith musicians and had reali1ed ho+ irrelevant reli#ious cate#ories +ere in the realm of music. 9his time iece e' ert +as a sort of aristocrat, a atron of the arts, avo+edly fond of music, and of course from an old, esta"lished, and +ealthy family of Banaras. 8e told me a"out contem orary or#ani1ations and the atrona#e of music. 9o+ard the end of our conversation, , thre+ in carelessly, :4nd ho+ +ould you descri"e 8indu?-uslim interactionI; :*ister,; said he in his >uite memora"le +ay, :as far as , kno+ they are not interactin# at allN; ,n a matter of +eeks , +as #iven the status of a dau#hter of *haukatullah. @hen , finally took my hus"and to meet my ne+ family, a ri le +ent throu#h the house: the son?in?la+ had made his first visit. -y : arents; made a ritual fare+ell <#idai= that day, #ivin# me a sari, "louse and etticoat iece, and s+eets, and *om"a"u a hundred ru ees. 9o cover his em"arrassment, he #ave +hat , thou#ht +as a #ood line. :@hy meI; he asked. :&he is your dau#hter. 5ive it to her.;

#, Cate%ories and Units of O-ser&ation

,n Novem"er , started ta"la lessons +ith Pandit -ahadev -ishra. , had already lanned to do so in Chica#o, thinkin#, like 7rnie on *esame *treet, that , had rhythm in my "ones "ut that vocal music

+ould not "e such a #ood idea, since , had #iven it a try for three years +ith mi'ed success. 9he lessons +ere for fun, of course, thou#h +ith ta"la , had the half?serious notion of #ivin# my sitarist hus"and accom animent to ractice "y. , also ima#ined that learnin# somethin# +ould #ive me access to a musician, his family, and erha s the +hole community of musicians. 9his +as also around the time that , "ecame determined to nail do+n those elusive >uarries, ka%li and chaiti. 9hese +ere "u11 +ords that you heard in all kinds of situations, and , #athered that they +ere names for t+o #enres of folk music. Ea%li <or ka%ri, the l and r "ein# often interchan#ea"le in collo>uial 8indi= +as the more familiar, "ein# alluded to in sundry +ritten sources as a #enre o ular +ith +omen, a henomenon of the monsoons, an activity associated +ith s+in#in# merrily on s+in#s hun# from sturdy "ranches. 2nly the second characteristic turned out to "e relevant to Banaras. , had never actually heard either kind of music, nor did , kno+ +here , mi#ht. By that time, , +as s endin# a fair amount of time in artisansD homes, +as very close to some informants and develo in# other relationshi s further, increasin# my circle of ac>uaintances steadily. But to kno+ them or to visit their homes +as not necessarily to discover their musicCas it +as also not to discover their #ymnasiums, the akharas, or their icnics, the #oin# out to bahri alang. -y other informants +ere "ad, "ut Pandit -ahadev -ishra +as the very +orst informant a researcher could ima#ine. 8e +as im recise, did not "elieve in fact or detail, thou#ht it "orin# to stick to a su"0ect for more than a minute, let his mind +ander +here it +ould, and often sto ed talkin# alto#ether to reminisce and smile rivately to himself <see fi#. &=. 4 art from #oin# to his house thrice a +eek, , also liked to "rin# him home on a *aturday, artly to offer him hos itality. 9hat evenin# in Novem"er, as +e +ere sittin# at the tea ta"le, the electricity +ent off for a lon# time. @e sat in the dark and talked. 8e +as rela'ed and seemed leased +ith the atmos here. Pressin# him gentl!, , asked for the um teenth time, :9ell me a"out this Banarasi ka%li and chaiti.; 8e did not, for once, "rush my >uestion aside as irrelevantCeither you kno+ it in son# or you donDt/ +hat is there to sa! a"out itI ,n fact, he did, in a +ay, "ecause instead of sayin# anythin#, he san# some e'am les for me. , couldnDt reco#ni1e or differentiate them for my life. 9hen he told me, in one of those rare ins irations of his that al+ays meant a ma0or "reakthrou#h for me, :,Dll take you to a disci le of mine. 8eDll tell you all a"out ka%li.; , rom tly fi'ed time and lace.

Pandit -ahadev -ishra sin#in# the $ama!ana Pandit -ahadev -ishra +as old even then, thou#h it +as difficult to remem"er that he +as in his mid? seventies. 8e leaned heavily on his cane and +alked slo+ly, "ut he +as "raver than ,Cas is every BanarasiCin traffickin# a gali a"out three yards +ide fully occu ied "y a fierce "lack "uffalo. @e reached the lon#, e'tended side of a one?storied house +ith many doors, and he called out for his disci les. 9here +ere t+o "rothers, Ladu <Kshamanath= and *antosh Kumar, to +hom , +as introduced. , romised to return the ne't day. Ladu and *antosh +ere tailors, ur"ane and mild?mannered youn# men, reserved and refined. 9hey had "oth learned a little from -ahadev -ishra and had natural talent. 9heir father +as an amateur oet and com oser and so +ere they. 9o my eye they looked +esterni1ed, +ith their "ell?"ottomed trousers and styled shirts, "ut then , recalled that so had 5auri and Kishan at Aish+akarma Pu0a, and every other youn# man , had met outside his +ork lace or the courtyard of his home. 9here +as in fact no >uestion a"out any of these men "ein# +esterni1ed. 9hey +ere >uite the o osite. 9he clothes they +ore +ere art of Banaras and did not si#nal +esterni1ation to local eo le as they did to me. Ladu and *antosh >ui11ed me for hours a"out my ur oses, and even then , had not a+akened a sym athetic #leam in the eye or earned a nod of the head from them. @e sat there cementin# our relationshi , chattin# a"out

Chica#o, old and ne+ times, comin# "ack to ho+ #reat a musician -ahadev -ishra +as as a kind of refrain. @ith the sheer assa#e of time, , "ecame a familiar si#ht at least. @hen they sent out for s+eets and ersuaded me to eat u , , thou#ht , had "ecome acce ted. But , +as no closer to discoverin# the meanin# of chaiti and ka%li. @hen they did start talkin# a"out the music, , reali1ed that there +as somethin# +ron# +ith my hrasin# of the >uestion. No one can tell you :+hat; chaiti or ka%li is. 9hey +ould not even a#ree that it +as :folk music; and com licated the +hole issue further "y tellin# me of half a do1en other forms that +ere :actually; folk musicCchhapar!a, purbi, bho%puri, biraha, Aawwali, ghaCalCand la"elin# them in assin# as :uncultured; and :of oor taste.; 9hey did tell me of music akharas <:clu"s;=, ho+ever, of their famous leaders, and of their fatherDs akhara, called 6ahan#ir. 4nd they invited me to their -onday evenin# #et?to#ether in a room o osite the 8anuman tem le in Khari Kuan, a fe+ yards from +here they lived. , +ent the ne't -onday, enterin# after the sin#in# had "e#un, and +as mesmeri1ed. ,t +as dramatic, e'citin#, emotional, and very, very charmin#. 9he room, a"out ten feet s>uare, +as "are e'ce t for an o en $ama!ana, a #arland, and an incense stick ne't to it. 9+o main sin#ers faced the "ook, and the do1en or so other men in the room +ere divided rou#hly into t+o #rou s, one on either side. 7ach leader had a harmonium, a lanky and short?cro ed fello+ had the dholak, the t+o?sided drum, and the rest had cym"als <see fi#. K=. , entered in the middle of a loud, uncontrolled "urst of sin#in#, e' osin# a do1en pan?red mouths.

4n informal folk music #atherin# +ith Bri0 -ohan, a +ooden toymaker and dholak layer on the ri#ht ,t +as the first time that , had heard live folk music close u and in the very makin#, and the ne+ e' erience contri"uted to the e'citement. But far more e'citin# +as the countenance and emotion of the sin#ers themselves, their eyes closed, their "odies s+ayin#, their voices ea#er to follo+ the lead itch. 9hat -onday turned out to "e the first sto in a lon# odyssey +hich took me to "y+ays and alleys, "asements and roofto s, teasho s in "usy lanes and even tem les on hillto s outside the city, all to hear and record this music. , "e#an com rehendin# +hat chaiti and ka%li and holi +ere and a reciatin# the fine distinctions +ithin each. )inally came a time +hen , felt that , kne+ +hat -ahadev -ishra had "een talkin# a"out +hen he had said to me, :,haiti makes the hearts of Banarasis ski and "eat +ith e'citement,; "ut, in all honesty, this understandin# came much later, +hen , +as "ack in Chica#o, my head hones #lued to my ears. , understood biraha less, then and no+, and certainly en0oy it far less. , discovered, totally out of the "lue, the other #enres of khamsa, ghaCal, and $ama!ana <as they used the term, to desi#nate "oth "ook and #enre=. 9he mildest thin# , can say a"out it all +as that it +as never "orin#. 7ven +hen the tunefulness +as not im ressive, the circumstances certainly +ere. 2n one occasion, iles of little hand?crafted "rass and co er vessels, called lotas, +ere iled a#ainst a +all as the t+o teams chorused under this #leamin# "ackdro . 2n another, a still summer roofto +as filled +ith +ood+orkers and their families from all the surroundin# lanes of Kho0+a to hear -ohan the pan?seller sin# and Bri0 -ohan, the same close?cro ed youn# lathe+orker , sa+ in my first encounter, lay the dholak. ,n yet another instance, , +as laced on a "ench over a drain facin# a tea?sho transformed into a clean baithaka +here panwallas and chaiwallas <pan and tea sellers= con#re#ated. 4l+ays at ten or eleven at the earliest, al+ays too late to make my leasure unadulterated. , felt little sur rise u on discoverin# ho+ dedicated and talented so many of my "rass +orker, co ersmith, car enter, and toymaker informants and their eers +ere. , +as #ettin# used to this cultivation of e'cellence "y seemin#ly unremarka"le eo le. *tran#e to say,until this time , had heard

the oor s oken of at "est +ith ity and condescension, "ut never +ith res ect. 9heir varied interests and their attitude to+ard life as somethin# to "e lived to the full +ere m! discoveries in the field. , +as erha s >uietly testin# to see at +hich run# of the economic ladder this inde endence and s irit ended, and "eneath +hich +ere only hel lessness, sufferin#, and su"sistence, +here the frail structures "uilt "y the mind, so to s eak, started relatin# one?on?one +ith hysical im overishment. , rested the case <+ith res ect and #ratitude= the day , visited a rickshawalla throu#h the a#ency of his artisan son. 7' ectin# a +retched hovel, , +as stunned to meet this di#nified +ido+er leadin# a meticulously lanned e'istence, o"viously rich in the middle of his a"solute overty, his s are time devoted to musical renditions of the $ama!ana. 8o+ , or#ani1ed my late?ni#ht tri s to musical erformances is a matter of +onder to me today, "ecause , donDt think , no+ have the ener#y, enter rise, and sheer darin# to chase thin#s thus to their end. , had to find escorts, of course. Comin# "ack +ould "e no ro"lem, , +as al+ays assured/ one of the sin#ers could "e ersuaded to see me home. But to #o at ten or eleven, or even at midni#ht, very likely to cold, dark, slee in# nei#h"orhoods, usually "y roads and lanes only half+ay decent even "y the li#ht of dayCall this needed determination. , formed, over the months, a latoon of :"rothers,; youn# men like -arkande the stone+orker, or Na#endra, clerk in an unkno+n office, +ho +ere themselves totally uninterested in the events , ro osed to +itness "ut +ho, havin# declared themselves my "rothers, could not say no to me. *o the erson in >uestion +ould "undle himself u , find me a ricksha+, and then cycle alon# to the destination. , +ould not let him #o, and he had to sit, or slouch, or slee , or +hatever he could allo+ himself to do, till , +as ready to leave. , should add that , +as al+ays conscious of my hi#h?handedness and cut my visits to music #atherin#s shorter than they +ould have "een had , "een on my o+n. , +as al+ays the only +oman on the scene at the re#ular #atherin#s/ the e'ce tions +ere the annual cele"rations of shrines, called sringars, and s ecial ro#rams, such as the one on the Kho0+a roofto , +hen +omen and children formed the outer rin#s of the audience or made themselves comforta"le on ad0oinin# roofto s. , do not remem"er ever mindin# my solitude or sufferin# any discomfort from it. 7ither eo le i#nored meCthou#h they did not i#nore my ta e recorder, treatin# it #ently and reverently as it +as :filled u ;Cor they treated me +ith res ect and rotectiveness. :4 chair, a chairN 5et a chairN; +as one +ay of e' ressin# this, thou#h no chair +ould a ear out of the darkness. 9here +as no teasin#, "anterin#, 0okin#, or even >uestionin#. , think the assum tion +as that of course their music +as s ecial enou#h for me to come a #reat distance, leavin# family and home, to hear and record it. , had not kno+n of this #reat music for many reasons/ my informants uniformly ut it do+n to ,ndiaDs re#ional diversity. Native Banarasis clearly understood that :,ndian; is a term needin# >ualification. 9hey matter?of?factly attri"uted my i#norance to my ori#ins at variously conce tuali1ed oints lyin# in +esterly directions. ,n their more eu horic moments, , +as often flattered "y informants: :,tDs really miraculous, ho+ you can come from outside and understand the music For +hatever other thin# at the moment it +asG of this city;C +here :outside; for them meant not Chica#o or Ne+ Eork "ut .uckno+.

";, Amon% the o(i)e and Administration

, have ne#lected to mention my ethno#ra hic adventures at the "e#innin# of our stay, +hen +e #ot to meet the hi#h society of Banaras. @ithin our first +eek +e +ent for dinner to -r. 3ishi Prata *in#h, a rominent "usinessman/ for dinner to the *enior *u erintendent of Police/ and for lunch to the *u erintendent of Police, ,ntelli#ence. 9he first +as a family friend of many yearsD standin#, the second a su"ordinate of my fatherDs, a lively and lika"le erson +ho had +orked hard to hel find us a house, and the third +as the hus"and of an old school friend , had met a#ain after many years. 9he reason for all these social #atherin#s +as the transfer of the Listrict -a#istrate, the kind of event that

occasioned fare+ell arties. 9he dinners took lace after midni#ht, the lunch at only ( . m., all receded "y lon# hours of formalities, hi#h?flo+n declarations of friendshi , and very oor 0okes. 9he food +as the most ela"orate conceiva"le, un"eata"ly e' ensive, and lavish, +ith almost every delicacy that +as availa"le in the market served at the meal. 9here +as al+ays sou for starters. No+ if , +ere to serve sou +ith ,ndian food, , mi#ht ho e that it +ould fill eo le u a little and make my food #o further. But the #uests needed no such consideration/ there +as al+ays one ve#etarian and one nonve#etarian ta"le laden +ith dishes, and the hostess circulatin#: :Bhai &ahab2 Bhabhi%i2 <BrotherN *ister?in?la+N= Eou are not eatin# anythin#N; @e +ere alternately revolted and saddened "y it all: the overty of taste, the vacuum of interests and ur oses, the +astefulness and underlyin# de#eneration. Eet +e +ent to every one of these functions, +ithout ever feelin# kinder to+ard this society, "ecause , reasoned to myself that my curiosity a"out it all could "e satisfied only "y ersonal artici ation. @e also found it difficult to say no and could never think of satisfactory e'cuses in time. Eet each de#radin# e' erience made us des ise ourselves for attendin# and resolve never to do so a#ain. , had erha s an easier time of it than , could have had, "ecause , +as not o"li#ed to sit in the dra+in# room in a ro+ of ladies, endurin# the 0ovial ressure to :finish my drink.; @ith the e'cuse of a little "a"y, , could retire to a >uieter room to nurse ,rfana, ut her to slee , or sit +ith her. 4t the *in#hsD house, the youn#est dau#hter, -eena, +as doin# her lessons in the room , retreated to. *he +as learnin# "y rote ans+ers to certain >uestions for her 5eneral Kno+led#e test on the morro+. :@hat are stockingsI; she ke t askin# restlessly. 9he su"0ect, a arently, +as festivals, and the >uestion +as :@hat ha ens at ChristmasI; ,n that +arm "edroom dra ed +ith mos>uito nets, , concluded there +as little connection "et+een childrenDs curriculum and the social or historical reality around them. 4s for the ro"lem of the lan#ua#e itself, -eena did not need to have trou"le +ith :commemorate; for me to feel that there +as no connection "et+een the medium she +as learnin# in, 7n#lish, and her consciousness. 4t the *.*.P.Ds house, our hosts +ere so thou#htful as to arran#e for a +oman to +atch our "a"y durin# the arty, the +ife of one of the servants, +ho came in occasionally to massa#e the mistress, hel out +ith #uests, and so on. , +as deli#hted to have a erson to talk to. )indin# out a"out her +as sim le enou#h, "ut +hen , learned that she +as a Banarasi, , #re+ more am"itious. :9here +as this Burhva -an#al mela that +as held in Banaras years a#o,; , told her in a confidential tone. :9ell me a"out the Burhva -an#al fair.; *he a"solutely denied any kno+led#e of the fair, as if the confession +ould 0eo ardi1e her in some +ay, and, shuttin# u alto#ether, sat in a "undle, ro"a"ly tired and do1in#. , +as non lused. 7veryone else seemed to kno+ of the fair. @as she too youn#I 8ad she "een too secludedI @as she a moronI 9he meetin# ricked in my mind as an unresolved riddle until , decided, after other similar encounters, that it +as im ossi"le to turn servants into informants. 2r, for that matter, informants into servants. , had occasion a"out a year later to use an informant in a servin# ca acity, +ith the idea of hel in# her out and savin# her from +orse drud#ery in uncarin# homes. @hat , discovered +as this: the master? servant relationshi could not "e reconciled +ith the em athy and closin# of distances aimed at in field+ork. 2nce you +ere familiar +ith anotherDs values concernin# food, s atial and tem oral references, and devices for maintainin# individuality and freedom, you could not, +ithout considera"le a#oni1in#, order the erson to conform to a different set of values. But you had to do so as a master, and indeed to condemn these very freedom? reservin# devices as la1y, dishonest tricks. -y >uarrels +ith my informant?turned?servant +ere a"out thin#s as etty as teamakin#. Bein# erfectly attuned to the s+eet, cooked tea served all over Banaras, , roceeded no+ to dictate the terms under +hich tea could "e made in our home: al+ays in a tea ot +ith a tea co1y, leaves stee ed in freshly "oilin# +ater, milk and su#ar on the side, and so on. Nor could , stand it if my ne+ maidservant

"rou#ht anythin# reserved on a latter, in ordinary Banaras style. 9he very same ha"its , acce ted as rational, le#itimate features of another life?style +ere intolera"le in my o+n home: it +as o ressive to "e made to eat and drink in +ays not of my choosin# under my o+n roof. -y oor e'?informant could not fathom the dilemma and roceeded as cheerfully as ever to su ly me data re#ardin# Banaras customs throu#h her "ehavior. )or e'am le, she ha"itually took a cou le of days off for any festival, ma0or or minor. , kne+ erfectly +ell a"out the leisurely ace of Banarasis, their li#htheartedness and love of holiday cele"rations. But +hen victimi1ed <as , sa+ it= "y these other+ise admired characteristics, , thre+ a tantrum: :8o+ can another erson <me= +ork if the first doesnDt stick to the rulesI LonDt you have a modicum of responsibilit! to+ard the task you are committed toI; and so on. 9hus addressed, my su"0ect sulked, suffered, and de#enerated into a still more im erfect servant and informant. 9his +as durin# my first stay in Banaras/ in later visits over the years , had the #ood fortune <it +ould seem= to "e in close daily contact throu#h domestic service +ith men and +omen from +eavin#, +ood+orkin#, stone+orkin#, car enter, biri <ci#arette= makin#, and rickshawalla families. , learned to close my eyes to their occu ational "ack#rounds and cultures and to ackno+led#e that the roles of servant and informant +ere not com lementary. But my first round of field+ork had such a lon#?term formative influence on me that , +as doomed to have only inefficient control over my servants ever after that. 9o return to the hi#h society of Banaras, , +as constantly tryin# to calculate +hether the officials +e su osedly kne+ +ere of any use to us at all or +hether they +ere leadin# us u "lind alleys all the time. 9hey seemed utterly sincere +hen they romised hel , as they did at the dro of a hat. Eet their offers for housin#, #as, service eo le, introductions to informants, and shots for our child had only delayed us, and finally +e o"tained everythin# +ithout their hel . *ometimes +e had actually suffered from their hel , as +hen, throu#h their mediation, +e +ould meet a musician or other im ortant erson +ho +ould refer to i#nore us, classifyin# us as mem"ers of a des ised officialdom. 9hen +e +ould make an entirely ne+ a roach, in our o+n ca acity, and +oo the individual "ack to a neutral stance re#ardin# us. 9he outstandin# case +as the ta"la layer Kishan -ahara0/ he "ecame so incensed at +hat he ima#ined +ere arro#ant demands on our art to come and lay in our house that he threatened to +rite a"out it to a local daily. @e had a sho+do+n and develo ed an e'cellent relationshi after that. -ost eo le in ,ndia, even +hen they retend to "e allies of the administration, har"or a dee and 0ust distrust of officials/ sim le eo le like my artisans do not even need to retend. ,f one a ears on the administrationDs side in class or status then one suffers the same distrust automatically. *o, for us the 0o" +as clear?cut: disassociate ourselves from the rulers, not only "ecause it made sense culturally "ut "ecause it +as a ra#matic research need. ,n some matters, ho+ever, our olice contacts +ere fortunate. 4s soon as , +ould ask a"out a articularly cro+ded mela or cele"ration, a 0ee +ould "e offered. *ometimes the offer +ould materiali1e and sometimes not. 2ne did a ear, at least, to take me to the 3amna#ar 3amlila in *om"a"uDs a"sence and to sho+ me the Lur#a Pu0as around the city. 9he immersion of the Lur#as in the river the ne't day, a festival in its o+n ri#ht, +as ha ily lanned for me "y the *.*.P.Ds +ife. -y name +as added to the #uest list of a motor launch fitted out for Banaras A,Ps, and +e chu##ed u and do+n the #hats in the dusk for t+o hours. 4ll the #hats +ere silent, dark, and rimitive, e'ce t for -anikarnika, "ri#ht +ith funeral yres, and Lasash+amedh, a sea of fi#ures, +here the Bharat *e+a *an#h sadhus <monks= +ere dancin# "efore radiant ima#es. , +ould never have #uessed +hat it +as like had , not seen it, and seen it from the "oat, "ecause , +ould never have found a lace in the dense cro+d on the #hat. 9he follo+in# year , used my contacts a#ain. 9he olice had a cam on the hi#hest oint of Lasash+amedh #hat, and +ith little ,rfana , sat in the "est s ot on the romontory the +hole evenin#, "oth of us soakin# u the s ectacle of various?si1ed "oats carryin# their Lur#as out and unloadin# them into the river. 4ll other immersionsCKali, Aish+akarma, 5anesh, and -oharramC,

have +itnessed from yet other ers ectives, and , readily admit that olice hel has "een unnecessary for them. 9he first day that *om"a"u +as a+ay for a rolon#ed time, the ins ectors <station officers= of Bhelu ura and -aduadih thanas visited me in >uick succession to offer their assistance in my time of solitude. 9hey could not have #uessed how desirous , +as to meet olice ins ectors in Banaras. 4n ins ector seemed to me, "efore , learned differently, to hold the key to +hat #oes on in his circle <his kshetra= and to "e eminently intervie+a"le re#ardin# the crimes, events, ersons, and #eneral character of the area he is in char#e ofCa livin# document, as it +ere, a nicely detailed administration re ort of the resent that you could cross?e'amine. -y lans for intervie+s +ere never reali1ed. 9here +as al+ays somethin# more immediate to ask of the ins ectors +hen , could meet them. 9hat in itself +as not easy, as my re eated visits to Bhelu ura thana roved to me: the man +ould al+ays "e out on :tour; or unavaila"le for uns ecified reasons. , sus ected that as , #re+ less novel and more familiar, and also less im ressive, erha s even ludicrous "ecause of my childish interest in ordinary, daily, common thin#s, the ins ectors concluded that it +as not +orth+hile to ay attention to me. 2n my art, , came to reali1e that there +ere eo le far more kno+led#ea"le than olice ins ectors to intervie+, even re#ardin# a kshetra, and , no lon#er found time to chase them. , had made some advances to likely individuals, such as the Circle 2fficer ,,, +ho sat in the Lasash+amedh thana, "ut none of them Cneither he nor other officers, not even the hus"and of my old school friendCever res onded to my #estures of friendshi . 9he one e'ce tion +as Krishna Chandra 9ri athi, "ut his motives +ere not a"ove sus icion, as , shall shortly descri"e. , do not recall e'actly ho+ , discovered the e'istence of olice station records im ortant for my to ic, e'ce t that it +as in my early 19K9 foray, +hen , also discovered the Na#ari Pracharini *a"ha, pandas* < il#rim riestsD= records, eriodicals, and Lr. *uryanath 5u ta. ,n 19B1 , +as findin# it difficult to start +ork on the olice re#isters and +as una"le to catch the Bhelu ura ins ector in his office or to im rove my oor relationshi +ith the Chauk ins ector. @hen the latter +as transferred, , thou#ht , could make a fresh start. , entered the ins ectorDs office and, +ithout any allusions to olice connections, introduced myself to the ne+ erson, offerin# him a co y of the letter from Professor 4kira ,riye vouchsafin# that , +as a research scholar from Chica#o. 8e +as olite and had me sitC, ke t chatterin# out of nervousnessC+hile he thou#ht. Before lon# , sa+ his eyes +iden +ith reco#nition and kne+ that he had #uessed my identity. 9he #ra evine in Banaras olice circles +as more efficient than , had #iven it credit for. 8is initial reaction +as the closest , came to findin# out ho+ he +ould have reacted to a :mere; research scholar. 8e +as an e'tremely nice erson, one +hom , could 0oke +ith later a"out our first meetin#, "ut on this matter he al+ays "ecame serious and claimed that he +ould have treated me the same no matter +ho , +as. , have tried the same tactics +ith other olice officers. No one #ives you s ecial consideration unless you are in some +ay an im ortant erson, thou#h ho+ the im ortance comes to "e understood is, fortunately, fle'i"le and un redicta"le. @hen +e had ali#hted at the Banaras train station the second time around in 19B1, still homeless, +ith no+here to #o, and found all the tele hones out of order, , "etook myself to the 3ail+ay Police 2ffice. :, need to use the tele hone,; , commanded the armed consta"le at the #ate +ith +hat +as a su erhuman effort for me. :, am the dau#hter of the ,.5.; 9he man +as a fresh recruit and didnDt #ras the meanin# of +hat , said, "ut he took me throu#h to the ins ectorDs em ty office, noddin# at >uestionin# countenances on the +ay, :*heDs a "i# erson.; ,n fact, it +asnDt the :,.5.; that +as crucial/ any t+o or three initials +ould do. 4s for reachin# closed laces, if +e had a 0ee all +e needed to do +as to ut a lar#e late on the front readin# :3.*.C., Aaranasi City; <3esearch *cholars from Chica#o= to match such si#ns as :4.L.-.; <4dditional Listrict -a#istrate=, :C.*.C.; <Civil*ur#eon City=, :C.7.7.; <Chief 7'ecutive 7n#ineer=, :U.P.*.7.B.-.L.; and the lates of other A,Ps +ho could reach laces.

-y Chauk Police *tation e' erience +as the most leasant, althou#h it "ecame ro#ressively a+k+ard. , had to sit in a di#nified manner at the chair and ta"le rovided for me, could not dream or do1e, could not leave for tea at the nearest teasho , and had nothin# to eat. 9he first cou le of times -r. 5ovind 3am Ka oor +andered in to im rove my kno+led#e of my chosen to ic in #eneral/ , ke t ullin# him "ack to the su"0ect of the Citi1ensD Committees and his role in them, +hich he tackled +ith enthusiasm. 9he re#isters more than com ensated for all this/ they +ere "urstin# +ith information, and , la"oriously sifted throu#h them, full of e'citement, #reed, and 0ealousy that someone else mi#ht discover them at any moment. 9he Bhelu ura ins ector "elieved that no one on earth +as su erior to him, a "elief that the undiluted des otism in their kshetra "reeds in many ins ectors. 9o reserve this "elief intact, he avoided all contact +ith me. *o difficult +as this 3. *. P. *rivastava to find, so many unans+ered notes and unreturned messa#es did , leave for him, that he >uickly "ecame -r. 3. *. A. P. *rivastava to me. , sa+ the Bhelu ura re#isters last of all. ,n the olice re#isters , noticed references to u"lic meetin#s of 8indu and -uslim leaders on the su"0ect of ossi"le communal tension durin# Lur#a Pu0a, -oharram, and other festivals. 9o attend one , had to learn the venue, time, and ur ose from a olice officer. )or months , ke t losin# this "attle to those , talked +ith/ they +ould sim ly shru# me off +ith :,tDs not for you; or :@eDre not sure a"out it yet; or :,Dll let you kno+ a"out the ne't one.; 2nly +hen the ne't round of festivals "e#an around 8oli did , kno+ ho+ to insist and #et results: hum"lin# myself totally, stridin# into the inner courtyards of olice stations, not merely sittin# olitely in the ins ectorDs room/ +aitin# on cold "enches for him to return, ar#uin# atiently +ith underlin#s, kno+in# it +as not their coo eration , sou#ht/ and even +alkin# into the shavin# session of the Lasash+amedh ins ector to ensure his not esca in# "efore he said yes to me. 2n "alance , +ould say that involvement +ith the olice tau#ht me a little more a"out life in the city "ut slo+ed me do+n at times as much as it hel ed me. 4fter a fe+ months the novelty of my resence had +orn off. 9he olice "ecame used to me and +ere finally convinced that , +as more a student than a memsahibF , sto ed re>uestin# anythin# from them other than an occasional escort, +hich could have "een +ran#led from them "y any other researcher #iven sufficient tact. -y father retired +ithin a year, and then there +as nothin# "ut mi'ed memories of +hen , had "een bahan%i <sister= to the +hole olice force, and *om"a"u the "rother?in?la+.

"", The Resear)her at <ome

,n Novem"er ,rfana +as #oin# to "e si' months old, and +e had had our share of "a"y care ro"lems. @e had arrived +ith no kno+led#e of +here to #et domestic hel and had turned to nei#h"ors for advice on all matters: findin# cleanin# hel , a ne+s a er man, a su ly of milk, and a car enter, electrician, lum"er, and +asherman, the last of +hich curiously +as the most difficult for us to #et and to kee . 4 ra idly #ro+in# ile of laundry, of all thin#s, makes me e'ceedin#ly nervous "ecause ,C unlike BanarasisCre#ard +ashin# clothes as the +orst form of drud#ery. 9he nei#h"ors had "een leasant and hel ful and al+ays ositive. 2ne finally directed an a!ah to+ard us to look after the "a"y. Bein# an a!ah meant, in our minds, +ashin# dia ers as +ell as all the other clothes, s+ee in# and mo in# the floors, doin# the dishes, and then, after "athin# thorou#hly and uttin# on one of the t+o fresh saris +e had su lied, kee in# the "a"y cheerful and occu ied. But lookin# at our cheru"ic three?month?old, +e hesitated to entrust her to a erfect stran#er. -iss -alti, our ne+ find, did not e'cite our confidence either. Lark, u#ly, and ockmarked, she s orted +hat , la"eled :a false smile; and +alked +ith an ele hantine s+ayin# of the hi s. @e decided that she +as :not too clean; "ut could not a#ree on the reasons +hy. -y hus"and thou#ht it +as her half? ainted

nails, +hich indicated careless ersonal hy#iene/ , al+ays considered her dry, dusty hair sus ect. , +as "iased a#ainst her from the "e#innin# "ecause she took every o ortunity to reiterate that she +as a :*rivastava; from Bihar, im lyin# an ori#inally hi#h status that had no+ "efallen hard times. ,nstead of sym athi1in# +ith her misfortuneCand in a remarka"le denial of my anthro olo#ical role, , never ursued the matter and al+ays chan#ed the su"0ect insteadC, +as irritated at the sheer ordinariness e' ressed in this assion for social mo"ility. , +as out for a ro'imately si' or seven hours of the day, the nursin# schedule ensurin# my resence at home at 1% a.m. and H .m. at the outer limit. , >ui11ed *om"a"u on +hat +ent on the rest of the time. -alti +as not allo+ed to hold the child or re are her "ottles. *he sat near ,rfana +hile the "a"y took her na s, rocked her nice cane cradle that +e had inherited, and made faces and sounds at her +hen she a+okeCfor the five minutes that ela sed "efore *om"a"u came "oundin# in to her. , mi#ht have made a com romise +ith her :dirtiness,; "ut since *om"a"u did not, , couldnDt interfere. 9his +as not our only ro"lem. *he +as slo y +ith all the other +ork entrusted to her as +ell and +ould sim ly not res ond +hen the call +ent out, :-altiN; Cusually for a #lass of +ater or some other sim le chore. , confronted her a"out that. *he assumed a tra#ic e' ression: :Bahan0i, , am not used to "ein# called, and , do not #o out in front of men very readily.; 5iven that she and the man of the house had to share the remises most of the day, this +as an im asse. ,n early 2cto"er, on the eve of Lassehra, -alti decided she +anted to #o on leave for the festival. @e +ere relieved and hel ed her ack u comforta"ly +ith #ifts and food. *he s+ayed off and, as +e e' ected, never came "ack. But she had the last lau#h, for one of our nei#h"ors asked us the ne't day: :Lid you #ive your maidservant a lot of stainless steel to take +ith herI *he had "o+ls and s oons in her "asket +hen she left.; )or a month +e had no one. , +orked like a slaveCat everythin# e'ce t the laundry, at +hich my hus"and is fortunately very handy. 9he mornin# "e#an +ith the ne+s a er, our cu s of tea, and a cuttin# "oard, knife, and lauki or torai, the +atery monsoon #ourds +e +ere fond of eatin#, artly "ecause they +ere so easy to cho and cook. 9hree thin#s +ould "e cooked to#ether in the three com artments of the ressure cooker, and +e +ould feel very heroic. -ean+hile ,rfanaDs oran#e 0uice +ould "e s>uee1ed, her "ottles sterili1ed, her "ath +ater heated, the "eds made, the a artment s+e tM @ithin a +eek the house+ork had cau#ht u +ith me and defeated me. , +ould leave home already e'hausted +hen ractically half the day +as over <not a #reat loss in o"0ective terms, for my first destination +as usually Na#ari Pracharini *a"ha, +hich did not o en until 11 a.m. and +here +ork "e#an a little later=. , tried different devices to ma'imi1e the returns from those days. )or my ethno#ra hy, , decided to venture only around the route to the archives. ,n the nei#h"orhood of *onia near *i#ra there +ere otters and ainters #alore. , +andered throu#h their lanes and stood and looked at their +ork/ they all +anted me to come "ack after Li+ali. 4t a pan sho near"y, , s ent lon# hours +ith the panwalla, -ahant <8ead Priest= 3amdev, so called "ecause there +as a small tem le near"y and he +as its caretaker. 9he tem le also had an akhara, a +restlin# it, on its remises. 9hose +ere my re?akhara days, +hen , had not yet reali1ed +hat an akhara +as, so , toured it +ith 3amdev, noted the latrine in a cornerCa cou le of "ricks on the #round, 0udiciously lacedCand filed the information a+ay. 4t his pan sho , too, "ecause , sat around so much, , also overheard a fair amount of seemin#ly irrelevant talk, thrillin# in+ardly at certain e'chan#es, as +hen t+o customers could "e overheard sayin#, :@hat is your mood todayI *hould +e #o outsideI; :Ees, letDs #o to the other side.; , had also reali1ed that the U.P. 3e#ional 4rchives, Banaras, +ere ri#ht ne't door to *onia, in the sho in# center called *hastrina#ar. 2n most of my visits there, the director, +ho had com lete control over re>uisitions, +as missin#. Undaunted, , +ent throu#h all the inde'es and noted the items of interest to me. , +as not the least ea#er for him to "e resent, for the first time , had met him he had com letely +asted my afternoon +ith insuffera"le tales of his o+n heroics in different research

conte'ts. , could +ait for these noted items, since they all sounded distant and va#ue in the conte't of the Banaras , +as #ettin# to kno+. 4nother kind of day +ould start off like this: :,rfana is almost aslee . -ay"e +e can all #o.; *o +e +ould ack u "a#s and "a"y and de art for +hichever lace one of us had +ork, say Banaras 8indu University. @e "ounced around, "ein# edaled la"oriously throu#h the sunshine in a "roken ricksha+ over a "roken road throu#h a "roken city. 4t B.8.U. there +as some shade from man#o trees, "ut the edalin# +as 0ust as la"orious. 7ven after sto in# at t+o or three "uildin#s, +e failed at the first 0o" on our a#enda: to #et our li"rary cards. 9he students had closed u the administration "uildin# so +e couldnDt ay our de osit. @e clun# to our ricksha+ as if it +ere a life"uoy in the middle of this sea of a cam us. 9he second ro0ect +as to meet 4nand Krishna, rofessor of art history and a sli#ht ac>uaintance. 9his +as also accom lished only after t+o or three sto s. 8e +as #ratifyin#ly hos ita"le and took us home, +here +e rested, fed ,rfana, and acked a+ay snacks and s+eets ourselves. 8e made #racious romises of hel , +hich al+ays cheered us u . 9he +orst of my domestic e' eriences romised to "e#in +hen *om"a"u +as suddenly called a+ay to Bom"ay in early 2cto"er to clear our shi ed #oods throu#h customs. *aid he as he de arted, :-ay"e you can take the cradle to Na#ari Pracharini *a"ha, and ush it +hile you +ork; <+ith one toe, , ima#ine he meant, like the pankha? ullin# "oys of yore=. , +ondered +hat my in#enuity +ould cook u to "eat that, and , +asnDt disa ointed. )irst of all, informants came to me instead of my havin# to #o to them. Num"er one +as *idhnath, +hom , had met after a +eary +alk in Aish+anath gali. 9hat articular market lace is so fre>uented "y tourists that the artisans and vendors seem to have lost their naturalness. 4fter many frustratin# attem ts , found this man to sit do+n and talk to. *idhnath ainted the faces and the folds of #arments on other+ise "lank mar"le icons. Perha s , +as overenthusiastic, sat too lon#, and drank too many hel in#s of tea "ecause no other erson , ever talked to reacted the +ay *idhnath did after only one meetin#. *idhnath arrived the ne't day at my lace +ith a one?year?old child in to+ and #ifts of #ra es and "iscuits for my o+n child <she had not matured enou#h to a reciate these, needless to say=. @hereas , had found it easy to "e friendly and talkative in his surroundin#s, , +as a+k+ard and at a loss in my o+n. But, thou#ht , to myself, this is e'cellent, this is ho+ it should "e. , should "e a"le to "rin# these t+o facets of my life to#ether. , reali1ed in retros ect that it had indeed "een s ecial to +itness a dimension of his life very im ortant to him, that of father, filed as he +as under : ainter,; cross?referenced :miscellaneous artisans,; in my scheme. 4nother visitor +as -arkande, a stone+orker in the factory of KailashDs uncle in Kho0+a. , had met him alon# +ith a do1en other youn# +orkers on my visit to the stone factory/ all +ore ra#s over their nose and mouth to kee from "reathin# in the dust, all +ere yo#i?like in their "are?chested thinness and their +hite coats of stone dust. 9hey all heard me announce my name, address, and ur ose, "ut only -arkande had decided to follo+ u on that information, +hich definitely marked him in my eyes as more interestin# than the avera#e. 8e had a"solutely nothin# to say +hen he came over, ho+ever, and sat there, shy and dum", admirin# the odd vase and lam in the room <"oth of stone, coincidentally= and decidin# he could co y them if he tried. @e then talked a"out his 0o". 8e +as immensely roud to "e a craftsman. 8e resented me many creations throu#h the rest of my stay, and , ke t ackin# them a+ay >uietly, so heavy, nonutilitarian, and nondecorative +ere they. 8is "i# >uestion that day +as, @ould , visit his homeI 9his +as truly the +ater comin# to the thirsty horse. @hile , +as ruminatin# on my #ood fortune +ith useful visitors, there came to my doorste a nei#h"or +hom , +as >uick to +elcome as a otential informant. Nandlal +as the +atchman em loyed "y our landlord, a small, +i1ened man of un#uessa"le a#e, e'ce t that he could al+ays "e found restin# in the sun and +as ar#ua"ly >uite old. 8e s>uatted in front of me and declared that he had a re>uest. , +as filled +ith a sense of hel lessness and ity as , listened to his tale of land and ro erty "ein# snatched

from his family throu#h a trick document si#ned "y one +ho did not kno+ +hat it contained. , +as "oth o+erless and un+illin# to do anythin# a"out it. 4lready in my e' erience, such va#ue and ho eless re>uests oured in at any attem t to #et to kno+ anyone. 4ll my ac>uaintances so far +ere em"roiled in la+suits or re arin# for one. -ohan .alDs "rother had lost his house to a schemin# tenant/ 9ara PrasadDs old tenant o+ed him many monthsD rent and +ould neither ay u nor res ond/ *haukatullahDs second lot of land +as ille#ally occu ied "y some 4hirsMand so on. 9he only thin# , could decide in my o+n naive and an'ious mind +as that as soon as ossi"le , +ould study la+ <it "ein# too farfetched to aim for medicine, the other service everyone seemed to need= so that the ne't time around , could actually do somethin# for my informants. 4fter a fe+ mildly roductive days at home, , decided to "e "older, and , acked u "a"y and "a"y thin#s. -y destination +as Ben#ali 9ola, literally the Ben#ali locality, the natural center for the cele"ration of Lur#a Pu0a, the Ben#ali version of the U.P. Lassehra, cele"rated +ith a a#eant of the #oddess Lur#a rather than +ith the theater of the 3amlila. , sa+ some Lur#a ima#es ri#ht a+ay in a courtyard, entered and met the craftsman, Prafulla Kumar Lutta, ori#inally from Calcutta <see fi#. B=. 8is mother and sister +orked +ith him, and the +hole visit +as >uiet, ha y, andC roductive, , +as #oin# to say, "ut in those early days, , could not even have said +hat , meant "y the +ord. 9hey took me around the ma1e of lanes, and , learned to see Ben#ali 9ola as a normal lace hummin# +ith activity, not as :dirty; and : u11lin#;Cthe sim le difference "et+een seein# it from their oint of vie+ and seein# it from my o+n, uneducated, one. PrafullaDs family reminded me of -osco+ ac>uaintances in their :socialist; manners, the +ay they +elcomed me, o"served no distance, stood on no ceremony, made no s eeches a"out hi#h and lo+Ceven thou#h there +as no denyin# their overty and a"solute lack of security. , had "een sho+n their home, +hose ceilin# had colla sed in the monsoons/ they +ere "ein# allo+ed "y the kind o+ner of a vacant house to +ork and live in its courtyard.

Lur#a ima#e maker in Ben#ali 9ola PrafullaDs mother had immediately reached out for ,rfana as , had come u , "efore +e had even started talkin#. , +as +illin# enou#h to art +ith her, and my dau#hter, +ho shines on occasions like this, chirru ed and looked lau#hin#ly around. .ater the thou#ht crossed my mind: this +oman touches mud and clay, the #round and dirt, as does her sari, and she does not +ash. 4lthou#h she is far less clean than -alti, , hesitated to #ive the "a"y to -alti "ut not to this +omanMI 9he unaltera"le difference "et+een servants and informants aside, , +as ro#ressively slou#hin# off my o+n tra in#s and enterin# informantsD +orlds on their o+n terms, acce tin# that to measure othersD choices "y my standards +as "oth un+orka"le and undesira"le. 4nd +hile , continued to scheme and lot to in#ratiate myself on each occasion, not averse to usin# even my o+n "a"y as a tool, , no lon#er found this lottin# and schemin# shockin# or #uilt?ridden, "ut a natural, adult +ay of "uildin# relationshi s, and therefore not schemin# at all. ,n my remainin# days of solitude , did a different kind of field+ork: , +ent to see the many a#eants of the Lur#a Pu0as and the enactment of the 3amlila at 3amna#ar. )or all my lon# residence in ,ndia, , still ima#ine the unseen to "e far different from +hat it turns out to "e. , think , e' ected the 3amlilaC never havin# "een to oneCto "e a feast of color and romance. 9he 3amlila field at 3amna#ar turned out to "e a vast, dusty lain, ill?lit +ith #as lanterns, and dotted +ith men and +omen s>uattin#, #atherin#, +aitin#. .ittle trucks of arched rice and rewri <a sesame seed candy= stood amon# them. 2ther foods consisted of round "askets of eanuts, carts of overri e "ananas, and an occasional chana seller. 2ther entertainment consisted of nothin#.

9hree s arse structures +ere roudly ointed out to me: one, Chitrakoot, +hen 3ama lives in e'ile/ t+o, .anka, 3avanaDs :castle;/ three, a flat sta#e, on one side of +hich 3ama and .akshmana +ere seated on a throne, surrounded "y their mana#ers and P3 men. 4s , a roached them, someone +his ered an introduction of me to them, derived from my olice+oman com anion, u on +hich 3ama innocently asked, :@hat is an ,.5.I; 9he riest attendin# him re lied, :*hhhM8e is a very "i# man.; :@ell, isnDt she #oin# to #ive us somethin#I; :*hhhM; 9he drama, +hen it "e#an, +as ainfully slo+, crude, clumsy. But it sent shivers of e'citement do+n my s ine as, after every s eech "y 3ama, the cro+d roared, :Bho?o?o 3amaN; ,t +as "ecause of the audience that , +anted to kee seein# more, "ecause of the evidence of their acce tance of 5od on earth. , had "a##ed a little s ace on the ed#e of the sta#e and sat holdin# my "a"y, no dou"t makin# myself as comforta"le as , could. 4 +oman consta"le came u and told me strictly, :Cross your le#s leaseN 9his is 5odDs lay.; 9he Lur#a Pu0as, "y contrast, +ere clean, "ri#ht, +ell or#ani1edCalto#ether modern. , heard their num"er +as on the increase, and that made sense to me. ,t seemed more satisfyin# and more relevant in some sense to decorate a deity accordin# to your taste, as ela"orately as you could, have everyone file "y for darshan, an aus icious si#ht, and vary your entertainment accordin# to the yearDs taste, than to sta#e a com le' tale ni#ht after ni#ht and to arran#e for hu#e cro+ds to see and hear it +ell. 9he Bharat *e+a *an#h monks had a demonstration of lathi < ole= +ieldin# at their Pu0a/ the Liesel .ocomotive @orks, a movie/ other laces, all?ni#ht lays or movies. Lee er o"servation +ould have to +ait: as , made the rounds to scores of events, , ke t takin# the addresses of the youn# men +ho +ere a arently the or#ani1ers, 0ud#in# "y their "usyness in uttin# last?minute touches on the sho+. *om"a"u returned in #ood time, and +e could hardly "elieve our sudden streak of #ood fortune as +e found not only a ne+ a!ah, "ut a cook and an odd?0o" man "esides. 2ur ne+ trio +as +onderful, ensurin# order and harmony at home "ut kee in# routine resolutely at "ay "y virtue of their ersonalities. 9hey +ere the cook, .al -ohammad <Lear to the Pro het=/ the maid, *hyam Lulari <Beloved of Krishna=/ and 0ack?of?all?trades, 3a0a 3am <3ama the Kin#=. 9o revent little islands of reco#ni1a"le sound "o""in# u on the smooth surface of the other+ise incom rehensi"le sea of our stran#e lan#ua#e, 7n#lish, +hen +e discussed them, +e referred to call them 3ed Pro het, ChristDs .over, and Kin# Canute. .al -ohammad +as retired from the olice/ he had served all his life as a :follo+er,; one of those men in the "ack#round +ho knead, cho , fry, ladle, and maintain. 8e +as a rofessional cook and "aker trained in British times, and the touch +as evident. 8is e' ertise encom assed the most e'otic fare of the British ,sles, and he could not "e challen#ed or corrected on any oint. Nor, as a true chef, +ould he dei#n to touch any +ork "ut his immediate s eciali1ation, no matter +hat the emer#encyCnot the dishes, or the kitchen s+ee in#, or re aration of the "a"yDs 0uices or formula. @e loved the feelin# of endless hori1ons that .al -ohammadDs resence #ave us, thou#h +e never came close to e' lorin# his otential to its fullest. 8is resence also ensured that some self?conscious Brahmans could never eat at our lace, "ein# risoners of the coded su"stance theory that for"ade their acce tin# food from outcastes such as -uslims. @e sometimes retended that +hat +e served +as store?"ou#ht, ar#uin# to ourselves that such food +ould have "een cooked "y eo le like .al -ohammad under other roofs in any case. 2r +e served it any+ay +hen +e kne+ that the #uests couldnDt say no, and +e +ould en0oy their discomfiture slyly as they sat eatin# +ith o"vious reluctance. .al -ohammad, as "efitted his ,m erial herita#e, ackno+led#ed or cared for none of this. 9he only distinction he kne+ +as "et+een hi#h?"ro+ and lo+, and his o+n "ro+s often furro+ed as he >ui11ed himself as to +here +e "elon#ed. 8e +as old, too, like many of my informants, and he #ave me my first nomenclature for them. , had discovered that +ords like karigar, the 8indi e>uivalent for :artisan,; did not +ork, and +hen , told our ne+ cook +hat my su"0ects +ere, he said +ith ro er derision, :2h, the nich Aaum, the chhote log <the lo+er orders, the smaller eo le=I; 8e +as himself a Pathan, one of the ori#inal ,slamic con>ueror?

invaders from the north+est +ho had strenuously ke t their linea#e ure, and made it >uite clear that all oor -uslims +ere not e>ual. *hyam Lulari, a modest, un retentious 8ari0an, +as a "reath of fresh air after the u +ardly mo"ile -alti. *he +as >uiet and efficient, so silent in fact as to "e unnatural. *he had +orked for a forei#n academic cou le "efore, and +e discovered that throu#h her e' erience of noncommunication there had sim ly for#otten that she could talk and "e understood in a +ork situation. *hyam Lulari came from a community occu ied at rollin# biris, those oisonous ointed ci#arettes +ra ed in leaves +ith +hich rickshawallas are al+ays shortenin# their lives. *he smelled of to"acco, the dusty, +holesale kind, and "ecause she che+ed it ha"itually, of the aromatic, masticated kind as +ell. But she +as im ecca"ly clean, andCthe hi#hest virtue any child +atcher can haveC she had "oundless ener#y. 4round the time that my hus"and +ent to Chica#o in -arch to teach s rin# >uarter classes, , started leavin# ,rfana, no+ nine months old, +ith her for half a day at a time. 9he t+o hit it off erfectly. , +ould return at lunch time to find them rollickin# on the car et, 0um in#, tossin#, rollin#, and ticklin#, al+ays activities that si#naled health and #ood s irits and left me +ith a t+in#e of 0ealousy as , thou#ht of my o+n relatively "arren and lonely +ork. 3a0a 3am, finally, the most solemn of the three, ke t us the most amused, as +e, in some rivate recess of his mind, did for him. 8e frankly found our ersonalities, life?style, rofessions, and lists of tasks for him a"surd, and he had unusually e' ressive +ays of sho+in# it. ,f +e su##ested that he #o to the rail+ay station and "uy tickets for the Pun0a" -ailMBefore +e could >uite finish, his mouth +ould fall o en: :9he Pun0a" -ailI @hy, itDs left alreadyN; 8e +as a#a e most of the time, not "ecause he +as stu id so much as "ecause his mind +orked in a recisely different, alternative, arallel +ay to ours, and there +as no ossi"le meetin# of the t+o. 8e did not care for the ve#eta"les +e chose to eat, the s ices +e referred, the clothes +e fancied, the furniture +e o+ned, the lan#ua#e +e s oke, or the eo le +e mi'ed +ith. 3a0a 3am +as indis ensa"le for the #reater art of our stay, "attlin# his distaste to sho for our #roceries, arran#e for the services of +asherman, tailor, and car enter as needed, deliver our messa#es, and fetch, carry, and find +hatever it +as that +e re>uired. 8e +as not articularly kno+led#ea"le a"out the city, "ein# from a villa#e on the outskirts, "ut he had a decent "icycle, youthful ener#y, ractical common sense, and lenty of timeCall >ualities that +e felt +e +ould never a#ain ossess.

"$, =eath
@e decided to sta#e a function of our o+n on the occasion of ,rfanaDs annaprasana, her ritual first solid food in the seventh month of her life. 2n the 2&th of Novem"er, +e lanned, there +ould "e a pu%a, accom anied "y the sin#in# and drama of a gaunharin <folk sin#er=, the +ay these ceremonies +ere traditionally done. ,n the evenin# +e +ould have an o en?air music ro#ram +ith -ahadev -ishra and Kishan -ahara0, follo+ed "y a catered dinner. 3avi *hankar +as on our #uest list, as +ere some of our informants and ne+ friends, and the #rand arents +ere comin# from .uckno+ and Calcutta. , added another interestin# activity to my daily rounds, visitin# resses, finally choosin# the 3oyal Press in 5odaulia to rint the invitations. , +as a+are of the satisfaction , #ot from merely +alkin# throu#h cro+ded laces, notin# the details of sho s and "ill"oards, of eo leDs clothes, e' ressions, and actions, and "est of all, e'chan#in# a conversation +ith someone, anyone. 9hat leasure never +ore off. 9he +hole of Banaras +as like a universe, and every erson o ened the door to yet another +orld. @hat , +anted, , su ose, +as to understand the lives of all the eo leCof, let us say, one mohalla, to "e modest. 8o+ did the ickle makerDs "usiness +orkI @hat +as the life of the rinter and "inderI @ho com rised the family and +hat +as the family life of the "asket makerI @hat +ere the :cultural activities; of all those +ho had little stalls at Lasash+amedh #hatI @hat +ent on in their

mindsI @hat did they think of +hen they +ere silentI -y arents?in?la+, +hom , called -a and Ba"a, arrived three days "efore the event. , had a articular affinity +ith Ba"a, thou#h , had never talked at len#th +ith him, "ecause he +as a mem"er of the Communist Party of ,ndia and treated me +ith res ect for havin# lived in -osco+. 8e +as also a very shaukin erson <a erson of taste and assion=, fond of music, olitics, conversation, and food. 9he 0ourney had not "een too comforta"le, and his meals had #otten off schedule. 8e com lained of a chest ain, such as he occasionally e' erienced o+in# to #as. 8e took to "ed, and +e sent for a doctor, +ho came only the ne't day. 9hat same evenin# our custom?cleared #oods arrived from Bom"ay on a truck. *om"a"u #ot "usy havin# them unloaded, , in makin# a lace for them. @e "oth felt #uilty later: if that distraction had not occurred, +ould +e have res onded more sensitively to Ba"aDs com laintsI 8e often had #as, ho+ever, and +e +ere all used to the routine for treatment. 9he summons to the doctor +as re eated. 4t t+o in the mornin#, Ba"a arose to use the "athroom, found himself una"le to make it, lay do+n a#ain, and closed his eyes. @e "an#ed on the door of another doctor close "y, and he came immediately. 8e eered at Ba"aDs u ils +ith a torch and +hen he looked at us to ask, :8o+ lon# has he "een like thisI; , kne+ it +as all over. @e rushed the atient to the B.8.U. hos ital, "ut it +as too late, :fortunately,; as everyone said, "ecause B.8.U. is outside the sacred recincts of KashiCthe ori#inal BanarasCand therefore does not #uarantee moksha, su reme and a"solute release from re"irth. 9his active Communist +ho cycled miles daily on arty +ork and +as admired for his unfla##in# ener#y and stron# heart had come all the +ay to sacred Kashi to have a heart attack. 9he rest of the ni#ht and the ne't day are a series of im ressions. @e took the "ody to 8arishchandra #hat, one , had read much a"out as "ein# the lace +here 3a0a 8arishchandra had dis layed the force of his sacred +ord and sacrificed "oth son and self to 9ruth. 9he lace united ancient centuries +ith resent?day Kashi!Banaras throu#h such tales, +hich everyone could tell you. ,ts a earance mirrored this ima#e: it looked like somethin# that had "een undistur"ed for millennia. 4nother funeral yre +as "ein# lit, and , sa+ for the first time ho+ a "ody could "e consumed, the skull crack and the "rains oo1e out. @hen it +as Ba"aDs turn, , sat a distance a+ay and left *om"a"u to do the circumam"ulation, li#htin#, and stokin#. *uddenly , felt activity near me, and turned to stare at +hat certainly +as a vision. 9he Lom 3a0a, re resentative of the oldest royal linea#e in the re#ion, +as sittin# on a throne ri#ht there in the middle of the sands. 8o+ he had arrived there and had arran#ed the ro s so efficiently +as im ossi"le to say. No dou"t it had "een re orted to him that the L.,.5., *.*.P., and sundry other olice officials +ere all mem"ers of a funeral arty and had decided to su ervise it in erson. 8e +as +earin# a cris , freshly #athered dhoti and a ceremonial ca cocked on his head, and he carried a sce ter. 8is mouth +as red +ith pan, and his eyes +ere e>ually "loodshot, all addin# to a icture of royal terror. 8e si#naled to *om"a"u to a roach him, +hich *om"a"u, sur rised, naturally did. @hat the details of the e'chan#e +ere , do not kno+, "ut he demanded a ro er tri"ute for the honor of usin# Lom territory and the Lom fire to i#nite the yre. 9his +as a rocedure , kne+ a"out from revious anthro olo#ical +ork on the su"0ect. *om"a"u said somethin# to the effect: :Eou had "etter for#et it. , have nothin# +ith me, nor do , "elieve that , o+e you anythin#. CanDt you see +hat this occasion is for meI; 9he ma0estic ra0a looked around at the uniformed olice officers and olicemen standin# at ease, starin# strai#ht ahead +ith severe #a1es, and decided to for#et it. @hether it +as their resence or +hether he sim ly had no +ay of dealin# +ith a :No, #o a+ay; ans+er, the LomDs stature seemed to shrink visi"ly. 8e sat on in a semi?di#nified manner and at some oint disa eared in the same mysterious +ay he had arrived.

9he Lom 3a0a is one of the le#endary fi#ures of Banaras, "ut those +ho kno+ the lace kno+ that he has stron# com etition. 8is claim to fame is that he is head of the lo+ly caste of Loms and of the cremation #hats, the un+ritten la+ "ein# that only the Loms may #ive fire for the yres, makin# theirs the second oldest rofession for the 8indus/ as their leader, he therefore comes of the oldest linea#e in the district, one far more venera"le in a#e than that of the nouveau royalty across the river in 3amna#ar. -oreover, the Loms char#e heavily for their services, reducin# to enury many villa#ers +ho +ish to #ive their deceased the "enefits of a Kashi cremation, and he as their kin# is heir to vaster treasures than the avera#e ra0a. 9he Lom 3a0a at that time +as a fat, #reasy, re ortedly lecherous ersonality +ho s orted all the e' licit tra in#s of royalty, such as #ar#oyles and ti#er skins in his home and on his rivate fleet of "oats. 8e +as reno+ned as intensely Banarasi in his assion for music and "oatin# and simultaneously sti#mati1ed as :Lom; for his astimes of drinkin# and atroni1in# dance. Before and after the 8arishchandra #hat encounter, every source in Banaras descri"ed him to me in rou#hly the a"ove terms, "ut , never s oke +ith him, referrin# to reserve a distant ima#e of him. 9his +as only one of many ethno#ra hic items that interested me durin# the death and cremation, and that is a very tellin# admission. , left the cremation #hat earlier than the men "ecause my mother?in?la+ +as alone at home, "ut +hen , arrived , discovered that she had "een 0oined "y a Ben#ali nei#h"or. :No+ that the cremation is over, che+ some "itter nim <mar#osa= leaves and s it them out,; she told -a. , immediately "ecame curious a"out the si#nificance of this ractice and restrained my ur#e to >uestion her +ith difficulty/ it +ould hardly have "een fair to -a to #et en#a#ed in an intellectual discussion. *o, throu#hout, , +as shar ly aroused "y this or that custom that +as declared essential, as +ell as "y the overall assum tion of an inaltera"le, acce ted discourse of ractices that had to "e erformed. But , ke t s+allo+in# my >uestions, reco#ni1in# that the researcherDs detachment +as ina ro riate in the actual family tra#edy in +hich , +as artici atin#. , even remem"er thinkin# that it +as :0ust as +ell; that , +as not :interested; in death, "ecause , +ould have made no ro#ress in understandin# it any+ay. , felt that , +as indirectly confirmed in my choice of a to ic far from this one, "ecause death did not arouse in me +hat , +as comin# to reco#ni1e as :ethno#ra hic emotions;: indefati#a"le curiosity, an o"sessive #reed for e' lanations, a thick?skinned facility to +ithstand any discoura#ement in the >uest for information, and the conscienceless a"ility to disassociate self and family from the o"0ect "ein# studied. @hat +as lar#ely the case +as that , felt #uilty, such as only the relatively ine' erienced can feel, at "ein# emotionally less involved in the tra#edy than other family mem"ers, rather than acce t that as only realistic and roceed to "e true to myself. , +as tense at the reali1ation that my mind +as also +orkin# anthro olo#ically +hen it had no "usiness to do anythin# "ut #rieve. 9his, +hen , +as really saddened "y the sudden end of a "usy and creative life and an#ered further "y the tireless reiterations all around of his peaceful look and his peaceful end and ho+ peacefull! he +entC"ecause of course Ba"a did not +ant to goF he +as not seekin# peace. 9he event of that death "rou#ht me to the reali1ation, then in em"ryo and later in full form, that on some matters , +as not #oin# to com romise my autonomous thinkin# in favor of +hat informants "elieved. .et them chorus : eace, eace; as much as they liked, shakin# their head in that inimita"le +ay denotin# resi#nation and inner harmony. I +ould continue to car a"out the hi#hly un rofessional "ehavior of the doctor +ho had disre#arded t+o ur#ent messa#es, and , +ould continue moreover to e' ress regret at the de artedDs untimel! death rather than come to see it as :all for the "est.; -y feelin#s, hesitant as they +ere, +ere sound ones. By the end of our stay, +e had lost t+o more relatives/ +ithin the ne't cou le of years, t+o more/ and then , lost my #uidin# s irits 9ara Prasad and *hankar. 4ll the deathsCBa"aDs, Airendra0iDs, -eera chachiDs, NaniDs, Baldev mausaDs, 9ara PrasadDs, and *hankarDsC+ere, accordin# to me, untimely and avoida"le, testaments to the oor trainin# and

even the callousness of ,ndian doctors and the deficiencies of the ,ndian medical system. ,f "ereavement rovided 3osaldo the key to the com rehension of ,lon#ot ra#e, the shock of 9araDs death in 19BH #ave me a clear vision of my distance from the +orld vie+ of my informants, or, as , called it in my "ook three years later, of :the limits of ethnosociolo#y.; ,n a fe+ days +e left for Calcutta to com lete the pinda <death= rituals, for the oldest son +as there. 9he "a"y +as #iven another occasion for "ecomin# the center of attention +hen +e had her mundan, the ritual head shavin#, three months later. *ome such rituals, includin# some fasts, , found acce ta"le for myself, either "ecause they satisfied my curiosity to kno+ them from the inside, or "ecause they had an aesthetic a eal, or "ecause they seemed to have a :scientific; "asis. 4 first food ceremony +as colorful and retty, "ut a head shavin# +as a"solutely necessary to make sure the childDs e'tra?fine hair +as re laced "y an invi#orated, lentiful cro .

art Three
,n +hich aid and un aid research assistants are ha ily cultivated/ the racticalities of +orkin# as a +oman are s elled out/ and the +orst side of eo leDs characters is encountered and overlooked in the interests of research.

"/, 5' Resear)h Assistant

Lecem"er, after our return from Calcutta, sa+ a ne+ hase in my field+ork "e#in for me, one in +hich , "ecame ro#ressively immersed in the lives of the eo le , +as +orkin# +ith, or as , sa+ it, in +hich , could accom lish thrice as much in a day as , had reviously done. -any factors, a art from the len#th of our stay in Banaras, made this ossi"le. 9he first +as the ac>uisition of a research assistant. 8e +as in need of +ork, +as +ell educated, +as from Banaras, and +as +ithout ideas, o inions, or kno+led#e that could make him difficult to #uide. Na#endra *harma +as "rou#ht to me "y the famous Airendra *in#h, famous in my mind "ecause he +as one of the three names +e had +hen +e first reached Banaras. 8e had tau#ht 8indi to many of the 4merican students +ho +ere no+ valiantly "usy +ith *outh 4sian studies, :future rofessors at 8arvard and Eale,; as *om"a"u called them, and many re#arded him as a #ood friend. 8e had offered us his hel and friendshi as +ellConce +e had found him, that is, "ecause, as in other cases, 0ust to look for :Airendra *in#h, 8indi -aster, 4ssi; +as not the most efficient +ay to track him do+n. But he lived too far a+ay, +as too "usy, and seemed to s eciali1e in too different a cast of actors for me to take u his offer of hel . 2ne day, finally, +e made a definite a ointment, and he declared he +ould introduce me to eo le at -anikarnika, the main "urnin# #hat of the city and a arently the hu" of the cityDs cultural activity, as many <"ut clearly not ,= sa+ it. , have al+ays "een too #reedy and ac>uisitive ever to say :no; to such an offer, even +hen , faintly thou#ht to myself, :@hat do , +ant +ith -anikarnikaI; 9he ros ect of +anderin# in those mysterious galis +ith a kno+led#ea"le com anion +as not one to turn do+n. Airendra and , set out at da+n, +alked a decent distance from #hat to #hat "y the riverside, and then started introductions. 4ccordin# to the list , com iled +hen it +as all over, , met some si'teen eo le, includin# pandas < il#rim riests=, pandits <assorted riests=, karmakandis <ritual s ecialists=, sho kee ers of cremation #oods, and the death census taker. 9hey +ere all e'citin# in an o"0ective +ay, "ut my o+n ro0ect +as "ecomin# sufficiently defined in my mind that , felt little e'citement. -anikarnika eo le +ere, and have remained, a ha1e of interestin# colors, atterns, ima#es, and activities that has "ecome ro#ressively fainter. , +as una"le to say anythin# coherent to any of the

eo le , met, a art from ans+erin# or occasionally askin# "asic >uestions a"out lace and nature of +ork/ , usually stood "y a+k+ardly, lau#hin# at their 0okes, layin# erha s more the role of the first art of AirendraDs introduction: :9his is my sister. *he is an anthro olo#ist, too.; 9he :too; further su"dued me, made me seek invisi"ility. , felt tra ed "y this hint of the numerous other scholars, some >uite reno+ned, +hom he had assisted. 9heir shado+s follo+ed us every+here. , have never "een a"le to function comforta"ly in a situation +here somethin# is e' ected of me "ut , do not kno+ what, and +here my #uide has an a#enda and understands it much more clearly than , understand mine. 9hat mornin#, , concluded my "rief e'chan#e +ith each of the si'teen eo le sayin#, :,Dll "e "ack.; 4s +e aused to rest and "reakfast on delicious kachoris, Airendra turned to me frankly, :,t has struck me the +hole time that you +ere more the silent o"server than the active artici ant, that you +ere sim ly +atchin# my face.; )or him, thinkin# of -anikarnika as the cityDs hi#h s ot, it +as an a ro riate condemnation/ , had little to say in my defense and thou#ht unha ily of my artisans, a va#ue #rou of faces, as if they +ere +aitin# for me some+here. , almost "elieved that Airendra +ould "e disenchanted after this e'hi"ition of my incom etence and not "other +ith me a#ain, "ut he su"se>uently turned u +ith Na#endra. 4n air of mournin# still ervaded the house, "ut +ith distinct a"ility Airendra ut everythin# in lace "y voicin# my une' ressed thou#hts: :9he "est +ay to com"at tra#edy is to #et on +ith your +ork.; 9hus , ac>uired Na#endra and roceeded to train him. Na#endra had many >ualities, foremost of +hich +ere a sense of duty, erseverance, and recision in carryin# out instructions. @hat , had to train him in +as to use his o+n "rains +hen com lyin# +ith the tasks , set, to remain fle'i"le, to ima#ine that the >uestions he +as askin# mattered to him. , had a lon# list of 0o"s for him, most of +hich left him a#a e. ,n fact, he +as al+ays a#a e in the first fe+ months, and my most lastin# le#acy to him may "e the acce tance of all kinds of ro0ects as ossi"le and +orth+hile. ,ntervie+ the kee ers of teasho s, the haunters of arks and "a1aar crossin#s, tem le #oers, cinema fans, "athers at the onds and tanks, those strollin# the streets at certain times of the day and ni#htM , +as acutely conscious that my ro0ect +as "ecomin# a little too +ell defined and that instead of seein# all the ossi"ilities in : o ular culture,; , mi#ht end u discoverin# only those that , had already identified, diverse and fascinatin# as these +ere. , +as also conscious that even +ith these erceived domains, , +as useless for #atherin# certain kinds of information. , could "e sure of the feelin#s of one family, or t+o or three or even four, a"out tem les, "ut +hat of the hundreds of visitors +ho thron#ed the o ular tem les every dayI @hat made them choose a articular tem le, +hat did it mean to them, +hat did they think they +ere accom lishin#, +hat else did they do that could com are +ith this, and so on. , +as ositive, as , still am, that the res onses to such >ueries +ould vary +ith a#e, occu ation, caste, class, and ersonality. 9he only +ay to deal +ith this ro"lem +as to take a sam le. No+ this +as a sort of :evil; thou#ht that came to me, since , +as dedicated +holeheartedly to the notion of intense o"servation of a fe+, +ithout >uestionnaires or even reconce tions a"out +hat one +ould find. Both sam lin# and >uestionnaires +ere outside my methodolo#y, "ut, in a kind of e'tension of 8indu methods, , +as +illin# to tolerate them as lon# as , did not sully my o+n hands +ith them. , did modify their im act "y makin# Na#endra memori1e the >uestions, encoura#in# him to let the intervie+ su"0ect lead him on if so inclined and al+ays commendin# him for lon#, ram"lin# intervie+s. , further reco#ni1ed that no matter ho+ skillful , "ecame at a roachin# and min#lin# +ith eo le, there +ere certain eo le and situations "eyond me. 9he dark, cavernous mouths of teasho s +ere amon# these, no less terrifyin# than the mouths of +ild "easts. 9hey +ere terri"ly attractive and Lostoevskian, and occasionally , +ent to one +ith an informant, "ut in such cases the t+o of us +ere clearly isolated and may as +ell have "een sittin# in the informantDs home. Never did , strike u a conversation +ith a stran#er or, as +as my "i##est dream, +ith the teasho o+ner. , suffered from an illo#ical and inconsistent a rehension. 9he same men, youn# and old, +hom , considered courteous

and :decent; in other conte'ts and +ho re eatedly roved themselves to "e so, "ecame, , ima#ined, threatenin#, erha s erverse, certainly rude and ryin#, in these teasho s. , am s eakin# of course a"out the sooty, solid sho s in sin#le rooms in the older arts of the city, not the outdoor e'trava#an1as in laces like -aida#in, althou#h the a rehension , felt +as almost the same in "oth laces. No+, since , a"solutely had to find out +hen, ho+, and +hy most of these sho s +ere esta"lished, +ho and ho+ many fre>uented them, +hat the customers referred to eat, and +hat the tenor of discussions in them +as, , needed Na#endra. 4nyone +ho has ever en#a#ed in research kno+s the lu'ury of suddenly havin# an assistant to command <see fi#. 9=. 9o call it havin# an e'tra air of hands or feet is to ideali1e the situation too much, "ecause the :command; remains at a some+hat removed level. @hat ha ens, or +hat ha ened to me at least, +as that , could let my ima#ination loose, think adventurously of all the data , +ould have liked to collect if , could, formulate strate#ies, sometimes +ild and difficult, for accom lishin# this, and unload them all on the assistantC"ecause, sim ly s eakin#, he +orked for me. , had a +ide ran#e of ossi"ilities "ecause it seemed ridiculous to ay someone less than a certain minimum er month, and in the Banaras of 19B1 a lot of +ork could "e devised for t+o or three hundred ru ees. , indul#ed myself, thinkin# of all , +ould like to ask the +anderers, travelers, han#ers on, loiterers, and assers?"y, in assorted locations, if only , could, and assin# on the tasks to Na#endra. 9he results +ere never as e'citin# as the formulations themselves, +hich , "elieve is a "asic characteristic of this methodolo#y.

-y "rother Na#endra +ith my sister?in?la+, mother, ne he+s, and niece Na#endra himself +as consistently noncommittal +hen asked to res ond to the >uality of the >uestions, their a ro riateness or their focus. 8e didnDt seem to reali1e that he had "een "orn and "red in the city that ,Cno+ +e, 0ointlyC+ere researchin#. )or some time, , suffered from my ty ical dou"ts in thinkin# that his unres onsiveness reflected a ro"lem in my ro0ect itself: it +as +holly off the mark, made no sense to the su"0ects themselves, addressed no relevant issues, ran# no "ells. 4s , received confirmation from many other >uarters that this +as not so, my confidence increased, "ut Na#endraDs did not. 8e never had a su##estion for addition or deletion, for lace or erson, theme or form. 8e looked the same +hether he encountered failure or success. , continued to fantasi1e a"out the ideal research assistant and to +onder +here such a erson could "e found, "ut mean+hile Na#endra +on my heart +ith his conscientiousness and recision. ,n any case, , could never have "een cruel enou#h to take a+ay em loyment from anyone once , had #iven it. @here he e'ceeded all e' ectations +as in the archival art of my research. , had lon# a"andoned tryin# to co y do+n everythin# from the ne+s a ers in Na#ari Pracharini *a"ha and had decorated them all +ith a er markers instead. , had a lied, formally and in tri licate, for ermission to hotoco y these a#es, in the com any of *a"ha officials, at the nearest hotoco yin# lace. 9he ermission came throu#h one year and t+o months later, and said: :3e: 9he hotoco yin# of a#es of "% and Bharat /iwan "y research scholar Nita Kumar. 9he a"ove?mentioned research scholar is ermitted to co y the materials she has re>uested, rovided she does it on the remises of the Na#ari Pracharini *a"ha.; *ince no one +ithin many hundred miles of the lace had a orta"le co yin# machine, that +as that. , #ot Na#endra to +ork, and over the ne't year he roduced for me some five hundred a#es of notes in a earl?like, im ecca"le hand+ritin#. 8e "ecame a more familiar institution at the *a"ha than me, comin# and #oin# "efore or after his office hours, #ettin# throu#h one a#e here, another there. Eet, at the end of the year, +hen , surveyed +hat +as left <for , daresay that , +as #oin# faster in markin# than

he +as in co yin#=, , anicked. )or one +eek , hired three ty ists. 9hey came not only +ith their machines "ut +ith one assistant each. 9he dusky silence of the Na#ari Pracharini *a"ha +as "roken +ith the sounds of three ty e+riters clackin#, three voices readin# out assa#es, and three re#ular series of #runts, :Uh, +hatI @hatI; No one, to #ive them full credit for their atience and tolerance, minded the distur"ance. 2ne or t+o asked me solicitously, :9oo "adN Loes this mean you are leavin# us soonI; +hich made me in turn re#retful a"out my imminent de arture. 9he a#es of ty ed 8indi +ere "eautiful, "ut there is no match, , still claim, for +hat Na#endra *harma could achieve. @henever , see a a#e of closely +ritten notes, , feel it must "e his. *tran#e to think of it, all this "rou#ht us very close to#ether. , ha"itually addressed him as :Na#endra bhai,; a form that came easily to me, and "efore , kne+ it , +as esta"lished as his older sister. 9his +as no mere formality. , +as his +ifeDs sister?in?la+, his arentsD dau#hter, his childrenDs bua < aternal aunt=, and many convoluted relationshi s +ith the rest of his lar#e e'tended family. Unha ily, none of the other kin cate#ories came easily to me/ , could never address anyone a ro riately, nor could , kee u the "anter and li#hthearted conversation that +ent +ith my ne+ osition.

"0, Inside a o(i)e Station

4s days assed, the city shrank in si1e. 4dam ura and 6ait ura, articularly, had seemed >uite outside the "ounds of ossi"ility the first si' months, lyin# as they did at some uns ecified distance in the north of the city. By 6anuary, +ith the advent of near? erfect +eather, , told myself, :@hy notI; and s+un# onto a ricksha+ +ith the instruction, :4dam ura thana2; 9he 0ourney that follo+ed almost made me chan#e my mind. @e covered the #reater art of the city, includin# the u hill and do+nhill of Chauk, the main crossin#s of 5odaulia and -aida#in, and the #rain market of Aishesh+ar#an0. -ore than an hour after startin# +e sto ed at a lar#e, heavy, oran#e? red "rick "uildin#, and the rickshawalla announced, :PilikothiN; meanin# :the yello+ mansion.; 9his +as, , discovered, the olice station for 4dam ura +ard, after +hose hue the +hole area +as kno+n as Pilikothi. 2nly outsiders like me called it 4dam ura/ as +ith most laces in Banaras, the area had an alias that its residents referred, and every little nei#h"orhood in the +ard had several names that could "e thro+n out at you, "ut not :4dam ura.; 8avin# resolved the dilemma of ho+ much to ay a man for a ride that seemed too lon# for a ricksha+ at all, , #in#erly ste ed into the olice station. Not into the ins ectorDs room as +as my ha"it, since he +asnDt in and , +as revented from enterin# "y the #uard, "ut into the more u"lic, com letely male record room, +ith railed?in counters at +hich sat the clerks and record kee ers +ho re#istered com laints and filed the infamous :first information re orts,; "etter kno+n as ),3s. 4t every door +as an armed oliceman, and every+here there +ere only men. Because olicemen "oth +ork and live at olice stations, they can "e #lim sed in various ostures of rela'ation and various sta#es of undress, at any time of the day, since they +ork, as +e all kno+, odd hours. 4ll this is very a+k+ard for a +oman, and, as far as , kno+, no +oman enters the record room of a olice station. ,f she ur#ently needs to file an ),3, she can surely locate a "rother, nei#h"or, or +ell?+isher to do so for her. 9here are +omen consta"les and su"?ins ectors, of course, "ut so fe+ that they are almost never seen. Nor, , think, does every thana have one. .ess tan#i"ly than all this, there is an am"ience of maleness that ervades the avera#e thana. 9he men develo an old?"oy, clu""ish mentality that leads them to use lan#ua#e, #estures, #reetin#s, and so on not readily seen in the +orld of the family. 9hey also leave ossessions around such as ackets of biri, ouches of to"acco, or, in Banaras, a langot <the ,ndian male version of the #?strin#=, +hich reinforces the effect. Not only are the men none too careful a"out the finer oints of dress, "ut also most of them are "i# and solid, a re>uirement for 0oinin# the olice force. 9he ins ector is likely to "e the "i##est and hulkiest of all, the most a##ressively male, the most immune to

female sensi"ilities, a re#ular old?"oy clu" leader. 4fter #lim sin# such laces, , +as >uite intri#ued. , +ould have sat for the su"?ins ectorDs e'am if , could have, 0oined the force, and then done research +ith the full freedom to oke around that my uniform #ave me. 4t 4dam ura thana , almost had a taste of that freedom. @hen , e' lained to the cro+d of >uestionin# olicemen that , +as interested in the stationDs festival re#isters, they +ere too startled "y the unusualness of my re>uest to have a ready?made re ly. 9hey huddled amon# themselves "ut ultimately could only res ond that the officer in char#e +as out and that , should sit do+n and +ait. , +as ut on a chair in the "est sunny s ot on the verandah. 4fter some time and ersuasion, , +as #iven a ta"le and the festival re#ister :0ust to look at; until the station officer returned. 9his eminent ersona#e "ree1ed in one hour later. 3emem"er that , +as on a verandah inside, facin# the courtyard that lay at the heart of the "uildin#, as in every old ,ndian structure. 9he ins ector stood in the middle of the courtyard and roared for his lathi <"am"oo ole=. , then noticed a thin, ordinary man crin#in# in the shado+s, "ein# ulled out "y olicemen. 9he ins ector started +hackin# him +ith the ole. 9he man +ould try to "ack off from the "lo+s "ut +ould "e ushed "ack into the middle of the courtyard to "e tar#eted once a#ain "y the lathi. 4s he suffered more and more, he #re+ ro#ressively des erate and had to "e held as he +as struck. , noticed then that althou#h the ins ector himself +as a fat and terri"le fi#ure, none of the other olicemen +ere. -ost of them +ere of avera#e si1e, even small and +eak, and some +ere almost emaciated. 9hey +ere #rinnin# and en0oyin# the s ectacle as if it +ere rime entertainment. 9he ins ector made sense, as over"lo+n and su##estive of inhumanity as his ersona#e and osition +ere, "ut these ordinary, starvin# olicemenCstarvin#, , mean, for #ood, clean fun, #rinnin# as they +ere at a fello+ manDs inflicted sufferin#Cseemed totally athetic and stran#e. , +atched the +hole drama from my vanta#e oint in the sun, my eyes #ro+in# "i##er and "i##er, my heart thum in# harder and harder. No >uestion "ut that , had reached the inner circles. , had +anted to kno+ +hat #oes on inside the rivile#ed domains +here the ordinary female does not eer, and here , +as. 9his +as +hat the menu had to offerN 9o say , +as shocked is not >uite sufficient. -y eyes +ere +renched o en "y the cruelty, the matter?of?fact "rutality, and the mismatched sho+ of hysical stren#th that e'isted on a day?to?day "asis. 9his +as no e'ce tional day or e'ce tional situation, "ut rather as avera#e a day as ,, "y sim ly "ree1in# into the olice station, could have icked. 4nd the sheer drama of it +as somethin# that my timid, humdrum, middle?class "ack#round had not re ared me for. ,t made my nerves tin#le and my stomach al itate. @hen -r. 9ri athi, the ins ector, +as >uite done, the risoner co+erin# in a corner in near colla se, he "rushed the incident off his hands and noticed me for the first time. 8e +alked ast me into his office, si#nalin# for me to follo+ him, sayin# e' ressionlessly over his shoulder, :9his fello+ has set fire to someoneDs ro ertyN , #ot so an#ryM; ,n his office +as another erson +ho rather resem"led the one "eaten u and +ho looked rather scared at +hat he, like me, had +itnessed. 9his, resuma"ly, +as the man +hose ro erty had "een set afire. 8e sat in a corner of the room +hile the ins ector dealt +ith me. :@hat do you +antI; , #ave the "are essentials of my ur ose +ith a controlled face and voice. :Lo you kno+ that these records are not u"lic ro ertyI; thundered the officer. , cited +hat is kno+n as the 9hirty EearsD 3ule, "y +hich all official records are o en to the scrutiny of researchers after a thirty?year eriod. 9he ins ector hum hed and +ent a+ay +ithout a +ord, erha s to think it over or erha s to +ash the "lood off his hands. 2n his return, he +as cooler and stared at me. :*o +hat is the to ic that you have "een #ivenI; 9his, , had discovered, +as the form of ver"

al+ays a lied in Banaras to my research, not the to ic that , had :chosen; or : icked; or :decided u on,; "ut the to ic that , :had #ot; or :had "een #iven.; ,t told me much a"out Ph.L. research in ,ndia. :2h, festivals and thin#s,; , said hastily, a+are that this +as the oint at +hich , sometimes +ent +ron#. :Cele"rations, rocessions, the thin#s that eo le like to do for entertainment.; :@ell, youDve come to the ri#ht laceCe#er!thing ha ens in 4dam ura. ,n fact you may as +ell do your research only on 4dam ura. 9his lace has "een around, do you kno+, from Ba"a 4damDs time.; -y s irits lea ed at his +ords/ it +as one of the only t+o res onses ossi"le to the statement of my research to ic: either :No e, thereDs no material at all to "e had here; or :"ll the material is here, and only here.; But +ith the close of his sentence, my fli#ht of 0oy rudely ended. :No+,; he stared hard at me a#ain, :our ,.5.Ds dau#hter is doin# some research here, too.; :Ees,; , said misera"ly. :9hatDs me.; -r. 9ri athi then did an e'traordinary thin#. 8e 0um ed strai#ht out of his chair, 0oined his alms in reverential #reetin#, and, "o+in# and smilin# e'cessively, re eated, :>amastee2 >amastee22( , "rou#ht his attention "ack to the festival re#isters, +hich of course +ere set "efore me, as, #radually, +ere latefuls of s+eets and snacks. No+ 9ri athi had #ood taste in snacks, "ein# "asically a villa#er attuned to corn, oran#e 0uice, eas, eanuts, su#ar cane, and chhena s+eets, and he +as sim le enou#h to offer this rustic fare even to his most distin#uished #uest. 8e +as also a lar#e man, and to sustain his si1e he snacked often. 9hat day, and in the many days to follo+, our relationshi +as artly constructed on our mutual search for somethin# to eatC,, +ith the miles , covered daily in the city and the mental e'ercises that accom anied them, and he, +ith his erratic duties, ha"its, and sheer a etite. 8e kne+ laces and had ideas a"out food that +ere irresisti"le to me. *o, +henever he +as +ith me, as escort or #uide, +e s ent a necessary art of our time takin# "reaks for snacks. 2f course , 0ustified these "reaks on the #rounds that they not only satisfied my hun#er "ut also contri"uted in an essential +ay to my research, in that , +as :discoverin# the eatin# laces of Banaras.; -r. 9ri athi +as a Banarasi also, a different kind from my artisans 9ara Prasad and -ohan .al or the suave oets and +riters of Kashi ura and -adan ura, "ut no less ty ical for all that. 8is face resem"led de ictions of the +restlers and +ei#ht lifters of old, as did his "ody, save for a #ro+in# aunch. 9hat is, his face +as "road, +ith a tiny stoo in# moustache forced u at the ends, his hair +as on the lon# side, and a darkness and lan#uor a"out it all that su##ested nothin# to me "ut , think aroused in traditional ,ndian <or 0ust eastern U.P.I= minds the idea of "eauty. 7verythin# a"out himC face, #irth, movements, lau#hterC+as "i#, makin# him as ty ical a olice ins ector as a Banarasi. 9hat first day in his office, , +as starvin# as usual, and after olitely declinin# offers of refreshment at first, savored everythin# ut "efore me. 9hat #esture of acce tance +as the end of any strict s eeches , may have "een lannin# on the su"0ect of torture and hysical a"use in olice stations. , did raise the su"0ect, "ut he +as so unem"arrassed a"out the incident that , decided to +ait for a more effective moment, may"e, lanned , +ith some satisfaction, after , had checked u +ith his ,.5. as to the a ro riate unishment for him. 9he unishment, let me tell the readers, never materiali1ed. Not only did my father look "emused at the mention of the incident, "ut also he as much told me that such thin#s +ere more the rule than the e'ce tion. 4s +ith li>uor, dru#s, rostitution, and violence in #eneral, , had no desire to follo+ u the matter in any +ay, and it +as slo+ly ushed to the "ack of my mind. 2nce , had rearran#ed my erce tions to minimi1e the im act of this "eatin# scene on me, , had ro#ressively less difficulty in ca itali1in# on 9ri athiDs hel in discoverin# 4dam ura. 8e had "een there lon# enou#h to kno+ the lace +ell, and in his o+n country "um kinish +ay, #ot alon# +ell +ith all levels of eo leCthou#h not, of course, the ones he "eat u . , needed a #uide to eo le and

activities, say to the *ho"e?raat festivities, an all?ni#ht event cele"rated variously at tom"s and shrines, im ossi"le for me to reach on my o+n. But +ith 9ri athi in his 0ee and 4"dul 6a""ar #uidin# us, +e covered shrine after shrine/ and havin# s ent only half the ni#ht, +e felt +e +ere doin# so +ell that +e ran#ed outside 4dam ura and attended shrines in other arts of the city as +ell. 9ri athiDs rotectiveness, his affectionate res ect, indeed reverence, made me feel e'ce tionally secure "y "rin#in# "ack, , su ose, memories of my childhood. 2ne must remem"er that , had "een brought up "y olicemen. Because of the +ay an officerDs household is constituted, it +as olicemen +ho had cooked for me, served me, tau#ht me to ride a "icycle, accom anied me every+here, layed +ith me, and communicated to me my first lessons in #entleness, kindness, s+eetness. , had never encountered violence or harshness any+here. 9he closest , had come +as the e' erience, as a child, of drivin# throu#h our #ates, +here the armed #uard +ould oint his rifle at the enterin# car and shout, :)ham2 Eaun ata haiG( <:8altN @ho comes thereI;=. , +ould under#o a fe+ seconds of tre idation/ what if the driver for#ot the ma#ic +ord of re ly, :9ost2( <:)riendN;=I *o over the years , retained a soft s ot in my heart for olicemen, and they remainedCin s ite of later +isdomC eo le , instinctively turned to for hel , eo le , al+ays s otted in a cro+d. 7ven the knock?kneed ra+ recruits or 0unior consta"les in their half? ants aroused my affection and interest, certainly not my mockery or, as , +as amused to note 3ashdie +rite in &atanic 8erses, a desire to esca e :,ndiaDs clutches.; , s ent a lon# time at 4dam ura thana that day and on su"se>uent days, orin# over the festival re#isters, +hich +ere unusually descri tive. , +as even su lied a translator, +ho deci hered the older entries in scra+led Urdu. ,n one sense the +ard did have :everythin#;Call the usual 8indu cele"rations and -uslim ones, and some innovations "esides, such as :the marria#e of .at Bhairav; and, thanks to the redominance of +eavers, some :deviations; that seemed to "elon# only to them. , +as rather over+helmed and sim ly co ied do+n the data/ there +as no >uestion of anythin# makin# much sense at that early sta#e. No researcher should e' ect atterns to emer#e and meanin#s to divul#e themselves "efore the first year at least. 9he olice station also had 3e#isters No. B, the so?called Ailla#e Crime Note"ooks, the nomenclature continuin# even after areas had "een s>uarely cate#ori1ed as ur"an. ,n these, one re#ister to a mohalla, there +ere actual statistics on the num"er of houses in each mohalla and the caste and occu ational structure of the nei#h"orhood, as +ell as comments on the :nature; of the residents: ro+dy, cunnin#, docile, hard+orkin#, and all those other British stereoty es inherited "y the ,ndian administration. Unfortunately, there +ere too many mohallas in any +ard, some fifty to a hundred, for me to make the most of such information, e'ce t very selectively. , sometimes +ondered if , should circumscri"e my to ic in some +ay, restrict it to a #rou of mohallas, or a +ard, or in the same vein, to a community, occu ation, +hatever. But , could not ersuade myself to art +ith all the rest of +hatever , +ould have e'cluded. @ith the thin#s , +as discoverin#, e' andin# my su"0ect in len#th and "readth #ave me in fact #reater de thCso , reasoned. But rimarily it +as #reed, ossessiveness of the city, and #ro+in# ride at a certain mastery over it that made me reluctant to art +ith any section of it. @hereas in music , liked solos and small ensem"les, in my research, , referred the sym hony that the total city roduced.

"3, A-du( >a--ar

, sa+ many thin#s in 4dam ura that first day: the .at tem le and mos>ue, a s ace revered "y "oth 8indus and -uslims, hi#h on the list of Banaras tension s ots/ the reno+ned :Na#ina; taCi!a <:"e0e+eled; -oharram artifact=, ke t in stora#e all year round "y its skilled maker/ many, many lanes and dusty streets/ the famous tem le of 8anuman, +here 9ulsidas had a arently stayed and +ritten

art of his e ic. , also met many eo le of im ortance to me, such as .allu, sardar of one mohalla, and t+o of crucial im ortance, -aulana 4"dus *alam and the dyer 4"dul 6a""ar. 4"dus *alam +as a #rand man. 9he imam of the most im ortant mos>ue in the city, the 6ama -as0id, 5yanva i, he +as one of the foremost reli#ious leaders of the +eavers and, a art from his le#al status, +as truly o ular and "eloved amon# them <see fi#.1%=. 8e +as an author in his o+n ri#ht and had u"lished t+o "ooks on Banaras, at the fine Urdu rint of +hich , could only #a1e in dismay. 8e had a small u"lishin# house as +ell and +rote and u"lished te't"ooks for children, uniformly orthodo' and aternalistic. 9hat he himself +as a man of ima#ination and cultivation did not sho+ in his life?style "ecause he functioned from one small office s illin# over +ith "ooks and a ers, +here the once +hite sheets on the floor +ere li"erally stained +ith ink and tea. But he +ore a #rand tur"an, s orted a flo+in# +hite "eard, s oke slo+ly and thou#htfully, and +as al+ays the scholar. , could discuss +ith him all my >uestions and dou"ts. @here had this name :4nsari; for +eaver come fromI @here had the +eavers themselves come fromI @hat +as the status of their "eliefs in classical ,slamI 8o+ should one classify their festivals and ritualsI 9heir lan#ua#e and clothesI 9hey seemed fairly un?,slamic and 8indui1ed in my naive o inion. , had s oken +ith a fe+ maulanas <reli#ious leaders= already and +as a+are of the mental "locks to "e encountered in discussin# somethin# of such ro'imity to them. 9hey had "een reformers, critical of e'istin# ractices, 0ud#mental and denunciatory. But 4"dus *alam did not allo+ his inter retations to "e influenced "y his values, at least in his conversations +ith me/ , dou"t that he +as different in his dealin#s +ith +eavers, 0ud#in# from the affection in +hich they held him. 4s a maulana, he +as an official maker and inter reter of social codes, "ut he did not do his +ork in a "ookish +ay. 8is o+n "rother, another maulana, +hom , met se arately as a scholar and reli#ious leader in his o+n ri#ht, +as so different as to make me a reciate 4"dus *alam all the more. 8is "rother had a small mind, could not see "eyond the immediate and o"vious, and could locate ro"lems only su erficially. 4"dus *alam could see the ast +ith a rofessional historianDs vision, could make connections like a sociolo#ist, could analy1e +ith the atience of an intellectual, and in short +as much more than a maulana.

-aulana 4"dus *alam Nomani in his study. 8e died, dee ly re#retted, in 6anuary 19BK 4"dul 6a""ar , met not in his rofessional ca acity as a dyer of silk yarn "ut as one +ho hun# around the maulana. ,f the maulana +as my match in his scholarshi on Banaras <mine ro0ected, of course=, 4"dul 6a""ar +as more than my match in his investi#ative a"ilities. 8e kne+ all kinds of eo le, all castes, occu ations, classes/ all arts of Banaras/ all events and activities. 8e could #o any+here at the merest su##estion, find out anythin#, make friends and ac>uaintances, ask difficult >uestions, sift information, follo+ it u , close the case as efficiently as the "est detective on the loose. , +as fascinated "y him, , +as dra+n to him like a ma#net, , +anted to hold on ti#ht to him and not lose him. )ortunately he found my com any amena"le and my notions attractive, and he stuck +ith me for the rest of my stay. ,f he had not "een unlettered and untau#ht, in an occu ation that he +as more or less "orn into, he +ould have e'celled at somethin# far more intellectually challen#in# than yarn dyein#. 4"dul 6a""ar also had a very clear hiloso hy of life, one difficult to in do+n "ecause it +as not so much articulated as lived. 8e loved, valued, and res ected eo le, all kinds of eo le, and did not think anyone "eneath interest or consideration. 9hat struck a familiar chord in me and, , think, "rou#ht us close to#ether. 8e could "e outra#eously a##ressive in a roachin# eo le "ecause he +as never shy, timid, or hesitant as , +as, "ut his "rashness al+ays +orked "ecause his sincerity and sin#le? mindedness shone throu#h. 8is #reatest ride +as that he kne+ more eo le than anyone else, and that they not only kne+ "ut also liked and res ected him and, most of all, came to him for help. No+ here +as a sli#ht difficulty. , slo+ly ackno+led#ed that in oor communities in a less?than?efficiently

+orkin# reindustriali1ed or semi?industriali1ed city, there +ere a lot of ro"lems, and everyone had one or t+o at any #iven moment. 4"dul 6a""ar +as into many at once, handlin# this or that for one friend, runnin# an errand for another, comfortin# a nei#h"or, visitin# an ac>uaintance, unearthin# crucial information for yet another. 8e ro"a"ly #ot interested in me "ecause , had this immense ro"lem of research. 8ere , +as, tryin# to in do+n a su"0ect as vast as the cultural activities of Banaras, +ith such oor e>ui ment as no intimacy +ith the city, its lan#ua#e of Bho0 uri, its ast and traditions, its mental set and moods. , +ould sim ly never achieve my o"0ective on my o+n, as 4"dul 6a""ar sa+ it. 8e rallied to my aid "ecause, as he sa+ himself, only he could hel me achieve it. 8e stuck +ith me throu#hout "ecause he could see +hat ositive results his ro'imity "rou#ht me, ho+ , turned to him for all kinds of succor, and ho+ the actual lot thickened the more +e stayed at it. *o, +hile , didnDt care for his semi? atroni1in# relationshi +ith me, in +hich he already kne+ everythin# , had to find out and , should refera"ly remain the assive reci ient of the kno+led#e, , truly loved him for his selflessness and #re#ariousness. @e could "oth, +ithout lannin# or contem lation, #et lost in +anderin# around, meetin# and talkin# at random, and feel e'hilarated +ithout ever "otherin# to calculate +hy. , often felt #uilty a"out 4"dul 6a""ar. 8e +as one of the oorest men , kne+, his overty e'acer"ated "y the fact that, like all artisans, he lived from day to day, earned accordin# to the hours he +orked, and had no security +hatsoever. 8is +ife, mother, and t+o dau#hters lived u stairs in his house in Larana#ar, a more mi'ed mohalla than usual, "ein# redominantly 8indu "ut +ith many -uslim +eavers and Cari <#old and silver thread= em"roiderers. 9he house +as su"divided amon# "rothers, and tiny rooms remained, one on each floor of a three?storied house, each lookin# more o"viously halved "ecause one +all +as freshly constructed of ra+ "rick. 9he fre>uency of artition +ithin families did not reduce my a rehension that it must "e an a+k+ard su"0ect for those involved, and , treated it as if it +ere ta"oo. ,n fact, families remained friendly to each other even after >uarrels and le#al se arations. 4"dul 6a""arDs immediate nei#h"ors +ere the mem"ers of his "rotherDs family/ he himself took me to meet them, referrin# to them as garib < oor, literally= and bechare < oor, meta horically=, and the #irls of the t+o houses +ere the "est of friends. 9hey could not visit each other, ho+ever, "ein# in total seclusion and also, technically, anta#onistic. 9aken u to the roof of 6a""arDs house "y his dau#hters, , discovered +hat a erfect vanta#e oint it +as for a num"er of ur oses. Best of all, "ecause it overlooked the courtyard of the ne't house, it "rou#ht the #irls close enou#h for lon# conversations and #ossi . , +as introduced to the cousins, and there follo+ed some styli1ed 0okin# on ho+ , had lost my looks and a eared do+nri#ht : ale; "ecause of my rolon#ed se aration from my hus"and. 9he 0okes irritated me initially till , remem"ered the osition of my ne+ friends, hysically in com lete pardah <seclusion= and mentally almost so. 9hey +ere indeed se arated from their menfolk for sustained eriods, and from the outside +orld for al+ays, and such 0okes +ere comments on their situation. 4lthou#h , s ent lon# hours and the "etter arts of days in 4"dul 6a""arDs home and +as art of the +omenDs +orld all that time, , remem"er the +omen of the house redominantly as those confined. 9he ima#e that comes to mind is of their ee in# out of the little +indo+s u stairs, revealin# the smallest arts of their faces, as , a roached the front door and called out. -ore often than not, 4"dul 6a""ar, "ein# the "usy man he +as, +ould "e out. ,t made more sense to call out :Bil>uisN; or :AakilaN; 9hey could not come do+nstairs to unlatch the front door, "ut they had a ro e connected to the latch +hich traveled u stairs throu#h many tunnels and ulleys and +hich they could tu# at to o en the door. , could enter and #ro e my +ay u the stairs in the darkCfor, like 9ara Prasad, 4"dul 6a""ar refused to have electricity as an unnecessary e' enditure. Bil>uis, her sister, mother, and #randmother +ere thrice confined: out of tradition/ out of overtyCthe a"sence of diversions and activities at home/ and out of illiteracy and i#norance. 4"dul 6a""arDs illiteracy +as not somethin# one remem"ered, "ecause he sim ly kne+ too much for it

to "e im ortant. 8e +as far more educated than the avera#e erson, and certainly many times more than , +as, on ho+ the city administration functioned, +here one +ent for +hich ur oses, +ho +as +ho in the lace, +hat eo le "elieved, thou#ht, and did. 8e +as not merely functionally ada ted to life in Banaras, as many eo le , #ot to kno+ +ere, "ut he +as e'tremely clever and kno+led#ea"le as +ell. 9he ro"lem +ith him, +hich mi#ht or mi#ht not have "een reduced "y schoolin#, and +hich , stru##led +ith continuously, +as +hat may "est "e descri"ed as his :s eech im ediment.; 4"dul 6a""ar s oke very indistinctly. , lost valua"le statements, sometimes +hole ara#ra hs and s eeches, "ecause , sim ly could not deci her his +ords. ,n the latter art of my stay, +hen , +as totally comforta"le +ith him, a family mem"er of course, , made him re eat, very slo+ly, many thin#s that , thou#ht he had "een sayin# +hich , missed the first time around. But there +ere too many thin#s , missed. 4 s eech im ediment +as a common Banarasi com laint, cross?cuttin# the o ulation from the to <the mahara0a= to the "ottom <the avera#e artisan=. 4n im ediment could have many causes, "ut "ad teeth, oor trainin#, occasionally old a#e, and #eneral lack of care +ere ro"a"ly im ortant ones. @hen 9ara Prasad told me the name of the +ood he used most often for carvin#, , could not com rehend the +ord. ,n my notes , find, in successive laces, :gurukul,( Hbhulkul,( :bhurukul,( and :gulkul( as the "est +ood. -any thin#s in Banaras had a frustratin# array of alternative names: :chaumuhani( and :chauraha( for crossin#/ :ka%ali( and :ka%ari( for the music/ :4hir,; :Eadav,; and :sardar( for the milkseller casteC"ut that is a different ro"lem derivin# in lar#e art from the time it naturally takes to #et a handle on another culture. @hen encounterin# +ords that , initially misinter reted, , often thou#ht of our 6e+ish Community Center e' erience in Chica#o. Passin# on to me a 0o" that involved callin# u the Center, my hus"and innocently remarked, :9hereDs a +oman called *halom +ho al+ays icks u the hone.; @ords +ere e'tremely im ortant to me, to the e'tent that , could have claimed that my +hole enter rise rested on lan#ua#e: hearin# the ri#ht +ords, understandin# them, usin# a ro riate ones myself, #ettin# the multidimensional nuances of +ords. Besides the utter dis#ust , felt +ith myself +hen , let recious sounds ass in noncom rehension, , often felt im atience +ith my ne+ friends. 9he ina"ility of some Banarasis to enunciate their +ords carefully +as #reatly com ounded "y their refusal to do so "ecause their mouths +ere full of pan. 9o eat pan in the correct +ay, you have to stuff it in a corner of your mouth and store the 0uice in your lo+er 0a+ until you deem the 0uice sufficient to s>uirt out, +hich you do in any direction you consider e' edient. 8avin# done that, you have a fe+ seconds to make a clear statement to those +ho may "e +aitin# atiently/ then the 0uice "e#ins to accumulate a#ain, and you had "etter kee your mouth shut. , ate pan, too, and , often racticed this style of 0uice storin# "efore the mirror. , "elieve it is "etter for your innards than s+allo+in# the 0uice +holesale as , ha"itually did. -oreover, if , could have mastered the techni>ue, it +ould have #iven me a osture, a mannerism to fall "ack on, that +ould have e'uded "oth familiarity +ith and confidence in my surroundin#s. , think , +ould also have liked to have a method handy +here"y , could, if , so desired, find myself una"le to re ly or forced to re ly inaudi"ly. 9hese diversions aside, the fact remains that for many and sundry reasons eo le in Banaras +ere difficult to understand. ,f they +ere not che+in# pan and had no s eech disa"ility, they mi#ht "e sim ly slee y or "ored and refuse to o en their mouths +ide, as elocution trainers recommend. -any of the informants , icked out +ere old, +ith +hee1in# throats and >uiverin# mouths. 9ara and 6a""ar +ere not that old, "ut their mouths sort of ran a+ay +ith them. 4"dul 6a""arDs main o"stacle +as his "eard, , "elieve. 9hick, unkem t, 0un#lelike, it covered most of his mouth, so +hat actually emer#ed from his mouth +as unkno+a"le and +hat remained after the assa#e throu#h the "eard +as not very hel ful. 4"dul 6a""ar may have "een fifty or si'ty/ eo le like him a#e easily, develo #randfatherly

mannerisms, addressin# everyone as :beta( <child= and comin# to "e themselves referred to as :baba( <old man, father=. 4s , said, his teeth +ere either "ad or #one already/ he referred to eat +ith his "read soaked +ell in his curry, "ut that may have "een sim ly a device to make the food #o further. )or me he +as a#eless, and +e +ere more comrades than anythin# else. Eet he could #et tired out from our endless travels. 2n a fe+ occasions he fell aslee +herever +e had sto ed. *ometimes he looked e'hausted, and he +as often, , sus ected, hun#ry like me. But he never admitted to any of this and ke t #oin# do##edly, not only servin# as #uide and com anion "ut also carryin# some of my "a#s and, +hen it came to the crunch, the "a"y as +ell. ,rfana +as so used to this that the very first name she learned to say +as :4?"oo?oo?oo?l 6a?""aa?aa?rN; @hat he +ould have preferred her to say is :Khan *aha";/ he ke t teachin# her that alternative, "ut she stuck to her choice. @here e'actly did +e #o and +hat did +e doI , had the rivile#e of makin# a #randiose lan of my choice. , +ould ro ose, for instance, that +e #o around to all the old mos>ues of the city. 4"dul 6a""ar, a"andonin# +ork and family, +ould a#ree +ith enthusiasm. @e +ould set out, leavin# at da+n "ecause in his calculations +e +ould need those e'tra hours to cover all the essential laces "efore dark. @e +ould sketch out an itinerary, "ased on locations and his instinct of +ho +ould "e availa"le +here at +hat time. Neither of us +as interested in lookin# at "uildin#s. , took ictures like mad, "ut the structures themselves +ere meanin#less for me and mere artifacts for him. 8e searched out the imams and the maulanas, the old caretakers and the nei#h"ors. 5uided tours and rich e'e#etical narratives follo+ed, "etter than my fondest ho es could have led me to antici ate. 4"dul 6a""ar had a +ay of resentin# himself and me, "y e'tension, that removed any dou"t a"out the lo#ic and acce ta"ility of our search. ,Dm not sure recisely +hat he said: erha s :*heDs +ritin# a "ook "ut had no +ay to meet you;/ :*heDs interested in ,slamic society and culture "ut needs a little hel ;/ :*he has come all the +ay from Chica#o, and our maulana sahab offered to teach her +hat she +anted, "ut +e decided to come here first;Ca com"ination, that is, of flattery, dee res ect, even reverence for the addresseeDs kno+led#e/ of our o+n relative i#norance and frustration/ of the maulana*s su ort and #ood+ill/ and of the intrinsic value of lookin# at mos>ues and shrines to understand much a"out anythin# <see fi#. 11=. ,n short, he +as an elo>uent inter reter of my research ro0ect and throu#hout served to make it clearer and clearer, as +ell as succeedin# consistently in havin# it acce ted. No one ever hesitated to trust me, since , +as in 4"dul 6a""arDs com any, "ut they ro"a"ly +ould have felt more comforta"le if , had not had this unnervin# ha"it of +hi in# out my note"ook and en. ,t +asnDt so much the erson +e +ere talkin# to +ho o"0ectedChe +ould a reciate my seriousnessC"ut all the others +ho assed "y, ee ed in, or #athered around. 9hey +ould fro+n and +his er, :@hat is she +ritin#I @ho is sheI @here is all this information #oin#I; 4"dul 6a""ar +ould immediately shoulder the +hole res onsi"ility and e' lain me ane+, +ith careful consideration for the social level and assimilative ca acity of his audience.

4"dul 6a""ar <"earded, center= took me to various ceremonies , +ould other+ise not have seen, in the case, a #oat sacrifice. , did not even have to ress home the oint to 4"dul 6a""ar that it +as not merely formal re resentatives of authority and reli#ion that , needed to talk +ith "ut some sim le folk, the ones visitin# the mos>ue or shrine or even not visitin# in some cases. 6a""arDs re ertoire of friends included many such, and, since all +as for him ure leasure, he as naturally introduced me to im overished +eavers as to o+erful maulanas. 2n the +ay to or from some+here +e +ould ause at a teasho or someoneDs home and s end deli#htful hours chattin# a"out +hat +e +ere lookin# at that day and the lar#er henomenon. 9he trou"le +ith such a techni>ue +as that e#er!one al+ays offered us refreshments, and as many times as , tried to decline these and ersuade our hosts that they +ere

unnecessaryCconversation alone +ould "e 0ust fineC4"dul 6a""ar insisted that +e <,, as he +ould ut it= must have tea. @ith my an'iety a"out feedin# off oor eo le +ho +ere already #ivin# me valua"le time, this insistence +as acutely em"arrassin# for me, "ut , had to acce t it as the Banarasi custom and 4"dul 6a""arDs +ay. 8e atiently e' lained to me that in Banaras to refuse anyoneDs hos itality +as the +orst ossi"le insult and that, no matter +hat , ima#ined, my hostsD insistence +ould have overridden my reservations. , a#reed in+ardly on the stren#th of my e' erience of visitin# eo le in Banaras. But , could not resi#n myself to it and have not mana#ed to even no+, "esides +hich , live in constant dread of other+ise lon# and roductive days of field+ork, +ith their do1ens of cu s of "oiled tea, leavin# a ermanent hole in my stomach. -y "asically a+k+ard ada tation to Banarasi hos itality continued throu#hout my stay: as soon as , visited someone, tea and pan +ould "e roduced, and , +ould start rotestin# instead of lookin# ha y and #ratified. ,t should "e clear that, as +onderful as 4"dul 6a""ar +as for me and as +ell as our ersonalities suited each other, , did not entertain clear?cut feelin#s for him, nor he for me. , kno+, for e'am le, that he found my lack of style demeanin#. 4s someone +ith +ealth, education, family name, and a assion for culture, , should have "een more in the school of the old?style rais <aristocracy= of Banaras, ro"a"ly should have s oken less <de ended more on him=, s ent more <taken ta'is rather than ricksha+s=, ar#ued infinitely less, and never, never, never should have a eared intimidated "ut sim ly should have known that my >ualities overrode everythin#. )or me, 4"dul 6a""ar +as not merely a little too ushy, some+hat too >uick to take advanta#e of hos itality and hel , and, of course, im erfectly articulate, "ut also sometimes >uestiona"ly am"itious. 8e had met me initially throu#h the maulana, +ho in turn kne+ that , had a relationshi +ith the olice station. *o 4"dul 6a""ar com rehended that , +as a s ecial erson of some sort. @hat he couldnDt #ras , or may"e +anted to, +as +hy , needed the olice in my role as su licant for their records rather than their needin# me, res ected sister of the olice force as , +as. 2f the many ro"lems +ith +hich ordinary eo le could "e "eset, there +ere those in a cate#ory that involved the olice. 4"dul 6a""ar hel ed eo le +ith these as +ell as +ith others and fre>uently entered or hun# around olice stations. 8e must have calculated, erha s indistinctly, that , +as #ood for him, althou#h re eated efforts should have also convinced him that it ne#er hel ed either to cite my name or even to have me hysically resent. Policemen could make the distinction "et+een "ein# courteous to me or hel in# me in harmless +ays and allo+in# me to influence their im ortant decisions. 4"dul 6a""ar never #ave u tryin# to #et me directly involved in hisCsometimes, in our mutualC friendsD ro"lems. -ore often than not, his very introduction of a ne+ erson to me +ould incor orate "oth sides of the relationshi , thus: :9his is *hakur, a #reat merchant. 8e can tell you all a"out the Banaras silk trade +ith Ne al in the fifties. 8ere, sit, sitMmake yourself comforta"leM*ome tea for the #uest, *hakurI FIndistinct moans of protest from me.G 4nd *hakur also has a son in some trou"le at the olice stationM; Lecidin# to educate 4"dul 6a""ar in the virtues and indeed the necessity of noninterference +ith the affairs of the administration, , s oke to him at len#th a"out the fact that , +as finally a lay erson, a helpless woman to +hom no one +ould ay any attention, and , demonstrated it to him in diverse +ays. -ost of all, , sim ly i#nored all re>uests for any kind of intervention. But he educated me instead in the realities of city functionin#. Peo le had le#itimate ro"lems, and the reco#ni1ed, le#itimate +ay of dealin# +ith them +as throu#h a erson +ho could talk effectively +ith "oth arties. 4ll 6a""ar and the others +ere doin# +as tryin# to incor orate me into the social structure and, in the a"sence of any other >ualities in me of value to the society, to use the one , had, namely, my family connections, to make me an inte#ral art of society, #ivin# to others as +ell as takin# from them. 9he >uestion of ho+ to hel others had haunted me from the "e#innin#, as ,Dve had occasion to descri"e. , never did resolve my dilemma on that visit, "ut my res onses over the course of the t+enty?

t+o months can "e divided into t+o hases. ,n the earlier and more naive hase, +hen someone made a re>uest of me, , +ould conscientiously sift the facts of the case and 0ud#e it on its merits. ,f o"viously im overished and o ressed, the erson deserved to have a +ord ut in. ,f the su licant cited an outri#ht e'am le of in0ustice, then it deserved further action. , must have made a #ood one? or t+o? do1en efforts to hel informants "efore , reali1ed that not one attem t had "een successful. -y failure had as much to do +ith my conviction that such interference +as unethical as +ith my lack of talent for the "usiness. 9o make a sufficiently lausi"le re>uest to a olice or an administrative officer, you have to hum"le yourself at least su"tly. , couldnDt do that, lest , inadvertently "ecome art of the all?,ndia cons iracy, +ith everyone "usy at #ivin# and takin#. *omeho+ , let this attitude sli in even as , +as makin# my re>uest: :8ere is a deservin# case,; +ould #o ,. :But you +ill "e a "etter 0ud#e of its validity, and far "e it from me to im oseM; 9he officer "ein# a roached +ould #uess that the case didnDt matter, that , +ould not do anythin# a"out it. *ince he +as involved in a transaction, , needed to make him feel like an active, voluntary transactor, not a mere co# in the machine that +as "ein# ushed to erform. ,n other +ords, , +as inefficient. -y successes +ere in inverse ro ortion to the si#nificance of the cases "ein# leaded. , succeeded in "rin#in# the *.*.P. here and there or in rovidin# three mounted consta"ulary for 3amDs marria#e rocession at the -anikarnika 3amlila/ "ut , couldnDt #et -ohan .alDs house vacated, or *haukatullahDs land freed, or 4limuddinDs artition settled, or revent Bharat from "ein# "eaten u "y a rival #an#. 9he truly +orth+hile cases, such as the colla se of -arkandeDs room in the monsoons, for +hich relief +as theoretically availa"le from the district ma#istrateDs office, +ere effectively "otched as much "y my interference as "y anythin# else. 9he second hase +as marked "y almost total retreat. -y life "ecame so intense and "usy that , decided one could "e either a successful activist, a useful mem"er of society in some +ay, or a useless and seemin#ly self?centered anthro olo#ist. 4t times it "roke my heart to say no, +hich , learned to do automatically in case , +aivered. @hen the thin, e'hausted?lookin# oliceman +ho had hel ed us articularly after Ba"aDs death came over one day and e' lained, +ith defeat already in his eyes, that he +as havin# a house "uilt in Banaras and if his transfer from the city could "e stayed for only t+o monthsM, could feel the ity of it, my unfairness as , told him >uietly, :No, , canDt hel you. , never do this on rinci le.; 8e nodded and cycled a+ay +ithout a +ord. Part of my fear +as of o enin# a PandoraDs "o' if , relented and allo+ed my sym athy to move me to action. -#er!one had ro"lems, from olicemen +ith ailin# children to artisans +hose houses had "een sei1ed "y schemin# "rothers. 7ither olice officials, it seemed, or some closely related "reed of administrators could solve these ro"lems. , +as su osed to "e on close terms +ith the do1en or so district and city officials in Banaras/ eo le +ere al+ays #ivin# me the im ression throu#h mime and su##estion that , had "ut to ick u the hone and demand redress, or even more effectively, to ick u the hone, order a 0ee , drive to some office, and demand redress. 9he more modest laintiffs, such as my artisans, +ished me sim ly to sto at the local olice station and lead +ith the ins ector on their "ehalf. ,n my first hase, as , said, , res onded to "oth kinds of su##estions, only to reali1e, to my reliefCand, , su ose, to my cha#rinCthat the techni>ue didnDt +ork. , tried offerin# my o+n ersonal services as a mem"er of the u"lic instead: :No, , canDt hone the district ma#istrate, "ut , can #o +ith you to the munici al office and look into your ro"lem.; , donDt recall anyone takin# u such offers. Partly as com ensation and artly "ecause, unlike other anthro olo#ists, , had no moral com unctions in the matter, , made #ifts of money or material thin#s, indeed al+ays seekin# an e'cuse to do so. Poverty +as such an over+helmin# fact of life for my informants that the money +as unar#ua"ly useful, no matter ho+ much, resented under +hat #uise, or ho+ used. 4nd since such hel +as not art of eo leDs e' ectations, or +here they directed their efforts, monetary #ifts felt easy and natural.

"6, ?uestions of 1ender

9he discussion of ho+ to remain myself +hile interactin# meanin#fully +ith my su"0ects also "rin#s me to the >uestion of +hat it +as like to "e a +oman +anderin# in the streets of Banaras. , should say at the outset that my e' erience as a +oman has "een une>uivocally #ood +herever , have lived, the result "oth of fortunate circumstances and, althou#h the reali1ation didnDt strike me until rather late, of a lo+ level of sensitivity to harassment and discrimination. @hen , lived in .uckno+ as a colle#e #irl, my friends and , e' erienced our share of :7ve teasin#,; that +onderful ,ndian eu hemism for u"licly makin# #irlsD lives misera"le. 7ve teasin# included for us everythin# from men inchin# our "ottoms in cro+ded laces to "oys on "ikes snatchin# a+ay our dupattas <the lon# scarf +orn over the chest as a sym"ol of modesty=. @e took this +ith a mi'ed attitude of indi#nation and ,?can?"e?a?#ood?s ort?too/ it +as a"solutely a art of life. @hen , +orked in Lelhi, "oth as an unmarried and then as a married +oman <+ith no e'ternal si#n to distin#uish the t+o states=, , +as free and ha y. No one "othered me in any +ay that , remem"er, and , had lon# de"ates +ith other +omen on the safety of the city. , vehemently ar#ued that much de ended on the +oman, since , +ent around the +hole lace on assorted modes of trans ort, chiefly "uses <my research at the time +as on Lelhi=, and +as >uite comforta"le doin# so. , had develo ed a fe+ techni>ues thenC+hich im lies, of course, that , had inferred the e'istence of hidden dan#ers, even thou#h , did not e' erience them directlyC+hich , ut to use a#ain in Banaras. 9he first +as to "e totally cool and confident, as if the lace "elon#ed to you, +hich almost no youn# +oman feels a"out a u"lic lace for the o"vious reason that a u"lic lace is not a +omanDs domain. 4s you +alk alon#, you should look this +ay and that, assertin# your ri#ht to look +here you lease. 9his is dan#erous in the Banaras galis, ho+ever, "ecause men ha"itually urinate on the sides of the road. Eou can also kee your eyes thou#htfully to yourself, kno+in# your ur oses, "ut reveal "y an occasional #lance here or there that it is "ecause you are lost in thou#ht, not "ecause you are afraid. Eou are interested, +hen you do look, at the +hole social scene in an adult +ay, not at any individual in a ersonal +ay, and you must accordin#ly avoid direct eye contact +ith variously interested men +hile comforta"le enou#h amon# them. Eou should "e dressed sensi"ly, not in this or that fashion, @estern or 7astern attire, "ri#ht or dull colors, "ut in a +ay that sho+s you to "e strai#htfor+ard and reasona"le, someone that eo le can understand. 9he most im ortant moment is +hen you a roach a stran#er, or +hen he a roaches you. 9he crucial ste is to look him in the eyes, +ith no fear, no hesitation, no a+k+ardness/ heDs a erson, youDre a erson/ he has a 0o", you have a 0o"/ he has a family, you have a family/ heDs normal, youDre normal. LonDt +ait too lon#, or s eak too soon. Eou know that heDs not #oin# to "ite you, hurt you, a"use you. EouDre a+are that you may have to e' lain +hat you +ant, so you are, not a olo#eticC"ecause a olo#y has no lace in ,ndian lifeC"ut very, very courteous. 9he rest is a lin#uistic trick. Eou must have enou#h command over your lan#ua#e not to stutter or stammer, search for +ords and #et tra ed in hrasesCall of +hich can create the +ron# im ression. Eou s eak clearly, to the oint, honestl!. Eou say +hat you mean, "ut say it in #ood 8indi. 9he stran#er is immediately at ease. 8e makes the necessary lea , classifyin# you as one of the fi#ures familiar to him: mother, sister, dau#hter, de endin# on ho+ +ell you have sle t the revious ni#ht and ho+ recently your hair has "een "rushed. Before that, of course, you have the choice "efore you. )or me, the choice +as clear?cut. No matter ho+ old or youn# the man, , +ould inevita"ly call him, :Bhai saha",; res ected "rother. 9his +ould "e automatically a ro riate for most males/ for those much youn#er, it +ould carry the not undesira"le connotations of affection and interest. , develo ed these techni>ues to erfection, so crucially did , de end on the a"ility to "e a"le to talk to a"solute stran#ers comforta"ly. , "ecame a+are, to my lastin# sur rise, that men could not "e 0ud#ed

"y their looks either. *ome +ere for"iddin# "ecause of their sheer si1e, or their arro#ant ostures, or "y the +ay their mustaches curled. -ost +ere terrifyin# "ecause of the +ay they stared un"linkin#ly, a sim le su"0ect?to?o"0ect stare: :8o+ should , 0ud#e this s ecimen no+I; But +hen , dre+ near a man and "e#an s eakin# +ith this :heDs a erson, ,Dm a erson; a roach, these other characteristics retreated into the "ack#round and , could read the normality in his face. *ome of the most un romisin#?lookin# eo le, pan 0uice in lo+er 0a+ and all, turned out to "e the most :normal,; even lika"le. @hat a"out +hen eo le try to "e smart and a roach youI ,f it is ostensi"ly a le#itimate re>uest, such as for directions to a street, althou#h you may #uess that it is really to sto and o"serve you a little "etter, it should "e taken at face value. 9ellin# a #rou of smart youn# men the directions they +ant in a "usinesslike fashion is the "est +ay of makin# them move on. 9o look a"ashed, or em"arrassed, or at a loss is to invite trou"le. @ho are they after allI Eoun# men +ith no #irl friends, no 0o"s, ro"a"ly no ros ects, and lots of va#ue ideas a"out talkin# +ith females and develo in# relationshi s +ith them. 9he only device that deters them is to "rin# them from these a"stract hei#hts of fancy "ack do+n to earth. *mile at them, thereDs no harm in that/ even enter the cons iracy "y addin# a >uestion of your o+n to rolon# the conversation they so much desire for another minute. 2ccasionally a youn# man or a #rou of men care so little for the a earance of sanity that they call out +hatever they like to you in assin#Cusually somethin# on the order of, :8ello darlin#N; 9he reaction that came most naturally to me on such occasions +as to look u s+iftly at the offenders, then shake my head in sur rised re#ret, as if , +ere disa ointed to see that nice, intelli#ent, ro er?lookin# youn# men could "e res onsi"le for such an old, unima#inative trick. ,t +as too much to ho e that they +ould take this to heart, and they +ould ro"a"ly continue in the same vein. But my reaction +as the "est that could "e thou#ht of in such a situation, for condescension is somethin# everyone minds. , hardly had any such e' eriences, ho+ever. 9he local +olves of Banaras either haunted other arts of the city than the ones , did or +isely i#nored me. , donDt think , looked oldC eo le tell me , donDtC "ut , did have this aura of "ein# older and +iser than the avera#e #irl or youn# +oman +ho +alked around inde endently +ith no ostensi"le ur ose. 4nd as soon as , o ened my mouth and said :Bhai saha",; the stran#er found a moorin#. , must say, in certification of my methods, that "y usin# them , met and talked to more eo le and made more real friends than , could ever have laid do+n to strict necessity. @hy do +omen have such a ro"lem in ,ndia thou#hI Both my ,ndian and my forei#n friends have told me that it is im ossi"le to do anythin# as a sin#le, unescorted female on the streets, that the comments and a"usive "ehavior that #reet them are intolera"le. *ociolo#ically s eakin#, this ro"lem is due to the +ides read loneliness and se aration from their often villa#e?"ased families amon# males in ur"an areas and to the fact that any +oman +ho is found outside the definin# s here of home and family is seen as a tar#et, like a rostitute or a film star, for oneDs frustrations. 4s lon# as these conditions e'ist, there is no esca e from the ro"lem. Eou can try all kinds of devices, such as the ones , have su##ested, "ut as lon# as you have to stay constantly alert, you have far from solved anythin#. But there is, , "elieve, that middle 1one, +here +hat ha ens to +omen de ends on their o+n actions. ,f you +ear sindur < o+der= in the art in your hair, "an#les and a "ri#ht sari, and look and act like the ty ical married +oman, you are definitely of little interest to men. ,f you a ear the un rotected little :colle#e #irl; in salwar kamiC suit of latest cut, shy and scared of men, you +ill dra+ trou"le like a ma#net. ,f you are sensi"le, as , have su##ested, e' ect and look as if you e' ect civility, +ith none "ut intelli#ent "rothers all around, very likely the desired "ehavior +ill follo+. )or me it did. 4nother consideration is +here you are. Lelhi, the resent version of +hich dates from ost?-u#hal times, and .uckno+, circa ei#hteenth century, are relatively new ur"an cultures, +ith all the a+k+ardnesses of ne+, #ro+in# cities. Banaras, "y contrast, +ith its millennia of tradition, has a

smoothness of social relations/ considera"le rovocation +ould "e re>uired to distur" them. 2f course, some thin#s can strain these traditions, such as li#htin# u a ci#arette on the street. But the vast re ertoire of ossi"le social roles, the ca acities and resilience of eo le in acce tin# them, and the lar#er "elief in the ri#htness of conte't and circumstance all contri"ute to makin# more kinds of "ehavior acce ta"le than one +ould ima#ine at the outset. * ecial cate#ories for unusual "ehavior and ersonalities are con0ured u +hen necessaryCcate#ories such as shauk < assion, fancy=, man ki!a <the mood struck you=, kala <art= and kalakar <artist=, and so on. Besides all this, the ride in ur"anity, courtesy, and decorum is so stron# that , consistently found myself the loser at the #ame of oliteness. 7veryone had a "etter idea of +hat to say or do in stran#e situations than , did. 7veryone made a ha"it of e'a##eratin# my >ualities and ur osefulness and overlookin# my a+k+ardness. ,n the old city, no +oman could "e molested or even made to feel uncomforta"le, and this is an attri"ute of a#e. 9here +ere lenty of youn# smart alecks roamin# free and unchallen#ed in the ne+er university area, "ut none +ould "e tolerated in the lanes of old Banaras. 9here +as another dimension to my relative success as a +oman that , #re+ to acce t #radually. Peo le en0oyed #ivin# me time and havin# a conversation +ith me because , +as a +oman, rovided that , had a clear?cut definition and attri"utes <sister, outsider, +riter, : u"lic +orker; of a kind=. 9his , ut do+n to the fact of men "ein# relatively isolated from +omenDs com any, yet free and comforta"le +ith them "ecause of the sister?dau#hter?cousin?sister?in?la+ association. , have since noted ho+ easy it is for most ,ndian men to #et alon# +ith stran#e +omen in the role of elder "rother or youn#er "rother?in? la+. , rea ed the advanta#e of that. Because , +as a +oman, , could im ose on stran#ers, dra+ them a+ay from +ork, ress them for information or #uidance, or make them lead me to laces and eo le more easily. 9hey treated me +ith #reater #entleness and consideration than if , +ere a man. , never had to e'a##erate or "elittle my femininity/ as soon as , resented myself as a normal erson, al"eit +ith a eculiar a#enda, they +ere +illin# to serve and "efriend me. 9here +ere some relationshi s that "ecame more +ei#hty. @ith Na#endra, my innocent use of the term :"hai; for him decided our future. , +as for then and evermore his sister "y dharma <natural la+= and, as , have descri"ed, inherited a vast array of relationshi s in the "ar#ain. 9hat first e' erience +as a 0olt. , consider it a fair?si1ed ro0ect to ada t yourself to the families of +hich you are art "y accident of "irth and then "y marria#e, to #ro+ to a reciate your actual si"lin#s, cousins, and in?la+s. ,f you ac>uire even more relatives sim ly "ecause that is the +ay thin#s are done in the lace you +ork, you may start #ettin# im atient. *ince you have a choice, is this the "rother you +ould :choose;I Eou may tell yourself that it is nothin# "ut a lin#uistic device, that you can call him :"rother; and for#et a"out him. But in Banaras e' ectations run hi#her. Eour "rother has the freedom to come to you at any time, seek advice and hos itality, sit at loose ends for hours in your home, "rin# his children over to meet their aunt, consult +ith you a"out his 0o" and miscellaneous affairsCand to demand that you do all of this in turn +ith him. -y first sisterly res onsi"ilities, "ecause of the novelty of it all, seemed over"urdenin#. , "ecame 9ara PrasadDs sister out of choice. 8e +as "usy, en#rossed in a ran#e of activities, often on his feet and therefore elusive. , +as 0ealous of all the other demands on his time and +anted a s ecial relationshi +ith him. , kne+ he had no sister. 4fter , volunteered myself as one, , discovered that he had another one or t+o such as me, "ut , +as ha y enou#h. , also +anted to have a claim on the ro#ress of his dau#hter, then seven or ei#ht, >uiet and intelli#ent, and his illiterate, hel less +ife. , +anted to come and #o in his house as , leased, eat +ith his family, slee overni#ht +ith them, share their +orries and thou#hts. -ay"e , could have accom lished all this +ithout invokin# the relationshi of sister, "ut , think it did make them more comforta"le and allo+ed me to reci rocate in many +ays for all their hel to me. -y third ne+ "rother +as -arkande. , do not remem"er ho+ the relationshi "ecame e' licitly named,

"ut it +as a #radual and natural develo ment, since he wanted to de end on me as an older sister <see fi#. 12=. 8e +as the oldest of four children, and his youth and ra+ness +ere often more than his family status allo+ed eo le to ackno+led#e, since he +as also one of the t+o +orkin# mem"ers of a lar#e family. , think he +as also keen to #et married, and ty ically the older sister or sister?in?la+ "roaches the su"0ect and launches the search for a +ife. , did not of course. 9hrou#hout , did the "arest minimum to occu y the osition of sister. 4#ain, if , had a different kind of ersonality, if , had had more e' erience at social roles, , could have made so much more of the o ortunities to learn a"out my ne+ "rothers and semi?"rothers.

-y "rother -arkande +ith his most ri1ed ossessions: his "icycle, radio, and +atch 9hen there +as -a0id "hai. , liked the idea of :father; *haukatullah, sister Nurunissa, and sister?in?la+ 8a"i"unissa, so far from me in reli#ion, education, occu ation, and consciousness. 9hat they should acce t me so +ell +as a very ositive si#n to me in my research and romoted my confidence a"out my style. ,t also made me feel "etter as a human "ein#, as if their sim licity and lika"ility announced that , must "e lika"le too. -a0id had many sisters, "ut he reserved a s ecial slot for me, as , su osedly did for him, somethin# his family re#ularly made 0okin# references to. *isterhood can "e em"arrassin# "ecause your "rother must often rovide #ifts and leasures for you. 4s lon# as these +ere in the form of time and research hel , , +as ha y. But there +ere too many other kinds of occasions. 4t 3aksha"andhan, you tie a rakhi <ritual thread= on your "rotherDs +rist, and he in return #ives you money and the romise of rotection. 9he last is okay/ , needed it on my midni#ht music recordin# forays. But the money +as a ro"lem. 8o+ could , not acce t it, or return it, +ithout humiliatin# the #iverI 2n most such occasions, , tried to match it +ith a #ift, a very o"vious device, "ut , could hardly acce t somethin# +orth over 1% ercent of the familyDs +eekly +a#es +ithout reci rocation. )or -a0id "hai, there +as no rakhi occasion, "ut all my visits +ere treated +ith the hi#h s irits that a returnin# dau#hterDs or sisterDs visits occasion, and , +as sent home +ith resents each time. 9his could "e a recently cooked s+eet, #iven +ith the severe in0unction not to return the dish it +as acked in/ it could "e a iece of silk +oven "y -a0id or his other "rother <it +as curious ho+ one "rother could "ecome your "rother, +hereas the other, +hile technically your "rother as +ell, never really did assume that relationshi =. , +as in constant ain over the num"er and variety of their #ifts, and no resents , #ave in return ever could match theirs, ultimately "ecause a sisterDs or dau#hterDs could not "e ermitted to. 2ther choices +ere inadvertent, "rothers ac>uired "ecause of the lack of another relationshi to set u . *ome ricked to the end of my stay, such as that +ith the communal?minded *eth 5ovind 3am, to "e +hose sister seemed to lace me in the same ra"id 8indu cate#ory <not a necessary connection, "y the +ay, only one in my mind/ one does not inherit the >ualities of oneDs ado ted kin=. But all in all, as , #re+ more comforta"le +ith kin terms and cate#ories, my a reciation for the +orka"ility of the system increased. , continued to feel that ,, as +oman, outsider, and researcher, "enefited more from it than my ne+ly ac>uired fictitious kin, "ut that +as erha s only unfounded a rehension. 9hey had a ca acity for derivin# leasure from the un lanned and the odd that, , sus ect, outmatched mine.

"8, Ra@a)it' and Re)o&er'

9here +as another incident , e' erienced as a +oman researcher that flared +ith the fury of a assin# meteor at the Nakkatayya of Chait#an0. , had never seen the like "efore nor have , endured it since. , have to s eak in some detail a"out this event. 9he Nakkatayya of Chait#an0 is a mouthful as a nameCfor days , couldnDt decide what eo le +ere tryin# to sayCand a handful as a to ic of study. ,t is cited as one of the t+o lar#est, most im ortant

arades in Banaras, and it #oes on all ni#ht, +ith several hundred thousand in attendance. 4ll this is told to you +ith #reat #lee, and the im ortance of the occasion is underlined +ith comments like, :Eou must #et there a fe+ hours "efore "ecause roads #et totally "locked;/ :Eou must find a lace to +atch it from, there is never any s ace on the roadsides;/ :,f you donDt see it, youDve seen nothin# in Banaras.; 9he Nakkatayya +as to take lace in early Novem"er, and , had 0ust started feelin# comforta"le +ith my activities in Banaras. , could make lans to #o to laces at ni#ht and +as "ecomin# "old enou#h to #o to laces +ithout any idea of +hat to e' ect. 9he Nakkatayya of Chait#an0 +as a rime attraction, "ecause a art from its si1e, lon# duration, and indis uta"le im ortance, no one could descri"e to me +hat e'actly +ould trans ire there. 9he arade, , #athered, consisted of numerous floats that +ere taken out in rocession in the locality called Chait#an0, do+n the main road called Nai *arak and then ast it into +indin# lanes <see fi#. 1$=. 9he +ord nakkata!!a itself meant, in Banarasi lin#o, the cuttin# of the nose, referrin# to an e isode in the $ama!ana that +ould "e enacted that ni#ht. Aery, very romisin#.

9he Nakkatayya of Chait#an0 -y hus"and did not think so and insisted that , arran#e for a olice escort. 9he local olice station romised a 0ee , driver, and oliceman at 9 .m. , +aited till 1% .m., then 11, then midni#ht, finally reali1in# +ith frustration that it +as one of those times that the olice had let me do+n. , +oke my slee in# hus"and, informed him ur#ently that he had to come +ith me/ +e or#ani1ed the rest of the ni#ht for the slee in# "a"y and cre t out of the house. 4 ricksha+ took us +ithin a half?mile of the lace, 0oinin# many other ricksha+s and edestrians #oin# in the same direction. 9he rest of the city +as aslee , "ut to+ard Chait#an0 there +ere li#hts, decorations, louds eakers, and music. @e had to a"andon the ricksha+ at a oint and mer#e +ith the +alkin# cro+d. 2n Nai *arak itself +e +ere leasantly sur rised. 9his road, like most others in Banaras, is ordinarily almost un+alka"le, "ein# full of vendors, traffic, otholes, and filth. 9hat ni#ht, it looked like a fairyland. 9he road +as s+e t and saniti1ed, +ith "am"oo structures to delineate one?+ay lanes on either side and to se arate side+alk from street. 9here +ere hu#e #ates every fe+ yards, ro+s of retty li#hts on each side, and ultra?"ri#ht floodli#hts to remove all shado+s. 9here +ere vendors of foodsCall lookin# delecta"le, althou#h , resisted the tem tation to oison myself "y tryin# anythin#Cand ha+kers of "alloons and toys, of ottery, masks, souvenirs, and all the ara hernalia of an ,ndian fair. No #ar"a#e, dust, flies, or other distur"in# features +ere visi"le any+here. 9housands of eo le +ere strollin# u and do+n the road in very festive s irits. @hat seemed initially intolera"le +as the am lified music, a different kind every fe+ yards, each clashin# +ith the ne't in uncontrolled caco hony, "ut, sur risin#ly, one #ot used to it >uickly enou#h. , noticed that the strollers +ere all men and that the +omen and children at the fair ke t to the sides or had taken u vanta#e laces on the verandahs and roofto s of all the surroundin# houses. ,t +as ast one at ni#ht, and the arade +as su osed to start soon. @e needed to find a vanta#e oint ourselves. @e thou#ht of aimin# for the "alcony of the Chait#an0 Police *tation, +here +e had "een romised seats, "ut as +e headed in that direction, somethin# ha ened. *uddenly +e +ere cau#ht in a tidal +ave. *ome kind of "arrier had 0ust "een erected a fe+ yards further on, and the +hole cro+d had "een dammed and forced to turn "ack. Peo le +ere no+ rushin# "ack in the thousands, +ith the uncontrolled s eed and indifference of a o+erful elemental force. 2ne +ho tri s and falls on such occasions #ets tram led underfoot, , thou#ht, and , remained steady on my feet. But , +as un re ared for +hat else could ha en to me. *uddenly the only +oman in the middle of the road, , +as

surrounded, ushed, and ulled "y an anonymous cro+d of thousands of rushin# men. 8ands +ere reachin# out to me, touchin# me here and there, at random, ur osefully, dis#ustin#ly, revoltin#ly. , +ould ush off one, and there +ere a do1en more. *om"a"u +as only one defender, una"le to surround me. 8e +as also a victim, and he "ecame se arated from me. , +as "ein# tortured, victimi1ed, de#raded. , +as at the mercy of a mad cro+d. 9he +hole e isode must have lasted "ut a fe+ seconds, and it ended as a"ru tly as it "e#an. 9+o or three men made a rotective circle around me, their arms on each othersD shoulders in racticed #ri s, and ushed me alon# throu#h the cro+d to the side of the street. 9he ress of "odies +as so stron# that +e could not sto of our o+n +ill "ut ke t #oin# to the very ed#e of the road. -y saviors and torturers 0ointly ushed me into the safety of a urinal, to#ether +ith others, includin# my hus"and. Urinals are structures on the sides of ,ndian roads similar to little "o'es, enclosed in front and "ack "ut not on the sides, and of course terri"ly smelly and unsavory. , have maintained a strict distance from them al+ays and re#ard them as the most dis#ustin# a urtenances you can encounter outdoors. 8ere , +as co+erin# in one for safety. 9he urinal +as +et, and that side of the street +as slimy and muddy. -y le#s +ere filthy +ell a"ove my ankles, "ut , +as so #rateful to "e out of the "ear"aitin# that nothin# mattered. , even thou#ht humorously of the fact that a des ised urinal had rovided shelter. , also thou#ht #ratefully of the men +ho had saved me, althou#h other men of Banaras had #one cra1y the moment "efore. @e +ere near the olice station, so +e +ent in and cleaned ourselves. No one there aid the sli#htest attention to us, "ein# entirely reoccu ied +ith the event that +as a"out to "e#in. 9he "arrier had "een ut u "y the olice to clear the road of eo le at that oint and let the arade start. , am sur rised, +hen , think a"out it no+, at ho+ ra idly , recovered and ho+ my only thou#ht +as to clim" u to the "alcony >uickly so as not to miss a sin#le s ectacle of the arade. @e +erenDt late, as it turned out. @e found seats, and , com iled a com lete list of the floats that formed the Nakkatayya arade that ni#ht. 9he more , think of that e isode, the more unreal it seems. ,t +as over+helmin#ly sudden, a com lete turna"out of the eaceful strollin#, festive activity, li#hts, "eauty, and music that +e had "een art of 0ust a fe+ seconds "efore. 8ad it really ha enedI -ay"e there had "een a rush of eo le turnin# "ack u on us, may"e +e had "een momentarily tra ed in the onslau#ht of "odies. But had the cro+d deli"erately aimed at me and m! "odyI 4t the time , had felt that it +as the end of me, that , +ould "e ri ed "are, destroyed morally and sycholo#ically if not hysically. But erha s, like the 7n#lish+oman in )orsterDs " .assage to India, , had ima#ined it all or at least #reatly e'a##erated itI Possi"ly a cou le of hands seemed to me hundredsI Perha s the men +ere not touchin# me any more than they +ere touchin# one another in that ressin# cro+dI 9he last is a distinct ossi"ility, "ecause , admit that , am so tense a"out the touch of stran#ers in cro+ds, , am al+ays ready to s ot a otential offender even +hen there is none. 4n accidental touch al+ays makes me +ant to scream. ,n very thick cro+ds, , +alk ri#idly, +ith my el"o+s out to rotect my u er "ody. 4s a ra+, unsus ectin# youn#ster, , had "een touched and humiliated in "oth likely and unlikely conte'tsCfrom dark cinema halls, +here anonymous shado+s develo ed cree ily intimate hands, to the security of my o+n home, +here silent, familiar servants and innocently trusted uncles turned into unreco#ni1a"le monsters. 9hose +ere +ell? re ressed memories and had made me fri#htened of the ossi"le touch of stran#ers, , su ose. *uch an incident had not ha ened for a lon# time, ho+ever, and had never ha ened so far in Banaras. , +as far from e' ectin# it, at least consciously. , ushed the +hole thin# to the "ack of my mind "ecause there +as nothin# , could do +ith it, no com laint to lod#e, no reform to undertake, no fresh inter retation to make. ,t "othered and distur"ed me, "ut once safe, , turned ea#erly to the "usiness of the evenin#. Nor, interestin#ly, did it leave me +ith a distaste for the Nakkatayya or for such occasions in #eneral. , have "een to many since, +iser erha s and more alert, and that one roved such an a"erration that it sim ly did not affect me si#nificantly. 9he fact that a urinal "ecame my final restin#

lace made more of an overall im ression on me, and the +ay that , had "een enclosed "y linked arms and ro elled to safety. -y hus"and lost his +atch, "ut that a art, +e a#reed that +e +ere none the +orse for the outra#eous e' erience. Perha s he had "een se arated from me "y too far a distance to notice +hat ha ened to me, or +as too a"sor"ed in fi#htin# off his o+n attackers, or no such attack took lace, 0ust an accidental ush of "odies lastin# a fe+ secondsC"ut +hatever the case, he himself +as more outra#ed "y the Nakkatayya arade than "y the revious demonstration of cro+d "ehavior. 9he arade +as somethin# to e'claim a"out, no dou"t. ,t +as of rime carnival vinta#e, +ith sufficient a"surdity, nonsense, and sur rise to kee us diverted for the ne't three or four hoursC"ut , have +ritten a"out it at len#th in other laces so , shall refrain from descri"in# it here.

":, ro%ress and Its Limitations

6anuary throu#h 4 ril +ere e'hilaratin# months for me. , reali1e as , +rite this that , myself am very :season oriented,; >uite like my Banarasis, "ecause , #ive the credit for the successes of that time artly to the +onderful seasons that revailed. 9o call them +inter, s rin#, and summer seems misleadin#. ,t is necessary to understand them as the eo le of Banaras did, "roken u into little entities of a month each: Paus, end Lecem"er to end 6anuary/ -a#h, 6anuaryP )e"ruary/ Phal#un, )e"ruaryP-arch/ and Chaitra, -archP 4 ril. Paus is some+hat +indy and tem eramental/ at the end of it occurs -akar *ankranti, the +inter e>uino', +hich is alwa!s rainy and chilly. 9he month is forever associated in my mind +ith the Ben#ali son# <of 9a#oreDsI= :Pos tother dak diyechhe, aiyere chale aiyeN; <:Paus is callin# out to you: Come outside, comeN;=, +ith accom anyin# ima#es of eo le rushin# outdoors, flin#in# their arms out in a"andon, revelin# in the season. -a#h is the clima' of the cold season, "rilliant +ith sunshine and cris ness, #olden and "eautiful, and is marked "y the festival of Basant Panchami, cele"ration of the s rin# harvest, kno+n in cities sim ly as the day everyone must +ear somethin# yello+ <see fi#. 1(=. 9he +hole of -a#h is cele"rated "y the -a#h mela in 3amna#ar: icnics outdoors near the Lur#a tank, +ith a s ecial menu of "aked flour "alls, e## lant curry, and lentils, all cooked outside. 7veryone is in to s irits, it seems, "ecause of the un"roken o ortunity to sit in the sun, +hether to +ork, talk, slee , eat, or lay. ,ndeed, there is little to "eat the +inter sun of North ,ndia.

4n ice?cream vendor at the 3amna#ar fair in -a#h <6anuary= Phal#un marks a chan#e of season, from cold to +arm, and as "efits such liminality, has to "e cautiously +elcomed. Colds and sicknesses "ecome more fre>uent/ it can "e chilly one day, un leasantly +arm the ne'tCyet in consistent ro#ression, nothin# like the varia"ility of Chica#o or Ne+ 7n#landCfor +hich it is difficult to re are hysiolo#ically. 9o +ash it all a+ay is the festival of 8oli, or Pha#ua, at the end of Phal#un, +hen everyone takes a dunkin# in +ater and is thus immuni1ed a#ainst seasonal infections. 9he festival itself is cra1y, and so is the month "y association, "ecause s rin# makes eo le restless, even demented, in ine' lica"le +ays. *uch +as the o+er of this su##estion that , instinctively looked around for some demonstration of this s rin# madness in eo leDs "ehavior. 9hanks to "oth the season and its su osed effect on humans, Phal#un +as a +onderful eriod for my research, as , shall shortly descri"e. .ast, "ut in fact first, is Chaitra, the rimary month of the year accordin# to the North ,ndian 8indu calendar. ,n Banaras "oth 8indus and -uslims "y consensus consider it the "est time of the year <see fi#. 1H=. 2ne of my "i##est thrills came +hen the staid and self?conscious Kishan -ahara0, samrat

<em eror= of ta"la layin#, internationally famous, al+ays di#nified, aristocratic, the center of his universe, told me solemnly, :)or me the "est season is that of Chaitra. 9he river is at a erfect tem erature: neither too hot nor too cold. Eou can #o out on ba%ras <lar#e "oats= and have music to your heartDs fillM9he "est melas +ere in ChaitraM; 9his +as a thrill "ecause it follo+ed closely u on 4"dul 6a""arDs disclosure: :9he month that , +ould consider most su erior is Chaitra. 9he erfect season for #oin# outMEou kno+ that the lar#est mela around here, the one at Chunar, is held in Chaitra. 9hen the cele"ration at Chandan *hahid, +ith music every 9hursday for the +hole monthM; 9his +as the testimony of 4"dul 6a""ar, oor, untraveled, +ith no self?consciousness, no em ire, than +hom a starker contrast to Kishan -ahara0 could not "e found. 9here +ere echoes of the same sentiment from +homever , chose to listen to, si#hs of :4h ChaitraN; from 9ara Prasad, -ohan .al, -atiullah, -ahadev -ishraC 0ust a"out everyone in Banaras. ,t +as infectious, and , found so much to o"serve and artici ate in at that time that , +as full of en0oyment, too, and decided that my informants +ere e'tremely ers icacious eo le.

9a"la maestro Kishan -ahara0 +ith the horse he kee s for racin# 9he +eather contri"uted directly, of courseCthere +as a tan#i"le difference "et+een functionin# in the monsoons or in the summer heat and functionin# in these near? erfect monthsC"ut there +ere many other reasons for this trium hant feelin# of life. 9he reader may have discerned a steady develo ment in the narrative from com laint on many fronts, includin# my o+n ersonality and i#norance, the reserve of the eo le, the difficulty of access to thin#s unkno+n/ to an assertion of control over events, circumstances, myself, and others. Partly this ro#ress +as sim ly a function of time. But most of all it +as my #ro+in# kno+led#e: , found my feet in the city, , #ras ed its functionin#, , could sense its motion, and , develo ed an instinct for the +ay its eo leDs minds +orked. 4ll of this may "e summed u in another +ay: my research ro"lem and my choice of location sho+ed themselves to "e a ro riate ones, and , develo ed the talent for framin# suita"le >uestions. , remem"er feelin# this very o+erfully one fine day in -arch as , cycled around from one to another of that dayDs sto s <, had inherited my father?in?la+Ds stron# old 7n#lish "icycle=. :, used to think that , +ould "e doin# this,; , told myself, :cyclin# around in Banaras, sto in# to eat pan like a ty ical Banarasi, and cyclin# onM and here , am.; 9he ima#e derived directly from +hat a friend in Chica#o, returnin# from a year in Banaras, had told me. :*o +hat did you do in BanarasI; , had asked him ersistently. :2h, , +ent around +ith my friends, eatin# panM; +as the "est he could do "y +ay of ans+er. No+ in Banaras, , did not in the least feel stran#e on my "icycle, hi#h, #entDs "ike that it +as, or ima#ine that eo le stared, or e' erience any diffidence a"out my "ein# an outsider, a stran#er, or a fool. 4ll the thou#hts that had la#ued me daily durin# the initial t+o or three months had vanished like the monsoon clouds, and , no+ har"ored a cheerful confidence, an o timism, unshaken "y the inevita"le everyday disa ointments, that an endless vista of re+ardin# discoveries +ere yet to "e made, each in turn rollin# out yet more vistas. @hat e'actly had "ecome different a"out my system of +orkin#I ,tDs a difficult thin# to in do+n. 2ne tan#i"le difference +as that , +as no+ a friend to many more eo le, almost in the literal sense of the +ord <:a erson attached to another "y res ect or affection;=, thou#h my hidden a#enda sometimes ricked my conscience. , s ent many hours +ith eo le sim ly en0oyin# their com any, sharin# their activities, #enuinely leased at their leasures and saddened "y their sorro+s, lau#hin# at their 0okes, and tellin# them some of my o+n follies. 9hey discovered more a"out me than , had ever su osed they +ould. 9hey came to understand me and my references, and +e could each assert our o+n +hen necessary. :4re +e #oin# to the -aduadih shrine on 9hursdayI; +ould ask 4"dul 6a""ar. :.etDs take a ta'i. ,tDs far, and the afternoon #ets hot.; :2h noN; lau#hed his dau#hters. :.et us #o the +ay +e

usually do/ thatDs +hat she +ould like, sheDs +ritin# this "ook you kno+N; , +as acce ted, "a# and Chica#o? ro osed research "a##a#e. 9he leasure that , received from s endin# my days +ith the eo le , #ot to kno+ +as somethin# of a sur rise to me. , had heard from everyone returnin# from the field +hat a lot of fun it had "een <a art from the inevita"le #astronomic ro"lems=, "ut , had "een hard ut to ima#ine +hen and ho+ the fun +ould "e#in, aside from the occasional satisfaction of a 0o" +ell done. 9hen slo+ly, like a miracle, , "ecame art of a +orld , had not articularly +orked to+ard creatin# or "elon#in# to, and that +orld +as more com ati"le than any , had heretofore seen. , "ecame e'tremely close to some of the many friends, articularly 9ara Prasad, Bri0 -ohan, 5uru Prasad, -ohan .al, *haukatullah, -arkande, 4limuddin, 4"dul 6a""ar, and their res ective families. @ith many others , had a hearty collea#ueDs relationshi , tem ered, of course, "y my 0unior a#e and osition, such as +ith the oet *haukat -a0id, the -aulana 4"dus *alam, sundry riests and literati, and the #reat musicians Kishan -ahara0 and -ahadev -ishra. , can say +ithout romanticism that , discovered +hat :ha iness; +as. ,t +as to reach one of their homes or laces of +ork unannounced and to sit there +ithout tension or +orry, +elcomed and loved, as lon# as , liked. 4ll the little touches that came of my "ein# a sister, dau#hter, and comrade added to the feelin# of li#htheartedness and acce tance. 4n additional dimension had cre t into my +ork: a art from acce tin# that , needed to e' loit the resources em"odied in these eo le, , reali1ed that the leasure , received from their com any +as un lanned and very o+erful "ecause it +as reci rocated. *ome s oke directly of prem, sneh, mohabbat, laga# <love, affection, attachment= as characteri1in# our relationshi and thou#ht nothin# of hiloso hi1in# further on it, holdin# my hand, attin# me on the shoulder, or lookin# into my eyes for a res onse. 9hese unfamiliar e' ressions trou"led and shocked me "ecause they e' ressed an ease +ith emotions that , had never learned to communicate, and they made me dissatisfied "ecause , did not have a similar re ertoire of +ords and #estures to e' ress m! feelin#s in return. -ohan .al told me of an e'traordinary adventure +hen, havin# not seen me in over a +eek and missin# me terri"ly, he took a ricksha+ on his o+n and set off, half deaf and "lind that he +as, to track me do+n. 8e did not have my address, only a va#ue notion that , lived :near -a0da cinema,; so of course he +asted ei#ht ru ees learnin# +hat , already kne+, :No discovery +ithout an address.; 9his develo in# need for me, +hich many of my friends voiced, +as an une' ected com liment, mirrorin# as it did my far more carefully lanned need for them, and it made my throat catch +ith its starkness and vulnera"ility. 9he other tan#i"le develo ment +as the +idenin# of my circle of ac>uaintances in im ressively relevant directions. 5uru Prasad +as a friend cum comrade, friend "ecause such +as his ersonality and his familyDs, comrade "ecause he +rote oetry and considered me, as a +riter of sorts, in the same cate#ory. , +as also a dau#hter "ecause of my a#e, thou#h he +as one of the fe+ oor "ut ractical eo le +ho did not feel it necessary to stand on ceremony for that reason. Rui11in# 5uru Prasad a"out the history of his art, , +as #iven the name of another oet in -adan ura and told in the familiar, e'as eratin# +ay, :Eou kno+ the #rand old house of the oet Na1ir BanarasiI 9ake the second lane #oin# in on the o osite side, if you are comin# north from 4ssi, and ask anyone to direct you to 6ameel *aha" the oet. 8e is a hafiC <one +ho kno+s the Ruran "y heart=. 9here +ill "e no ro"lem findin# him. 8e usually sits in his baithaka mornin# and evenin#. ,f you #o "efore B a.m. itDs "etter.; 9he last +as a difficult su##estion for me, "ut our household +as certainly "etter or#ani1ed than earlier, and thou#h to leave at unscheduled times ut everyone to some trou"le, it could "e done. 2n this occasion, the s arse directions +orked out, and , traced 6ameel *aha" +ithout difficulty. 6ameel *aha" +as a #old mine for me. Not only +as he a oet +ith a +ell?develo ed sense of the history of oetry in Banaras, "ut also he +as scion of one of the older <the oldest, accordin# to his claim= families of -adan ura and a"le to hold forth at len#th on the history of the locality. -onths

later, he also disclosed that a ne he+ had in his ossession an un u"lished manuscri t on the history of the +eavers of Banaras. -oreover, 6ameel *aha" could #ive me introductions to akhara mana#ers in -adan ura, to madrasa committee heads, to the Bara+afat festival or#ani1ers, to silk merchants, to desi#ners, and to civil activists. Beyond all this, , sat +ith him many mornin#s in his baithaka, chattin# a"out this or that. @e had a lot in common "ecause he +as a oet, , a +riterChe +as a reciative of the fact that , used a nom de lume, Nita Eumar, instead of my married name/ he +as full of curiosity a"out everythin# in the +orld, and , +as o"viously driven "y the same curiosity/ he had "een a Communist in the ast, and , had lived in -osco+/ he had lenty of time, "ein# semi?retired from his rofession of sketchin# sari desi#ns, and , had all the time in the +orld/ he loved to lay +ith and o"serve lan#ua#e, and , +as al+ays reoccu ied +ith ho+ thin#s +ere said/ and most of all, he loved to haunt teasho s, chat idly, call u on ac>uaintances, #ossi Mall of +hich +ere "ecomin# not merely research tools "ut s ecial +eaknesses of mine. Unlike 4"dul 6a""ar, he had no s eech im ediment, +as a +ell?educated intellectual +ith fe+ re0udices and a lot of ima#ination, and understood that to "efriend me or hel me did not mean to +ra u my research +ith a +ave of his ma#ic +and. 4"dul 6a""ar, "y contrast, thou#ht that , +as sim ly in trou"le and that +ith his sincerity and hel , , could "e #otten out of it. 4t every moment he +as ready to "elieve that the end +as in si#ht, and that ros ect haunted our every movement, so that as +e +ere re arin# to meet a fresh erson or look at yet another mos>ue, the tenor of his talk +ould indicate that after this one time, 5od +illin#, the case could "e closed and the +hole "urdensome ro"lem of descri"in# the culture of the artisans of Banaras +ould "e solved forever. 6ameel *aha" +as o"viously much more so histicated. 8e +as not >uite certain of the #eneral direction of my research <a reflection of my o+n stanceI=, "ut he ascri"ed sufficient com le'ity to it to tolerate all kinds of articular in>uiries and >uestions as valid. @hat intri#ued me a"out the +hole thin# +as the "usiness of overty. 6ameel *aha", it seemed, +as as oor as oor could "e. 8e lived on the third floor of a much? artitioned and ill?maintained house, and one reached his >uarters "y #in#erly ascendin# stee sla"s of stone, one side of the ste s e' osed to a sheer dro "elo+. 4fter several e'hilaratin# intellectual meetin#s +ith him do+nstairs in his baithaka, the occasion arose to clim" u to his rooms. , e' erienced a rude shock and had to refrain from #a in# at the scenes of s>ualor that "eset me. 8is relatives and co?sharers of ancestral ro erty +ere a arently au ers, or chose to live as such. 2n reachin# the to , retend as , mi#ht, , +as a#hast: , +as confronted +ith t+o tiny rooms, a family of a arently one?do1en adults and children, no furniture, oor ossessions, #rime and dirt, ra#s and tatters, and the toothless, smilin# oet <he al+ays ut on his teeth +hen he came do+nstairs= amidst it all. 8e certainly had sufficient money to eat, educate his children, marry off his dau#hters, and "e hos ita"le to his #uests. Eet : overty; +as a +ay of life +ith his family. @hat struck me as e'traordinary and un"eara"le <ho+ un"eara"le, , cannot say= seemed to them entirely unremarka"le. 4lthou#h 6ameel *aha" was oor, he +as not as oor as his life? style made out. 8is life?styleClivin# oorly, as , called itC+as a cultural mode common to him, +ith all his learnin# and oetic talent, and to 4"dul 6a""ar, +ho +as starkly illiterate and unliterary. 9o the end of my stay, and throu#hout my su"se>uent visits, there remained this invisi"le +all "et+een me and my "est friends in Banaras: their im ertur"a"ility in the face of filth, overcro+din#, disease, even death/ their disinterest in cleanliness, family lannin#, home maintenance, and control of the environment/ and, "y contrast, my o+n nervousness a"out it all. 9hey +ere as ti#htly conditioned as +as ,. , ne#er #ot used to their idea of tolera"le surroundin#s. 7ven at my most comforta"le +ith them, , +orried a"out this as ect of their culture, conscious that no matter ho+ ha y , could feel +hile +ith them, , +ould not like to "e one of them. 9his +as also a "i# +all "et+een me, +ith my #ro+in# love for Banaras, and the city itself. @hat , sa+ in each home, , sa+ on the lar#er scale as +ell: o en drains, free urination, iles of #ar"a#e, no functional se aration of s aces, no com rehension of #erms and sanitation, a #ay disre#ard of very

o"vious ro"lems. 9hese +ere not sim le attri"utes of overty, thou#h "ecause , visited mostly oor homes, , initially "elieved they +ere. But , also visited a sufficient num"er of +ealthy tradersD and merchantsD homes to confirm that, no matter ho+ different their income from that of ordinary +eavers, they shared the +eaversD cultural +orld rather than +hat , naively had ima#ined to "e a universal +orld of the comforta"ly settled, financially secure family, necessarily characteri1ed "y cleanliness and order. Nor +as :livin# oorly; a function of illiteracy and :"ack+ardness,; as 6ameel *aha"Ds case dramatically "rou#ht home. ,t +asnDt class and it +asnDt education/ it +as artly a#es of "ein# conditioned to live ti#htly in an over acked city environment, +here natural forces had once rovided relief "ut +here city services had not e' anded ro ortionately to the o ulation. Cultural roclivities C+ays of dealin# +ith refuse, techni>ues of cookin# and +ashin#C+ere no lon#er ada tive to the si1e of the o ulation and the layout of the city. Cultural ha"its had a force of their o+n at this sta#e, and if the inha"itants of Banaras had "een trans orted else+here, say to *i"eria, they +ould s eedily have roceeded to convert the ne+ environment into a version of Banaras. ,t should "e o"vious that +hile my +orld continued to e' and in Banaras "oth >ualitatively and >uantitatively, there +ere some distances , could not "rid#e. 9here +as al+ays this one uns oken su"0ect "et+een my eo le and me. @hat could , have said to 6ameel *aha" re#ardin# his livin# arran#ementsI @hy doesnDt someone s+ee and mo this roomI @hy let the child urinate thereI @hy not +ash in another art rather than make this messI , shuddered at the very idea of this im ossi"le insult, and , su ose, at the ractical risk of creatin# a rift that may have roved in0urious to my research.

"#, The (easures of the Bod'

4nother a roach , ado ted +hich +as fundamentally different from my revious one +as to take u a to ic and concentrate on it intensely for a fe+ +eeks. , +as not a+are that , +as doin# this until , had e' lored +restlin# akharas for most of -arch and then decided , must discover +hat the music called biraha +as. 2ne evenin# , had a team of milksellers sin#in# u a storm in my livin# room +hen one -r. Bahl, a +restler and "ody "uilder of former all?,ndia fame, +ho had taken the trou"le to sho+ me around many akharas, dro ed in to ay me a visit. 4s soon as he entered, he smiled, :*oN EouDre doin# music no+I; 4nd the +hole icture "ecame clear to me. , had :done; akharas, , +ould no+ :do; folk music, then "ooksho s, then 8oli, then 8indu silk merchants, then -uslim onesM-r. Bahl rovided me +ith a useful handle. 9o roceed in this to ic?+ise +ay "ecame increasin#ly sim le. "kharas had "een a mystery as a to ic, for , could find no academic +ork on the su"0ect/ they +ere also closed doors to me, doors, moreover, +hose location , could not #uess. 2n .u'a 3oad +as a si#n , had o"served for many days, readin# :9he 8ealth ,m rovin# 4ssociation.; 9hat seemed e' licit enou#h. , +alked in one mornin#, follo+in# the narro+ lane that led inside until , reached another #ate +ith the same announcement. 7nterin# that, , found myself in a +alled com ound +ith o en land on one side and a concrete s ace shaded "y a tin roof on the other. 9here +ere e'ercisin# devices all over the lace, the arallel "ars and dum""ells amon# +hich , reco#ni1ed in a flash, thou#h most +ere unfamiliar. , tried to focus on the many men doin# various thin#s on the far side. , hesitated to a roach them not only "ecause they +ere all "usy "ut also "ecause they +ere ractically naked. , made some sounds and movements to attract someoneDs attention. 4s soon as , had "een o"served, there +as a visi"le shrinkin# a+ayCho+ could they kno+ that , +as rather nearsi#htedCand even si#nalin# for me to #o a+ay. , held my #round, and finally a fully dressed man emer#ed from the room ad0oinin# the tin shed and came u to me. :@hat do you +antI 9his is a #entsD akhara2 @hom did you +ant to meetI @here are you fromI; 4ll , +anted to kno+ had already "een said, that this +as in fact an akhara. , dre+ him aside and

e' lained that , +anted to +rite a"out akharas and had +alked in "ecause of the si#n. Could he hel meI -r. Bahl +as an insurance a#ent, a rather ty ical middle?class Banaras #entleman in that he s oke in a mi'ture of 8indi and 7n#lish to me and Bho0 uri to everyone from Banaras. 8e dressed in smart modern clothes, "ut underneath his covers, so to s eak, he +as also an avid +restler and akhara #oer. 8e +as so enthusiastic a"out akharas that he +anted to see them u"lici1ed, and he sa+ me as a #odsend. )or the lon#est time he considered me a 0ournalist +ho +ould +rite some elo>uent articles #lorifyin# akharas <illustrated +ith #lossy hoto#ra hs= in im ortant ma#a1ines. 4fter my re eated disclaimers that , +as "ut a hum"le research student, he convinced himself that my +hole "ook +as #oin# to "e a"out akharas. 9his suited me fine, "ecause it im lied needin# a vast amount of data, and , desisted from e' lainin# too much. -r. Bahl had a motorcycle, +hich, like a ty ical Banarasi, he +as com etent to +ield throu#h the narro+est galis and crossin#s. )or the ne't fe+ +eeks, , +as his #uest in the +orld of Banaras akharas. Perched on the "ack of his motorcycle, clutchin# the seat +ith fei#ned nonchalance, , +ent systematically +ith him to the old and unused akharas, the ne+ and flourishin# ones, the famous ones, the unkno+n ones, the local nei#h"orhood ones, the #rand all?Banaras ones, until , myself +as ready to declare that , had had enou#h. , had "een +ary of the to ic ri#ht from the "e#innin#. , had taken immense leasure as a youth in cyclin#, s+immin#, skatin#, ridin#, layin# "asket"all, and even cross?country runnin#. But my connection +ith s orts +as restricted to my o+n artici ation. , never read the s orts a#es of the ne+s a er, listened to cricket or any other s orts commentary on the radio, talked a"out s orts, or #ave them a thou#ht. , certainly did not intend to +aste my valua"le time researchin# s orts. 9he im ortance of akharas had "een esta"lished for me throu#h my fe+ monthsD stay in Banaras, mostly from incidental talk and stray references, and , +as resi#ned to the ros ect of :doin#; them as an unavoida"le art of the su"0ect of o ular culture. @hat , discovered almost immediately +as that s orts did not mean sim ly muscular develo ment. 9here +as a hiloso hy to the ractice, in this case a very articulate, holistic hiloso hy, that started to e'cite me as much as any other art of my research. 9he first and most elo>uent resentation of it +as totally serendi itous. , +as in a ress o+nerDs sho in Chauk, discussin# rintin# and dissemination of literature. 9his +as mid?mornin#. 7ntered his son, a man sli#htly more curious than his father, +ho asked me a fe+ key >uestions a"out my research. 8e immediately e'claimed a"out the o"vious art that akharas +ould lay in such research and, "ein# an akhara #oer, 0ust "ack from the akhara in fact, roceeded to e' ound on their hiloso hy. @hat he told me that day, sittin# amon# the litter of a er and ink as , raced to record it all, could still serve as a treatise on the su"0ect. 4 very interestin# thin# ha ened. 8ere +as ,, rofessedly indifferent to s orts after the a#e of t+enty, my +hole "ein# centered on an intellectual ursuit to the e'clusion of all else, listenin# to an account of a hysical activity that +as e'clusively for :#ents; "y all accounts. , "ecame a"sor"ed, then mesmeri1ed, then slo+ly converted into thinkin# that this +as it, this +as the ure hiloso hy, the holistic a roach to life, the su"tle "alance "et+een e'tremes that , had va#uely sus ected must e'ist some+here in the +orld. , loved every +ord , heard a"out akharas, and so enthusiastic did , "ecome a"out them that , took e'tra trou"le to #o around and dou"le?check all that , +as told, sus ectin# that , had reached the oint of admiration +here , +as ca a"le of ideali1ation, re0udice, and e'a##eration. , +as also afraid of #ivin# ro ortionately #reater time to akharas than the su"0ect +arranted in the overall scheme of thin#s in Banaras, thanks "oth to my emotional satisfaction in ursuin# it and to the ca acity of the eo le of Banaras to "e articulate a"out it. Prem -ohan Bahl +as not my only #uide. 9here +as the Listrict *ecretary of @restlin#, Banarasi Pandey, +ho s ent many instructive hours #ivin# me an overvie+ of the henomenon of +restlin#. 9here +as 3a0esh Kumar *onkar, a "eautiful, erfectly ro ortioned man +ho had held the district "ody?"uildin# title every year from 19K9 to 19B1 and +ho sho+ed me the clu"s of his choice. But

#radually almost everyone , kne+ "ecame a #uide to akharas or a source of information a"out them. 9ara Prasad, fra#ile, "ent, +rinkled, announced roudly that he had an akhara ri#ht in his home and sho+ed me its remains. ,ndeed, "roken, discarded %oris, the air of clu"s used for s+in#in#, +ere to "e seen all around, no+ that , kne+ ho+ to reco#ni1e them <see fi#. 1&. Na1ir 4k"ar, one of my oorest and most s ineless +eaver friends, immediately icked u the air lan#uishin# in his courtyard and s+un# them for my "enefit. ,ncidents such as these clinched the akhara ar#ument. 9hen , started hearin# announcements for dangals, the +restlin# com etitions ut on locally, and , +itnessed as many as , could. ,f , had still "een unconvinced or indifferent, the dangal cro+ds and accom anyin# e'citement +ould have certainly made a convert of me there.

4n enthusiastic akhara?#oer s+in#s his %oris <clu"s= *uch discoveries tell you a lot a"out yourself. , had "elieved that , +as very keen on music "ut not a s orty ty e after the e'cessive ener#ies of adolescence +ore off. Eet +hen it came do+n to time, riorities, and the sheer la"or of marchin# around dusty, filthy galis in ursuit of an o"0ect, , #ave far more time, less #rud#in#ly, to akharas than to the music of Banaras. , #ave enou#h to the latter, 5od kno+s, "ut for all my ta"la lessons and sin#in# of chaitis and ka%lis in the "athroom, , could more readily visuali1e myself as rollin# in the mud of the akharaCand felt a kinshi +ith those +ho did so ha"ituallyCthan , could ima#ine doin# more riaC < ractice= at my music lessons. 4 oint has to "e made a"out the masculine as ects of the +hole "usiness. @omen never #o to akharas, thou#h there is a lore a"out +omen +restlers and those +ho could do hundreds of ush?u s a fe+ centuries a#o. @omen constitute neither the audience of the com etitions held in akharas nor the atrons of them in any other form. 9he reason seems o"vious: the overall e'clusion of +omen from all stimulatin#, self?develo in# u"lic activity. )or me there +as also a ra#matic reason: men e'ercise in the "arest minimum of coverin#, the langot, a strin# +ith a fi#?leaf?si1ed cloth attached to the front. @hen restin# or receivin# visitors, they dei#n to ut on their %anghias <thin cotton under ants=. @here is one su osed to lookI Not merely into their eyes, or at their im ressive gadas <the heavy +ooden clu"s encountered even in the e ics=, the idea "ein# to o"serve the +hole scene in all its detail. , >uickly ado ted the stance of the a rovin# connoisseur of akhara culture, a situation, as in all those associated +ith art, +here the se', a#e, caste, or any other attri"ute of the individual is irrelevant. @henever , entered an akhara, there +as a chan#e in activity, a hush, even actual retreat "y a fe+ into the shade of the trees. , +ould stay, >uietly +aitin# for my resence to mer#e +ith the surroundin#s. 5radually eo le +ould continue +ith +hat they +ere doin#. , +ould talk to a fe+ +illin# ones, some +ould even demonstrate favorite styles to me, others summon friends to ans+er articular >uestions. 4s at music #atherin#s, no one lau#hed, commented on, or diver#ed from the conversation , initiated. 4ll took for #ranted that , +as learnin# a"out a recious fact of life. 9hat , +as a female made little difference/ , +as merely one of the +iser, more a+akened ones of my s ecies. , never felt consciously e'cluded from this +orld of male e'ercise and activity, thou#h all females "y definition +ere. , +as no feminist then, and in retros ect, it seems, it had esca ed me that there +as somethin# to +orry a"out, com lain a"out, or resent. 9he akhara?#oers +ere sim ly eo le for me, and their craft +as sufficient food for thou#ht. @hen , systemati1ed all my information "ack in Chica#o and sat do+n to +rite my first iece on akharas, , found myself sayin#, :4nd if there is anythin# to critici1e in this system, it is that +omen are deli"erately e'cluded from the culture of akhara e'ercise and "ody "uildin#.; -y inclination to think more as a : erson; and less as a :+oman; s ran# from my ersonality, class "ack#round, and u "rin#in#, of course, "ut it +as #reatly encoura#ed "y the ra#matic demands of

research and the fact that , +as hardly e' osed to +omen at all. @hen , selected artisans as su"0ects of study, , had no fore+arnin# that those in Banaras +ould "e e'clusively male. But u on discoverin# that they +ere, and that their leisure and recreation com rised domains from +hich females +ere systematically e'cluded, , +as not much concerned. 9he e'citement of the +ork to "e done +as #reat enou#h, and it +as su lemented "y the comfort , felt in males as o"0ects of study and as com anions Cas o"0ects "ecause , had "een trained in a history and an anthro olo#y that em hasi1ed male +orlds/ and as com anions a#ain "ecause of ersonality and u "rin#in#, includin# education in the 7n#lish :old?"oy; style. 9he eo le , s ent time +ith, those +ho took me around and assisted meCall +ere +ithout e'ce tion males. -y se' erha s made them more atient and #enerous +ith their time than they +ould have "een +ith a man. But they did not e' licitly or rimarily think of me as a :+oman,; in the sense of "ecomin# rotective, concerned, careful, or #uarded +ith information. 9hey assumed that , +as com etent and acce ted me as their e>ual in intellect, ima#ination, and even hysi>ue. 9ara Prasad al+ays made me +alk miles in every season of the year, 4"dul 6a""ar made me take ricksha+s +ith him for unmeasured distances, Bahl ut me "ehind him on the "ike, and all demonstrated the inner details of +hatever +e +ere ins ectin# +ithout reticence. , +as sho+n the different muscles of the "ody and ho+ they +ould develo +ith this or that e'ercise. , +as told the articular relevance of celi"acy to #ood livin#, +hy refrainin# from se' +as the recondition of all success, and ho+ the control of semen e>ualled the storin# u of virtues <hira they called it, diamonds=. -ost of the terms for these thin#s +ere incom rehensi"le to me <since , had never had a 8indi?s eakin# "oyfriend or hus"and= till a later, more thou#htful time, "ut , do not remem"er anyone lo+erin# his eyelids or ausin# for "reath at these moments in the conversation. -y assurance that Banaras +as a totally mature society, a"le to take in its stride +omen ursuin# odd in>uiries, a earin# in for"idden laces, askin# unlikely >uestions, +as further confirmed.

$;, <o(i Saturna(ia

, had a shock in store for me on the occasion of 8oli, the s rin# festival of the 8indus, +hich is descri"ed vividly in laces like "nthropological >otes and Iueries as saturnalia, reversal, carnival, and so on. , have layed 8oli every year that , have lived in ,ndia, +hich is to say the first half of my life at least, and , kno+ it +ell. Eou +ear old clothes, e>ui yourself for "attle, and #o outside +ith "uckets of colored +ater and trays of colored o+derCoran#e, "lue, yello+, ur le, red, and #reen. Eou #reet everyone you see +ith a dustin# of color on the face, and if you can mana#e it, +ith a sho+er of colored +ater on the "ody. ,n earlier years taisu flo+ers +ere used for dyein# +hole tanks of +ater yello+, and the un+ary +ould "e lifted u and dunked in them. )or layin# or fi#htin# +e used metal syrin#es to s>uirt the +ater, >uite #enteel and harmless. ,n later years the flo+ers disa eared, the tanks +ere condemned as too ro+dy, and mu#s and ots came to "e considered more ractical than syrin#es for thro+in# color. 9hose in #ood s irits +ould sim ly lift the "ucket itself and em ty it on the tar#et. 4ll in all, , loved 8oli, and each time , started layin# it, , could not sto . @hile the ractices of 8oli +ere familiar to me, its ur oses +ere ha1ier: inversion of social order, of course, and creation of solidarity. 9he olicemen of the city +ould our into our "un#alo+ in icku trucks all mornin# to lay rou#h and intimate +ith their "oss, the *.*.P. ,t +as over+helmin# as , +atched from a safe distance, usually the roofto . Laddy +ould "e so drenched +ith aint that he +ould have to chan#e clothes three or four times durin# the mornin#. )rom my childDs ers ective, ho+ever, , could see +here the limits +ere. Children could act +ild and #ro+n?u s could 0oin in, "ut in racticed +ays. 5ro+n?u s did aty ical thin#s: 0oke and lau#h e'cessively, eat and drink bhang, #et dirty, and em"race one another, "ut +ith self?control. *ervants +ere em"raced "ut continued to "e on duty and to maintain the +hole thin# as a merry #arden arty throu#h necessary service and

o"se>uiousness. *tructure #irded the occasion/ lines of se aration marked #enders, a#e #rou s, and classes, the outside!unkno+n and the inside! ermissi"le. :,tDs unfortunate that , kno+ 8oli so +ell,; , told my hus"and on the mornin# of 8oli 19B2. :No+ if , +ere an 4merican researcher, , +ould have taken so much care to look into all the details of it, "ut meI @hat should , look intoI; , felt #uilty a"out not "otherin# to investi#ate somethin# "ecause , su osedly kne+ it already. But, as , said a"ove, , +as due for a shock. , had heard -r. 9ri athi of 4dam ur thana mention a 8oli %ulus < rocession=, or as he called it, dulha %ulus <"ride#roomDs rocession=. 9his had alerted my senses a little, for , had never heard of a %ulus at 8oli "efore. ,t sounded like the @estern henomena of charivaris and reversal at carnival from the little that , kne+ of them from 7uro ean history. , immediately "e##ed -r. 9ri athi to "e allo+ed to +itness this rocession in his +ard. :Be##ed; is the ri#ht +ord. @hereas other+ise , led and the ins ector follo+ed, on this occasion he seemed "emused and dou"tful, and , had to lead +ith him that of course it +ould "e all ri#ht. No matter +hat it +as in fact likeC, had va#ue ima#es of ro+dy, uncontrolled cro+ds, a com"ination of the Nakkatayya and s rin# madnessC, had to o"serve it for my research. 9ri athi acceded, and on 8oli day , +as resent in his olice station "ri#ht and early, "efore eo le +ere out on the streets +ith their "uckets of color, or +hatever they used in this art of the +orld. ,n time +e +ent in his 0ee to a oint +here the rocession could "e o"served, and there it +as. 4"out t+enty men, unreco#ni1a"le in their identical colored clothes, all of them +ell +ashed +ith 8oli colors, +ere dancin# and sin#in#. 9he son# +as rhythmic and musical, thou#h , couldnDt catch the +ords. :@hat are they sin#in#I; , asked my escort tactlessly. :Eou canDt hear themI; he asked half? sus iciously/ :@ell, I canDt tell you.; 9hen he added more kindly, :9hey are only 0okin#.; , strained and strained, "ecause , +anted to have 0ust a tin! idea of the articular form their o"scenities took, "ut , couldnDt catch a damn thin#. 9he dance itself +as retty easy to follo+. ,t +as centered in the elvic re#ion, a vi#orous shakin# of the "elly, not side to side as 8a+aiian hula dancers favor "ut rather "ack to front. 4 fe+ minutes of +atchin# served to clarify that it +as a mimetic version of co ulation, +ith many arts in slo+ motion, e'a##erated for effect, and dramati1ed. , had to +atch the +hole thin# "ecause once , +as there, , had no +ay of leavin#. ,n the middle of it all +as a donkey +ith a rider sittin# front to "ack, +earin# a "ride#roomDs headdress, and +avin# a #i#antic enis made of ra#s and a er. 9his s ectacle re>uired no >uestions and no e' lanations. , looked on +ith a sem"lance of academic interest, "ut , +ould have referred a small #lim se to e'tended o"servation. 9he arty came u to us and ut color on the ins ectorDs face. , ressed "ack into the shado+s. No one took any notice of me or a roached me. 9he men +ent on, and +e follo+ed them in the 0ee for the rest of the route, till , had the son#, the dance, the donkey, and the +hole scene +ell etched in my mind. , +as ready to admit that , +as shocked, that on this occasion , had "een "ested "y the eo le of Banaras. -y ne't lan that 8oli day +as to 1oom into Chauk, the heart of the city, and from a safe vanta#e oint in the thana, o"serve the roceedin#s there. Because Chauk is far more densely o ulated than 4dam ura, more full of tortuous lanes and attached houses, and thus of :dan#er,; , took little ,rfana alon# +ith me as a rotective shield. *urely no one +ould dare to lay rou#h +ith a youn# mother <my head +as covered +ith my sari, in the manner of a so"er +oman= holdin# her "a"y. No one did, thou#h in our very ro#ress to the center of Chauk, +e "ecame as "ri#htly colored as everyone else. Color, aint, and +ater +ere thro+n li"erally all around at no articular tar#et. @hat , sa+ in Chauk +as another sur rise, thou#h a leasant one. ,n the middle of the em ty s ace that constitutes the center of Chauk stood a sin#in# #rou , its leader elevated on a +ooden stand. 9hey san# son# after 8oli son#, each lyrical, hearty, full of throaty a"andon. Peo le #athered around, came and +ent, layed color, and em"raced in the articular +ay that is customary at 8oli, 0oined the sin#in#, or

listened, +ithout any order or lannin#. 9he air +as thick +ith o+der "ein# thro+n "y several hands, and all around +as a sea of colored faces. ,t +as a s ecial scene in itself, "ut of articular "eauty to me "ecause it +as 8oli as , +ould have liked it to "e layed. ,t made me ha y. ,t made me feel, :@here have , "eenI; 9he difference "et+een Chauk and 4dam ura disa eared at a oint. 4t my insistence, the ins ectors of "oth thanas un+illin#ly and #uardedly resented me +ith some of the o"scene u"lications that mark 8oli, lookin# very unsure of themselves as they did so. , +as trium hant, even if em"arrassed that the literature actually had to ass hands in this :PssstMN Care for someMI; style. 9he am hlets +ere ure orno#ra hy, #ra hically illustratin# as +ell as mentionin# "y name all the +ell?kno+n citi1ens of each +ard and some "etter?kno+n citi1ens as +ell, such as ,ndira 5andhi. @hat ha ened at 8oli +as that , finally resi#ned myself to the fact that o ular culture could "e :crude,; :o"scene,; and distasteful to my #enteel middle?class sensi"ilities as readily as it could "e "eautiful, aesthetic, and refined. , had found it relatively easy so far to se arate these sets of characteristics, to shut out, for e'am le, evidence of drinkin# and dru#s, se'uality and o"scenity, in my field of study. 4t 8oli this "ecame im ossi"le. 4lthou#h the Chauk e' erience +as there for me to re0oice over, the rocession +as really much more central and o+erful, im ossi"le to "lock out. 9here +ere hundreds of such rocessions all over the city, and everyone kne+ a"out them. 9he distance "et+een middle?class and o ular culture +as also "rou#ht home to me some+hat forcefully, "ecause +hen , had left home in the mornin# , had thou#ht , kne+ 8oli from my o+n childhood e' eriences of it. ,n a matter of hours, , +as rid of any such illusion and +as "ack in my old familiar situation, confronted +ith a ro"lem. , +as lucky to "e a"le to s end one full year more in Banaras and to leave only after the follo+in# 8oli. 9his +as an ideal situation: havin# o"served 8oli from the outside the first year, , +ent to informants the ne't and follo+ed their activities +ith them. 4#ain, holdin# on ti#ht to my little dau#hterCshe never sho+ed any aversion to 8oli activitiesC, layed color in different homes. , had a 8oli feast in -ohan .alDs house, and +ith a ne+er metal+orker friend, Chayen "a"u, +ent to Chausathi #hat for the 8oli evenin# festivities. 9he relativity of noise and eace, of u#liness and "eauty, of crudeness and refinement, the shiftin# definitions of each cate#ory, slo+ly fell into lace.

art Four
,n +hich various kinds of intros ection and retros ection are indul#ed in: +e see +hat Banaras feels like from a distance rather than from the inside/ +hat the different archives in .uckno+ and Banaras yielded as e' eriences/ and most of all, +e 0ud#e the many kinds of selectivity that e'ercise influence on +hat comes to seem sin#ularly successful and im ressive research.

$", A Brea* from Banaras

,n -ay, accordin# to lan, , acked u and +ent to .uckno+. -y hus"and, +ho had "een in Chica#o since -arch, +as #oin# to "e a"sent another t+o months. , +as not so much afraid of the heat as a+are that, no matter ho+ immune to it , attem ted to "e, +ork +as im ossi"le half the day. )or most of 4 ril , had follo+ed the schedule of leavin# home early in the mornin#, say at ei#ht, erforce to return at noon or as close to that as ossi"le. 2ne to three oDclock in the afternoon +ere "y common consensus the hottest hours of the day, +hen everyone stayed indoors. 7ven at three or four, it +ould "e difficult to find eo le movin# a"out. 4lthou#h , could #o to +ell?tar#eted laces, that art of my +ork +hich still consisted of na""in# the un+ary and 0um in# on my rey from "ehind the "ushes suffered. , had more than enou#h +ork to do in the archives of .uckno+, and it had "een my lon#?term lan to see out

the +orst of the summer in the shaded retreat of the U.P. 4rchives. @hen , made the transition from Banaras to .uckno+, , first of all took many ste s "ack+ards in mental ima#e makin#. 4fter all those days of "uildin# intimacy +ith Banaras, the ictures con0ured u "y the cityDs name +ere definitely not the stock tourist ones of #iant um"rellas at Lasash+amedh #hat, "e##ars linin# filthy lanes, Kachauri gali +ith its treasures of dee ?fried foods and il#rims #or#in# on themM,t is not difficult to understand +hy: , had never had much to do +ith these thin#s. But , do ackno+led#e their reality as su##estive ima#es. , +as far more un0ust to .uckno+ and even consciously ermitted myself to +allo+ in once?u on?a?time dreams and unfounded characteri1ations. )or instance, the term :nawabi( al+ays attached itself to the name of the city for me, to#ether +ith ima#es of +i1ened -uslims in their lon# sherwani coats +a##in# their "eards and flourishin# their arms to say :.ahle aap2( <:4fter youN;=, the com liment that su osedly indicates the eak of culture and civili1ationCin one version the train steams out of the station leavin# t+o .uckno+ites thus demonstratin# their refinement on the latform. 9he ima#es are ure le#end and feed into one another: dolls in em oria, ro#rams on television, anecdotes and reminiscences. , have kno+n .uckno+ all my life, and , have never met a seudo?nawab there such as my ima#ination insisted on associatin# +ith it. , had artly reached a oint +here , could only do 0ustice to a lace u on studyin# it. .uckno+ is still an unkno+n entity for me and +ill remain so until , incor orate it into a future research ro0ect. -y ur ose in .uckno+ +as to use the archives, "ut the city "e#an to attract me in many other unforeseen +ays. 4fter my first fe+ days there in the summer of 19B2, , almost felt as if , could never #o "ack to Banaras. , had not reali1ed ho+ much the galis, the over"earin# traffic, and the intolera"le filth had affected me. *uddenly, outside them, , felt free. 7very feature of Banaras +as reversed: no louds eakers, no co+ dun#, no "um y ricksha+s, no same old eo le +ith the same old ideasCthat is, no same old investi#ator +ith the same old >ueries. 4lthou#h , came to .uckno+ to +ork, , +as in fact on holidayCfrom Banaras. 4s , discovered the differences "et+een the t+o laces in more detail, the feelin# of freedom "ecame more ronounced, and , #uarded it 0ealously. 9here +ere restaurants in .uckno+, a market lace in +hich to stroll and +indo+ sho , a 1oo to +hich to take children, movies to see, +ide roads on +hich to drive, eo le +ith +hom to e'chan#e visits, and the comfort of kno+in# that you could en0oy thin#s +ithout strainin# all the time to understand. .uckno+ "ecame such an esca e for me from Banaras that , actively refrained from tryin# to understand it. Banaras had "een a rison in many +ays. )or a lon# time +e had +ondered +here +e could ever #o out to eat. , am a fan of the *outh ,ndian dosa, a li#htly cooked lentil ancake +ith a otato and onion stuffin#. 9osas can "e had in the smallest and most "ack+ard arts of North ,ndia no+adays. But in Banaras even the dosa +as transformed, includin# in name/ it +as called not :masala dosa( <s icy dosa= "ut :mashal dosa( <the fiery torch dosaCIN=. ,t had do1ens of variationsC+ith stuffin#s of cheese and minced meat amon# the more e'treme onesC"ut none close to the sim le ori#inal version. 9here +ere t+o or three com aratively res ecta"le esta"lishments la"eled :Coffee 8ouse of *outh ,ndia,; :of Kerala,; and so on, and , could have my fill of Banarasified dosas there. -y hus"and sou#ht more e'otic fare: 7uro ean, Chinese, or sim ly -u#hlai. 9here +as no+here to #o. 7uro ean food +as none'istent save at the so?called five?star hotels, +here +e did s lur#e once in a +hile, "ut even there the inter retation of dishes +as too Banarasi for our taste. @e once com lained of a fish latter "ein# oversalted and overs iced, at +hich the chef himself arrived, a olo#i1ed, and offered to make us a fresh one immediately. @e a+aited the ne+ dish e' ectantly, only to find it e>ually oversalted and overs iced. @e should have kno+n: the eo le of Banaras +ould never su"0ect #uests to "land food. 4s for Chinese food, there +ere a cou le of famed laces that served as our last recourse for cele"rations and outin#s, "ut if +e ever made the mistake of orderin# a Chinese dish in any other lace <Chinese dishes fi#ured on almost every menu=, +e could "e sure of "ein# re+arded +ith a heartily s iced, oversalted, and dri in# +ith #rease local version of cho suey, e## foo yun#, or

+hatever. Banaras had many o"vious shortcomin#s, and , tried to i#nore them for a lon# time, develo in#, as , +as, a defensive and rotective attitude to+ard the city. But the >uestion of food +as difficult to overlook even for one +ith sim le tastes. -y very favorite #oin#?out food +as chat, that inimita"le concoction relyin# heavily on flour, lentils, yo#urt, and tamarind. 7ven in this, , had to confess, Banaras floundered. @hat you could #et on every street corner in .uckno+ you had to search out in Banaras and then +ait your turn at the sole source, :Kashi Chat Bhandar; <9he Banaras *torehouse of Chat=. @e never +ent out for leasure to a market or a ark in Banaras, "ecause every lace +as sim ly too dirty and too cro+ded +ith eo le. 9em les +ere +onderful laces, es ecially those +ith #ardens and o en s aces, "ut they +ere also overcro+ded durin# all the im ortant occasions. 4 1oo +as unnecessary in Banaras, since the +hole lace +as like a livin# 1oo, +ith at least ten different s ecies of animals visi"le on the streets at any #iven time. @hat was s ecial there +as the "oatin# on the river. , found sufficient e'cuse to round u the family for an early mornin# "oat tri every second or third day, and no one ever rotested. 9he difficulty of develo in# a circle of friends +as also a sore oint +ith us. 4fter a year there, it +as still characteristic for us to dro in on eo le +ithout their ever returnin# the visit. @e thou#ht +e had found a fair num"er of like?minded or otentially com ati"le eo leC+riters, 0ournalists, lecturers at the university, musicians, and rofessionalsC"ut they a arently did not think the same a"out us. ,t +as athetic sometimes ho+ +e hun# on to them +hen +e did meet them, ho+ +e or#ani1ed dinners and sou#ht their resence, ho+ +e made re eated tri s to their homes, leavin# messa#es +hen they +ere out, none of +hich +ere ever ackno+led#ed or res onded to. @e naturally started feelin# that +e +ere doomed to "e outsiders no matter ho+ lon# our stay or ho+ friendly our feelin#s to+ard the deni1ens of the city. 9here is no dou"t in my mind that the eo le +hose friendshi +e attem ted to cultivate, middle?class, educated, rofessional, +ereCin s ite of their e'cellence in their fieldsCvery closed in their outlook and sus icious and intolerant of anyone from outside. 9hey referred to kee to their o+n ti#ht circles and +ere not articularly +ell versed in common courtesies. -y o+n s ecial :friends,; my artisans, +ere not like that at all. 9hey shamed us +ith their sincere affection and hos itality, and , had never any reason to "lame them for anythin# "ut an e'cess of +armth. But eo le stick to their classes. @hen +ork +as over, +hen my family and , rela'ed and lived for ourselves, +e sou#ht other middle?class eo le. 9here +as no >uestion of seekin# the com any of a 9ara Prasad or a -ohan .al, or of their seekin# ours. 2ur social life therefore +as a total disa ointment. 8o+ever , may succeed in understandin# it sociolo#ically from my rivile#ed insi#ht into the functionin# of Banaras, it +as no fun. @hen , raise .uckno+ on this and other scores, the reader must understand ho+ hard this raise comes to me. ,t +ould have "een difficult for me to ackno+led#e the su eriority of any lace over Banaras in those days. Eet to #o and live in .uckno+ after e'actly ten months in Banaras +as to su"mit to a lu'urious rest?cure.

$$, Ethno%ra@h' in the Ar)hi&es

4fter a +eek in .uckno+ divided amon# :restin#,; nursin# a cold and cou#h, and #ettin# ,rfana settled into a ne+ environment, , resolved to lun#e into +ork at last. 9hat there +ould "e no lettin# u once , started , kne+, and , felt oddly reluctant to "e#in. 4nother aftereffect of Banaras +as the need to reduce the ace and lo+er the intensity of +ork. 2nce at the archives, ho+ever, , reali1ed that my reluctance had "een 0ustified. 9he "uildin# +as ne+

and s acious, "ut the rooms, includin# the readin# room +here , sat +ith several others, +ere "are and dusty, a tri"ute to oor desi#n and insulation. 9he furniture +as of uncomforta"le dimensions. , +as constantly com romisin# "et+een leanin# for+ard in an el"o+?#ra1in# osition on a ta"le a trifle too hi#h for comfort and sittin# "ack in a too?lar#e chair, my "ook "alanced on the ed#e of my desk. Nor did the archives seem any less reluctant to take me on. , sat on the ed#e of my seat in the assistant directorDs office as he scrutini1ed my a ers. 9hen he scrutini1ed me and decided that , +as lackin#. :@e need your ass ort,; +as +hat he finally hit u on, follo+ed "y, :Eou need to #et ermission from the #overnment.; , vacillated "et+een t+o smart ideas , had: one, that as an ,ndian citi1en my ass ort +as >uite unnecessary in my country and , could en#a#e in +hatever research , +ished/ and t+o, that as a student from Chica#o, , had, of course, o"tained a clearance from the #overnment alon# +ith my #rant. 9he contradictoriness of these t+o ar#uments did me in, and , +as dismissed +ith the direction to #et a fresh letter from the University of Chica#o certifyin# that , +as myself and no other, that my research ro0ect +as thus and no other <in my conversation , had made the ma0or error of hrasin# it some+hat differently from the +ay it +as descri"ed in my a ers=, and that my fundin# +as from ' "ut my citi1enshi +as y, so hel me 5od. , #ot heated u , havin# come e>ui ed, as , thou#ht, +ith all re>uisite roofs of identity. , demanded to see the director and +as olitely escorted to him. , +as not allo+ed to hold my a ers in my hand as , covered the distance from the one 'soffice to the other, in case , tam ered +ith them, , su ose. 4s , entered the directorDs office, his hone +as rin#in#, and , thou#ht, :9heyDve "eaten me to itN; , +as ri#ht. ,t +as the assistant director on the hone, settin# the director u to date a"out me. 9he latter +as lookin# amusedCas he +ould continue to look all throu#h his su"se>uent conversation +ith me. :*o +hat +as !our decisionI; he +as askin# +ith fond aternalism on the hone, lookin# into the distance, not too concerned. :,f you are #oin# "y that, +hat do , need to do hereI; , thou#ht an#rily and des erately. *ure enou#h, it +as a close "attle. , ended u +ritin# an a lication askin# for s ecial ermission to use the archives till my : ro er; documents arrived, for the a"sence of +hich , rofessed a"0ect sorro+. -y notes, in turn, +ere #oin# to "e held in the archives as , made them. @hen , "e#an to rotest a"out this, , +as su"0ected to the avoidance of eye contact and vi#orous shakin# of the head that si#nify unaltera"le rules in #overnment offices and that , find more infuriatin# than any ar#uments. @ell, +ork "e#an. *ometimes , #ave my notes to the officials and sometimes , did not/ they never remem"ered, it seemed, thou#h , al+ays half e' ected them to 0um u and na" me +hen , left +ithout offerin# the a ers to the officer in char#e of the readin# room. -y file #ot thicker and thicker. 4s +ith research in #eneral and archives in articular, lots and su" lots "e#an unfoldin# as , ke t at it, till , +anted to #o on and on. 9his +as fortunate for me, since the hysical discomforts of the lace had "een hei#htened "y the arrival of the rains in 6une, +hen the lace turned into a virtual steam "ath. , used to +onder +hy ,ndians e' ressed distaste for, even fear of, #overnment offices. ,n my o+n limited e' erience, as +ith :7ve teasin#,; , had al+ays "een either lucky or ri#ht. 4fter my e' eriences +ith the .uckno+ archives, , no lon#er needed convincin# that distaste and fear +ere the a ro riate feelin#s for all #overnment institutions. -any triflin# events "rou#ht me to that conviction. 4fter several +eeks of close scri""lin#, , left some a#es for hotoco yin# at the archives, a service rovided there, unlike the Na#ari Pracharini *a"ha of Banaras. 8avin# #iven my re>uest to the facility, , +ent home and "oasted in a letter to *om"a"u, :, donDt need a ty ist here. ,Dm havin# thin#s Qero'ed. , 0ust #ive them the a#e num"ers and the file, and , #et them "ack in one day. ,tDs all very easy.; @here , develo ed that conviction itDs difficult to say, a art from my innate o timism and tendency to first acce t everythin# at face valueCthat is to say, from my ine' erience. 9he ne't day , +as asked to +rite a : ro er; a lication, addressed +ith ro er di#nity to the director of the archives. , did so. 9he a lication +as returned to me after t+o days for lack of the crucial

+ords, :, a#ree to ay the re>uisite amount.; , added the +ords. 9he ne't fe+ days sa+ no further ro"lem re orted +ith my a lication, and , +as certain that , +ould see my "undle of hotoco ies any moment. Confident in that ho e, , continued notin# do+n ro#ressively less and markin# off more, makin#, as , cheerfully thou#ht, faster ro#ress. 9he course of my hotoco ies roved the +orst torture , have ever "een su"0ected to. )or months, the machine +as out of order, the o erator sick, the a er su ly used u , even the record room "ur#led/ as a last des erate stroke, even the visit of ,ndira 5andhi to .uckno+ +as cited as an e'cuse for delay. , could have s+orn that , sa+ other eo leDs hotoco ies "ein# handed over. 4s "efits a cons iracy, everyone +as olite and reassurin# +henever , ursued the matter. 9he key >uestion +as, +hen +as , finally leavin# the countryI 2nly a fe+ months laterI 2h, they +ould certainly "e done "efore that. 4ll that remains to "e said is that the hotoco ies +ere done literally at the last moment, and , had to come to the archives after , had finished ackin# for my de arture to the United *tates 0ust to ick them u . By that time , had "ecome so nervous that , had ceased re>uestin# any co yin# and had resorted to takin# do+n in lon#hand the notes , +anted and ski in# over the data that , could ossi"ly do +ithout. @ith re#ard to the .uckno+ archives, , felt the delays, the o"stacles, and the humiliation of smilin# e'cuses so stron#ly artly "ecause my e' ectations +ere inordinately hi#h. *omethin# a"out the "usinesslike "uildin#, the amused director, the vast holdin#s, and the #ood?naturedness of .uckno+ in #eneral, after the eccentricity of Banaras, had fooled me. ,n Banaras, , had visited a half?do1en archives a art from the Na#ari Pracharini *a"ha and had neither e' ected anythin# nor "een disa ointed. 9hey had acted, one to all, as e'cellent ethno#ra hic sites for me, rovidin# data not only in the +ritten records "ut also in the #oin#s?on of the laces themselves. Aery early on , had made a visit to the Banaras Collectorate, the center from +hich the collector, alias the district ma#istrate, rules. 9he Collectorate is a kind of courthouse for civil dis utes and revenue hearin#s. 4s is a ro riate for the seat of the hi#hest civil authority in the district, all the servants are e'>uisitely uniformed in lon# coats, sashes, and tur"ans, holdin# sce ter?like oles. 9hose +ere the e ic days of #enerous olice hel , and since the Collectorate +as in the far north of the city, an inconvenient distance from +here +e lived, , reached there in the olice :A,P; car. 9he driver "ounded in ahead of me and +his ered my introduction to the collectorDs decorated doorman, so that +hen , entered, everyone in the office +as ready for me and on his feet. , had #one artly "ecause , had "een curious to see ho+ the kin# of the land, the civil ma#istrate and ar"iter of individualsD destiny in my lace of research, functioned. 4s it turned out, , s ent the day in his office, ostensi"ly orin# over "ooks and manuscri ts "ut really kee in# a close +atch on everythin# he did. 8o+ever, my story is not a"out that, and , must move on to the descri tion of the archives. 9o call them :archives; is a fond e'a##eration. 9hey were variously called archives and li"rary "y the eo le in the office, "ut they are "etter la"eled a storeroom. 9he lar#e room had cu "oards all alon# the +alls, and "ookshelves in arallel lines alon# its len#th, all of +hich +ere laden +ith a ers. 7ven the "ooks had "ecome a ers, havin# lost their "indin#s and many a#es. 9here +as no discovera"le system to these iles, chronolo#ical, thematic, or other+ise. 9he li"rarian or archivistC, for#et +hat he +as calledC+ho came in +ith me had an even va#uer notion than , of +hat could "e there or ho+ it could "e stacked, and he refrained from comment. 8e stood to one side and cou#hed as , raised dust. , thou#ht it ro"a"le that the drafts from Banaras to+ard the ten?year census re orts +ould "e laced to#ether. @ith the hel of my shar +its and rovin# eyes, , found a ile of materials that , could use. -ean+hile there +as a small +hirl+ind as the honora"le collector himself "ree1ed in +ith three men in to+. 8e had arrived on an :ins ection.; 8e +alked around, looked u and do+n, and shouted, :8um h, hum h, +hat is this, +hat is thisI 9his lace must "e all cleaned u and or#ani1ed, you hear me, li"rarianI; 8e de arted, and the materials returned to their re ose, to "e undistur"ed, , can vouchsafe, for the ne't decade or lon#er. Clearly the collector had "een a+akened "y my arrival to the fact that this

storeroom +as also art of his 0urisdiction and res onsi"ility and that, if he did not create at least a sem"lance of careful su ervision of it, , mi#ht "e ca a"le of anythin#, such as +ritin# a"out it for the u"lic to read. , knew there +ere +onderful thin#s to "e found at the Na#ar -aha alika <the City -unici ality=. , +ent to o"tain ermission to use the records from the administrator, as he +as called, the #overnment officer in char#e of city affairs +hile the elected munici al committee +as sus ended, +hich it had "een in Banaras for many years. 9his officer also had a #rand office, thou#h no "edecked doormen, and +as also "usy +ith etitioners +hen , entered, thou#h his +ork , +as not much interested in. , had my o+n notions of +hat munici al +ork consisted of, and in my mind +ere ima#es of drains, ta s, and streetli#hts that did not function. 9his time , had come on my "icycle, my letter of ur ose from Chica#o in hand. 2ne mi#ht su ose that the treatment , +ould receive +ould "e very different from that at the collectorDs. ,n one +ay it +asCno one rose to #reet meC"ut not in any su"stantial +ay. @hen , sa+ the si1a"le cro+d outside the administratorDs office, each man tryin# to "e the ne't to #o in, and threaded my +ay throu#h it to the door, my heart sank for a minute. But as soon as , said, :-ay , see the administratorI; and the doorman raised the chik <s lit "am"oo= curtains for me to ass in, , reali1ed that my fear had "een un0ustified. , had "een rivile#ed "efore the thirty or forty eo le +aitin# sim ly "ecause of the +ay , looked and, more remarka"le still, aroused no comment or criticism from them for the same reason. No +oman comes to the Na#ar -aha alika as a rule, 0ust as she does not #o to a olice station, unless she is destitute of all "rothers, "rothers?in?la+, and sons. , +as there, and , must "e someone s ecial, since , did not look destitute of anythin#. -y clothes, coolness, and confidence in #oin# u to the doorman immediately marked me as someone from the to rather than from the "ottom classes, and everyone in such circumstances is 0ud#ed "y these thin#s. , thou#ht, as , entered, of ho+ far , actually +as from my artisans. 9hey +ould have had trou"le in any office they +ent to, and they could "arely have a roached the concerned officer, leave aside "e understood or sym athi1ed +ith. , +ould have had no trou"le +hatsoever/ , could use my face, my clothes, my manner, my confidence, even if , never resorted to my family connections, to a roach +homever , +anted. 4s +ith fastin# in order to e' erience hun#er, , could never a ro'imate the hel lessness of oor eo le in ,ndia "ecause , al+ays had a ast and a future different from theirs. 9he record room , +orked in in the munici al office had t+o +indo+s that faced the "icycle arkin# and refreshment cum sociali1in# area under a #enerous "anyan tree. 9he +indo+ screens +ere o a>ue +ith a#e and dust, "ut , could hear a #reat deal of +hat +as #oin# on outside, articularly the pan sellers. 7very panwalla has as art of his esta"lishment "ri#ht little ots of "rass for his condiments, +hich he s reads on the "etel leaves +ith little "rass s atulas. 4s he re laced each, there +as a tinkle of ure metal strikin# metal, very sonorous and soothin#. 9his sound came in from the outside every fe+ seconds and made my hours in the record room very leasant. ,t +as an interestin# time for me other+ise as +ell. @hile , ored over scores of administration re orts, thirstily a"sor"in# facts of the "ud#ets for sanitation, +ater su ly, and draina#e over the recedin# century, , also o"served the +orkin#s of the munici ality at close >uarters. 9he record room +as not meant for researchers like me. ,t +as the re ository of all the records of the city, and its main "usiness +as #ivin# out information a"out o+nershi and location of houses to those interested in sellin#, "uyin#, and construction. 9his information did not come free. *ometimes the record seeker +as char#ed t+o ru ees, sometimes, four, sometimes si': the decision +as made on the "asis of +hat he +as considered ca a"le of artin# +ith. 9he ayment +as o enly demanded and made, and it +as divided amon# the officer in char#e of the records and the clerk +ho "rou#ht out the files from the hu#e hall in +hich they +ere stored. , had al+ays +anted to o"serve C233UP9,2N at close >uarters, and that is +hat , could no+ do for many days. , must say it +as a "i# achievement for me, for so far ,

had "een unsuccessful in actually uttin# my fin#er on it. 9he closest , had come +as +hen, after "ein# 0ud#ed a com letely cra1y researcher for +hom all information +as invalua"le, , had re>uested ,ns ector 9ri athi +ith as #ood a sem"lance of naivete as , could muster, :Could you actually sho+ me ho+ you take "ri"esI; 8e +as too taken a"ack to even deny that he took "ri"es, and sim ly asked, :8o+ can , sho+ you thatI; , ointed to the em ty s ace "ehind his desk in the olice station, :@ell, if +e han# a curtain here, , could hide "ehind it the ne't time someone comesM; @e "oth refrained from actually tryin# it. , mentioned earlier that his motives in "ein# ever ready to hel me in my research +ere sus ect, and , should e' lain and erha s >ualify that. , kne+ ri#ht a+ay that he indul#ed in various dealin#s far more rofita"le than an ins ectorDs ay/ there +as an easy roof of this in his very +ay of handlin# money. 8e +as also :corru t; in the sense that he immediately +anted a ayoff from me, askin# me to #et him a articular transfer order from .uckno+. , reali1ed slo+ly that he +as une'ce tional on all these scores and that everyone functioned on a >uid ro >uo "asis in Banaras. 4lmost every olice officer of middlin# rank +anted a transfer or a stay of transfer. @hile that sounded harmless enou#h, +hat irked +ere the #ifts of #ra es and man#oesCal+ays the more e' ensive fruits C that came to our home. @e +ere annoyed not +ith them "ut +ith us, that +e did not >uite reali1e +hat +as #oin# on and innocently acce ted and ate up the man#oes. 9hen, in a fit of com ensation, +e toyed +ith the idea of han#in# a si#n on the ath leadin# to our house: :Bahan ghoos, rishwat, it!adi li!a %ata hai( <:@e acce t "ri"es, under?the?ta"le ayments, et cetera, here;=. 9he Banaras archives, already mentioned in my accounts earlier, +ere a source of "oth leasure and dismay. 9hey +ere ho eless in that their holdin#s had little relevance to my to ic. 4fter days of "attlin# +ith information on land and ro erty transfers in Banaras, , sim ly #ave u . , +as #lad to do so, "ecause the archives consisted of three small rooms, the electricity +as fre>uently out, the +indo+s rovided no cross ventilation, and the director, +ho had to authori1e the use of records, +as a"sent, +hile the other +orkers +ere such a #an# of cronies that they chattered incessantly. ,n all fairness , should add that , #ot my hotoco yin# done very e' editiously here/ the moral is only that there is little method to #overnment functionin#. ,f you e' ect the +orst, you +ill "e leasantly sur rised half the time. , used three other archival?ty e laces in Banaras +hich need to "e descri"ed "riefly. 2ne +as the office of "%, the local 8indi daily, of venera"le a#e and circulation. ,t +as convenient to #o there for s ecific old issues of the ne+s a er, rather than to Na#ari Pracharini *a"ha, +hich had the issues too "ut +here they +ere unnum"ered and +here a re>uest for one volume necessitated the dis lacement of a do1en more. ,n the "% office, , +as the only researcher, and , had a room and a erson all to myself. 4ll +ent +ell for me there e'ce t for t+o assin# e' eriences. Because of a fire or some such misha , there +as a hole in the middle of the "% "uildin#. Clim"in# u to the to floor, as , had to, , +ould suddenly come across a sheer un rotected dro to the floor "elo+/ a +hole chunk of the "uildin# in the middle had totally disa eared. , almost fell to the "ottom at the sheer fri#ht of it. 9hen, for lunch, , +ould clim" to the roof of the "uildin#, +hich +as very hi#h and offered a s lendid anorama of the city. @hile , +as "usy iecin# to#ether the different arts of it from my ac>uaintance +ith them on the #round, a monkey +ould sneak u "ehind me, neatly #ra" my sand+ich or tid"it from my very hand, and slouch a+ay. 9his +as not as fri#htenin# as the hole, "ut it did leave me hun#ry +ith no+here to #o "ut teasho s. 4nother lace , discovered +as the rivate li"rary of one -r. -orarilal Kedia. 4n old?time resident of Banaras and a cultural atron, -r. Kedia had collected all the eriodicals of the city and even of other arts of U. P. for the t+entieth century. 8e had set aside a hall and a room for them and had a ointed a smart youn# #raduate as li"rarian. -r. Kedia +as too roud and self?sufficient to "e a roached, "ut his li"rary +as truly im ressive. , only visited it a"out five times, ho+ever. , felt over+helmed and decided that to #o throu#h all that literature +ould take the rest of my life.

.ast of all, in terms of "oth chronolo#y and the "enefits , derived from it, +as the Kala Bha+an, the -useum of 4rt, at the university. 9his had choice eriodicals from the ast, includin# some not availa"le else+here, such as the ma#a1ines edited "y the famous 8indi literateur Bharatendu 8arishchandra. , cycled to the university do1ens of time to use them, "ut , #ot stuck at a certain sta#e and never ro#ressed "eyond it. 9he kee er of the literature section +as a sickly man +ith many family res onsi"ilities. 8e +as often on leave and chose articularly those days that , +ent there. *ince , +ould #o at random, , donDt kno+ ho+ he found out +hich days these +ould "e, "ut he +as eminently successful in timin# his a"sences. 9hree directors of the Kala Bha+an came and +ent. , sat in their office and +e t my tale of +oe. 8o+ could , #o "ack to Chica#o +ithout studyin# these recious ma#a1inesI 7ach romised to :look into the matter,; and each undou"tedly did so, "ut ho+ can you fi#ht sickness and the demands of familyI 4nd of "ureaucracy and "ad or#ani1ation, , should add, "ecause , re eatedly re>uested that someone else "e #iven the res onsi"ility of administerin# the eriodicals +hen the main kee er +as a+ay, "ut, no, only he could do it, and no one else could touch the volumes. 4lthou#h the "est?located of all the archives and li"raries, the easiest and leasantest to reach, and in the to cate#ory of im ortance, the university literature holdin#s remained the most inaccessi"le to the end of my stay. -y "ook conse>uently has only very limited references from Bharatendu 8arishchandraDs ma#a1ines.

$/, atterns of Se(e)ti&it'

@hen , returned to Banaras from .uckno+ in 6uly, , found it in flood. 9he monsoon that year +as the :"est; in years. 9he river had risen a"ove the dan#er oint, and all the riverside areas of the city, as +ell as other lo+?lyin# areas, +ere under +ater. Boats had re laced ricksha+s as the mode of trans ort, eo le ha"itually folded u their #arments to their knees, ready for +adin# at every ste , and a minor e'odus had "e#un from less safe to safer localities. , reali1ed very >uickly that here +as another cha ter for my "ook. 9he floods +ere an entertainment, a leasure for the eo le of Banaras, not sim ly a hardshi . 7veryone kne+ the "est laces from +hich to o"serve the s+irlin# +aters, and , +ent to check them out. Eoun# men and children and +omen of all a#es came to these laces to :see the floods.; 4dventurous youn# men dived from the "alconies of su"mer#ed homes and s+am endlessly in the sheltered ools rovided "y the "uildin#s under +ater. 9o reach the *ankatmochan tem le +as a articular s ort, for it +as se arated from dry land "y several hundred yards of +ater. But to most on the list of entertainments +as an e'cursion to the -alaviya Brid#e, +here one could see the +hole vista of the river e'tendin# "eyond either "ank for miles, a field of +ater in "et+een, seemin#ly still, "ut in fact rushin# on +ith fury, carryin# trees, huts, animals, and unidentified o"0ects alon# +ith it. , even succum"ed to the )austian tem tation to kno+ everythin# to the fullest, takin# a motor"oat tour around the s+ollen riverCa dan#erous activity that , did not en0oy too much. 2ur house itself +as se arated from the main road "y an e' anse of +ater several feet +ide and e>ually dee . 4lthou#h also referred to as :flood,; it had not "een caused "y the overflo+in# river "ut "y the accumulation of rain+ater every time it rained for over half an hour, +hich it did several times a day. Nothin# could "e lanned, for +e +ere not eo le to +ade throu#h +ater of unmeasured de ths. , myself re#arded the floods around our house as im assa"le, thou#h +hen they +ere a"sent or , crossed them on a ricksha+ that had already "een "rou#ht across to our side, , did so only to #o and o"serve more flood +atersN 9his +as the li#hter side of thin#s. -ore serious +as that, no+ that it +as 6uly, , +as com letin# one year of research. 9here could "e no more :e'cuses.; Nor did , need any: all my earlier ro"lems of +here to #o, ho+ to meet eo le, +hat to say or do, and +hat sense to make of it all in the rocess +ere

in the ast. , kne+ the annual cycle of events in the city, +hich meant that , could #atecrash all those , had already seen or heard a"out the first time around and could discover all those , had "een forced to miss the first time for various reasons. ,n the former cate#ory +ere the ma0or 8indu festivalsCLi+ali, Lassehra, 8oli, Aish+akarma Pu0a, Lur#a Pu0a, 5anesh Pu0a, and so on. ,n the latter cate#ory +ere the ma0or -uslim ones. ,n 19B1 , had kno+n that -oharram +as cele"rated in 2cto"er, "ut , had had an actual fear, a art from sim le timidity and uncertainty, a"out o"servin# it. *ome interestin# activities took lace around the taCi!a on certain -oharram ni#hts, "ut could , have 0ust +alked into an unkno+n nei#h"orhood at ni#ht and min#led +ith the males #athered there to "ecome art of their cele"rationI , could not. , needed familiarity +ith lanes and mohalla atterns, and , needed friends, refera"ly a family, on +hom , could ress myself as a #uest. 4s lon# as you are sturdily allied +ith at least one erson in the course of such roceedin#s, you are all ri#ht. ,f you are an utter stran#er, the event remains stran#e for you, and you for the eo le takin# art in it. , have s oken at len#th here only of *haukatullah, 6ameel *aha", and 4"dul 6a""ar, amon# my develo in# relationshi s +ith -uslim artisans, and "ut mentioned 4limuddin and Na1ir 4k"ar, "ut in my second year there +ere do1ens more "esides from different mohallas +ith +hom , could han# around. *ometimes it +as not so much a >uestion of eo le to hel me out as a #eneral "roadenin# of the ca acity to assimilate. -any events in Banaras, as , have said some+here, sounded eculiar to my ears +hen , first heard of them. 9he 3amlila, yes, "ut somethin# called the Nakkatayya <the cuttin# of the nose=I Nati ,mli ka Bharat -ila <the reunion +ith Bharat at the d+arfed tamarind tree=, Na#nathayya <the churnin# of the ser ent=, Katahriya -ela <the fair of the 0ackfruit=Call seemed "i1arre "y virtue of their very nomenclature. 9he "est e'am le +as somethin# called Luldul ka 5hora <the horse of Luldul=. -y hus"and and , lau#hed at the ima#es it su##ested, and no matter ho+ serious , "ecame, , could not ima#ine +hat the thin# re resented "y such a name could "e. Nor did , find out in the first year. 9he rocession of the Luldul horse asses throu#h most of the city, in a 0ourney takin# over t+enty hours, "ut the most dramatic e isodes occur in Chauk. *o much , had "een told. , re aired to Chauk on the evenin# that the Luldul horse +ould ass throu#h there and in>uired olitely a"out its +herea"outs. Peo le #estured to a nei#h"orhood called Lalmandi, sayin#, :9here.; Lalmandi is a tortuous lane +ith many tri"utaries. Because it is a market, it is relatively dark and for"iddin# at ni#ht. *ome+here +ithin it +as this rocessionCho+ lar#eI 5oin# in +hich directionI Loin# +hatI , could not have lun#ed into the darkness, armed only +ith my camera and note"ook, to track do+n this incom rehensi"le rocession some+here in the ma1e of lanes/ , sim ly kne+ too little a"out it. @as the horse tame or +ildI Bound or looseI 9he eo le sane or drunkI Peaceful or in a fren1y of shoutin#I 8o+ did +omen fi#ure in it/ +hat +ould "e the menDs attitude to+ard meI 2nce in, could , #et outI @here +ould "e :out;I Lalmandi +as an es ecially tricky ro osition "ecause, a art from "ein# a ma1e and a market lace, it +as the traditional home of courtesans. @ith flo+ered curtains in u stairs +indo+s from +hich emanated the sounds of ta"la and sin#in#, this +as a sta#e +here different rules revailed from the rest of Banaras, and , for one certainly did not kno+ +hat my lines should "e or ho+ to enact them. 2n the Luldul ni#ht my first year, therefore, , >uietly ut my tail "et+een my le#s and +ent home to slee . ,t haunted me, thou#h, as did -oharram, Bara+afat, 4khiri Budh, and *ho"eraat. 9o detail ho+ , +as a"le to artici ate in them all the second year +ould "e too much, "ut , +ill #ive the idea in "rief. By *e tem"er 19B2, +hen it +as Luldul time a#ain, , had visited Lalmandi many times and "een inside homes and sho s. , kne+, in fact, the most im ortant #randee of the lace, 8akim -ohammad Ka1im. , had met +ith t+o courtesans throu#h mutual :"rothers; and kne+ +hat the inside of those curtained u stairs rooms looked like. , had intervie+ed musicians +ho made their livin# "y accom anyin# these courtesans, and , had discovered a guru bhai amon# them, that is, a "rother "y virtue of sharin# the same #uru, -ahadev -ishra. -ost of all, , kne+ to a reassurin# e'tent +hat the layout of the re#ion +as. , had a rou#h ma of the +hole of Chauk and could sense +here one mohalla connected +ith

another. 9o #et a #ras of the #eo#ra hy of a lace is really the first ste to feelin# comforta"le in it. 4ll this fed into my artici ation in Luldul, as did also the fact that , had a fair num"er of -uslim informants "y then and +as attuned to their domestic arran#ements, their life?style and ractices, and even their conversation and collo>uialisms. 9he main characteristic of my second year in Banaras +as that everythin# , did fed into everythin# else. *o, at Luldul time, , +alked ri#ht ne't to the horse for a lar#e art of its 0ourney <, even thou#ht of ettin# the "eautiful +hite creature a fe+ times "ut didnDt, "ecause on that occasion ettin# +as also a ritualCone , +as not that u on=/ entered homes and courtyards alon# +ith the horse/ scri""led do+n, +ithout em"arrassment, the +ords of the marsi!ahs "ein# sun#/ and made ne+ ac>uaintances left and ri#ht. Luldul +as in my ocket. -ost of Banaras +as in my ocket, it felt. 2n this note , shall end the narration of my e' loits "ecause a litany of successes is not articularly edifyin#. Nor am , sure ho+ to measure :success,; since , for one firmly "elieve that the roof is in the uddin#, that is, in my "ook )he "rtisans of Banaras: .opular ,ulture and Identit! <19BB=. .o#ically, also, my diary "ecame thinner and thinner as frustrations turned into fulfillment. , +ould like to use my enultimate cha ter to descri"e rather the shortcomin#s in my field+ork rocedures that trou"led me much of the time and that +ill ro"a"ly rin# a familiar note to other researchers. 9he main limitation +as that no matter ho+ , strained, in ho+ever many directions, my effort remained a selective one. 7ven as , +idened my circle of informants and intervie+ees, , functioned +ithin a small universe: a do1en each, say, of +eavers, metal+orkers, +ood+orkers, milksellers, and pan sellers/ even fe+er otters, ainters, #oldsmiths, +ith one "lacksmith, silversmith, and 0e+eler thro+n in for #ood measure/ and co er +iredra+ers and motor arts re airers on the frin#es. @as it not likely, , constantly asked myself, that , +as #ettin# only a art of the story, #iven the limited num"er of eo le , talked toI -y defense in the face of this damnin# evidence of num"ers came from my growing confidence that +hat , +as constructin#, even from the tales of a fe+ artisans, +as a correct icture. 9here +ere many other discoveries that lay "ehind the in?de th conversations: o"servation and artici ation in activities as art of a cro+d, familiarity +ith details of the ur"an landsca e, random e'chan#es +ith eo le all the time, and of course my archival +ork. , felt art of my surroundin#s/ , +as like a finely tuned instrument from +hich a com le' sound could emer#e and all the resonant strin#s vi"rateCin analo#y +ith the sitarC+hen the correct note +as lucked. 3e orts confirmed one another, facts +ere "uttressed "y more facts, inter retations rallied to one anotherDs defenseM, +as interactin# +ith only a fe+ informantsCon one levelC"ut on many other levels , +as interactin# +ith other com onents of the city. , felt "eyond the shado+ of a dou"t that , +as interactin# +ith the city itself. -ore of the time , +orried not so much a"out the methodolo#y that called for intimate contact +ith only a fe+ eo le, "ut a"out my o+n limitations as a field+orker, limitations of #ender, domestic situation, and ersonality. , continued to feel #uilty a"out livin# comforta"ly in a ro er house, devotin# my after?+ork hours to family relations, even of ha#ing after?+ork hours, rather than livin# in an artisan nei#h"orhood and s endin# day and ni#ht only +ith my informants. , did s end thousands of hours +ith them, enou#h to claim that , +as drained and inca a"le of any more, "ut the selectivity of the rocedure remainedCselectivity of day over ni#ht, as , call it. -y kno+led#e of +hat +ent on in dayli#ht hours +as far su erior to that re#ardin# ni#httime. , traveled to many music sittin#s and tem le cele"rations, all in the dead of ni#ht, "ut these +ere e#ents. @hat ha ened >uietly on an everyday "asis, , never did seek to discover. , lace the "lame for this +holly on my infant dau#hter and commonsensical hus"and/ neither +ould have seen the rationale of my sacrificin# a normal domestic routine for an undistur"ed immersion in my su"0ect of study. ,n this conte't, , think of Baidyanath *aras+ati, resident anthro olo#ist?in?chief of Banaras. @hen , first +ent to visit him in his monkey?infested a artment, , +as told "y his +ife that he +as out. :@hen +ill he returnI; *he didnDt

kno+. :@here has he #oneI; *he had no idea. :@hat time should , try tomorro+I; *he couldnDt "e sure, even of +hether he +ould "e "ack. @ith each ans+er, the a arently rural, non?7n#lish?s eakin# lady added, :+oh Jfield* men ga!e hain( <:8e is in the field;=. , left +ith a sense of envy and va#ue dissatisfaction +ith myself for not "ein# a"le thus to disa ear into :the field,; to "ecome so totally lost there that no one +ould kno+ my +herea"outs, time of return, or anythin#. 4s it +as, , had a difficult time +ith my hus"and. 4lthou#h he +ould have referred to kno+ +here , +as at any #iven moment, he did not "ecause , did not. 8o+ever, he served to launch me into the first round of or#ani1ation of my ra idly accumulatin# materials "y advisin# me to have an inde' card for everyone , met or intervie+ed, +ith the ersonDs "asic descri tion and the dates of my intervie+s. 7very mornin#, as , left, , +as su osed to ut in the front of the inde' card file the card<s= +ith the name<s= and address<es= of those , +ould "e seein# that day. , couldnDt kee to this demandin# lan, "ut the "asic idea, , felt, al+ays remained the o osite of Baidyanath *aras+atiDs: circumscri"e yourself and kee to the domestic routines as far as ossi"le. 9he selectivity of day over ni#ht +as related to another kind of selectivity that +as the roduct of my interests and referencesCthat of u"lic over rivate. 2ne of the fe+ thin#s , had al+ays found distasteful a"out the disci line of anthro olo#y +as its concentration on kinshi . , sim ly failed to #et aroused "y the su"0ects of marria#e, family, kinshi , and domestic ritual. *omethin# a"out the four +alls of a house stifled me. 2ne reason , ke t ha y in Banaras +as that even +here four +alls circumscri"ed one, the num"er of eo le +ithin them +as so lar#e that it +as like "ein# outside. , "e#an to feel that the Banarasis and , shared the same set of references. 9hey referred to do everythin# in the o en, from dryin# their yarn to oundin# their #rain to dis layin# their +ares to rela'ation and entertainment. But erha s , thou#ht this artly "ecause , "oth looked for and sa+ only activities of this nature. , noted do+n very little that +ent on inside the house, unless it +as a +ork activity or pu%a that +as ossi"le only +ithin or it +as there for some interestin# historical reason. @hen eo le #ot to#ether in lar#e #rou s unrelated "y "lood or marria#e ties, that +as #reat, that +as fascinatin#. Mushairas < oetry readin#=, music sittin#s, handicraft +ork itself, +omenDs #ossi sessions +ere all like that. 9hese +ere for me : u"lic; "ecause they included many eo le. 2n one level this selection +as 0ustified "ecause , had defined my to ic as o ular cultural activities, and o ular culture is su osedly the culture of :the eo le,; not of small #rou s +ithin them. But , had re0ud#ed the issue. ,n my "ook , em hasi1ed that the u"lic cultural life of Banaras is an es ecially rich one/ this is artly "ecause , looked selectively at it and never cared for the rivate. 7ven +ithin o ular or u"lic culture, , found certain themes much more com ati"le than others. 4nother erson could +rite a +holly different "ook on the o ular culture of Banaras, em hasi1in# the :dirty; as ects: the li>uor, dru#s, rostitution, #am"lin#, olitickin#, thu##ery, deceit, cheatin#, and other fully entertainin# activities. , didnDt +rite such a "ook "ecause , referred to close my eyes to these as ects of life/ , +as like that, and the eo le , drifted to+ard, 9ara Prasad and his family, -arkande and his family, +ere like that as +ell. , heard indistinct references to many kinds of slea1y #oin#s?on "ut refused to ursue any of them +ith the vi#or , em loyed for to ics that fascinated me, like seasonality and "ody "uildin#. 2ne day as , +as sittin# doin# nothin# in 9ara PrasadDs home, his +ife .ilavati "rou#ht me his latest +ood carvin# to sho+. 5i##lin#, she uncovered it. ,t +as a miniature of a lar#e four? oster "ed in +hich a cou le +as makin# love. 7verythin# +as >uite #ra hic, and 9ara PrasadDs #enius had succeeded in de ictin# the cou le as "oth entranced and enthusiastic. ,nterestin# and a ealin# touches included a late of laddus <round s+eets= "y the side of the "ed, for +hen they took a minute off, , su ose, and a hand fan, for +hen they #ot heated u . , +as dee ly curious and >ui11ed .ilavati. *he had al+ays "een shy and noncommunicative +ith me, and moreover s oke Bho0 uri at a terrifyin# s eed. , #athered that such +ooden toys +ere amon# the

resents to the "ride and #room at a +eddin#, an old Banaras custom no lon#er very conscientiously o"served. , reali1ed, and , kno+ for a fact, that there is in Banaras a +hole system of attitudes to+ard se', , mean as art of u"lic "elief and entertainment, not the domesticated as ect that , find "orin#/ that they are e' ressed in crafts, in the erformin# arts, in s eech and cele"ration/ and that these attitudes are very alive, clearly articulated, and close to the eo le. , +as sometimes very +ell laced to o"serve them, as at the 8oli rocession and a#ain at an event called the -ahamurkh *ammelan, the 5reat )oolsD Conference. 4t the latter, the oems and 0okes +ere +hat +ould "e called chea and dirty in another conte't "ut +ere artistic and intellectual on that occasion. 9he main style of dancin# in Banaras, +hich , had also +itnessed at 8oli, +as used every+here all the time, in +eddin# rocessions, at arties, and on ha y occasions, and it +as su##estive in a +ay that fe+ o ular dances are. Banaras +as a crude, hearty, earthy lace, its males very a+are of hysicality and se'uality and not reticent a"out de ictin# their interest in these thin#s on every occasion and throu#h all the media. 9he females +ere very likely the same/ , never found out, thou#h the #i##lin# .ilavati #ave me a clue. @hen , met the courtesans in Lalmandi, "oth they and , em hasi1ed the erformative as ects of their craft, referrin# to retend that that +as all there +as to it. , didnDt ask them a"out their relations +ith men, only a"out their son# and dance, and they didnDt volunteer the information. Not clear or comforta"le a"out se'uality, my o+n or anyone elseDs, , "arely made a note of this Banarasi feature and +rote nothin# a"out it at all. *imilarly, , had no idea +hat to do +ith drunkenness or dru# use, findin# the su"0ects distasteful and myself i#norant. Nevertheless, , donDt +ant to over lay the selectivity at +ork in all this, for every researcher cate#ori1es su"0ects as a ro riate or ina ro riate in all conte'ts, and , did so in Banaras +ith relation to myself, e'cludin# everythin# , re#arded as :slea1y; or :dirty.; 9here +ere t+o other kinds of selective rocesses , +as a+are of that , +ould like to mention. 2ne +as that of 8indus over -uslims, and the other of the oor over the rich. 9he 8indu reference arose from the fact that , +as a "orn 8indu, thou#h not a racticin# one, and kne+ a #reat deal more a"out the reli#ion than a"out ,slam. @ith 8induism, ri#ht from the "e#innin# , could ick u clues and follo+ innuendoes in a +ay that is essential for research, "ut only in my second year did , even "e#in to do so +ith ,slam. 2ne of the si#ns of my develo in# maturity in research +as ho+ much more time , #ave to -uslims than to 8indus in my second year, in inverse ro ortion to the first, achievin# a final "alance of sorts. -y earliest notes +ith +eavers are >uite #ar"led and are unctuated +ith des erate comments: :@hoDs heG; :@hat does that meanI; :0uCur ki mira%G( :Lid she say thatG; 4ll these +ere sorted out and deci hered >uite rom tly, "ut mean+hile they created an undenia"le "ias in favor of +orkin# +ith 8indus, +ho +ere familiar, com rehensi"le, and as easy as a, b, c. -y lan#ua#e a"ilities in 8indi also far e'ceeded those in Urdu, articularly in readin# and +ritin#. , +ould tire very >uickly of an Urdu a er or document and set it aside to read later in consultation +ith an Urdu?s eakin# friendC+hich sometimes ha ened and sometimes did notC"ut , needed no s ecial atience or motivation to read 8indi lan#ua#e materials. , +orked so hard to overcome these shortcomin#s that , +as lar#ely successful in doin# so. 9o+ard the very end of my stay , +as re+arded "y re eatedly "ein# taken for a -uslim in -uslim mohallas, often as a lady from Pakistan. , did not lan the dece tion "ut did not try hard to undeceive the deceived either, sim ly takin# even #reater care +ith my Urdu voca"ulary and ronunciation. 9his #reater ease in -uslim conte'ts +as relevant not merely to my ersonal satisfaction and sense of "alance "ut also to the materials , could ick u Ca art from the oral data that , could recordC+hich increased many times over. -uslims +ould ull out old "ooks and a ers, calendars and +all han#in#s, diaries and manuscri ts "ecause they thou#ht that , +as ca a"le of erusin# them, and, as a #ood -uslim, cared to do so and could "e trusted not to defile the name of 4llah, +hich +as every+here. 9hey +ould say as much and look in>uirin#ly into my eyes, and , +ould look "ack at them +ith a steadfast, clear, honest #a1e that neither denied nor affirmed, "ecause , did not feel , +as lyin# a"out "ein# a -uslim/ of course , +ould not defile the name of 4llah.

9he oor +ere naturally to "e rivile#ed "ecause , had +ritten my research ro osal like that. , do not mean to say that , +as at fault for decidin# on a research focus, "ecause that everyone has to do. , am sayin# , +as "iased to+ard oor eo le in +ays that can only "e called emotional or sentimental, and that "ias served my research ill. , had develo ed the method of askin# a lar#e cross?section of eo le a"out the same thin#, to surround and attack it, as it +ere, on all fronts. 9hus, on the >uestion of tem le #oin#, , learned all a"out my artisansD ideas/ then , looked u the information on all these tem les in my various +ritten sources/ , had Na#endra *harma scoutin# around tem les collectin# a random set of intervie+s +ith tem le?#oers/ and finally , +ent to each and every mahant <tem le head=, chief riest, and assorted minor riests. ,n such cases, if the eo le , +ished to intervie+ +ere rich, as undou"tedly most mahants +ere, that +as fine, "ecause they "elon#ed to my arena of activity. But in any other conte't, rich eo le seemed like rude interru tions to "e shru##ed off as distractin#. , sensed that they +ere valua"le sources of information and that , should not har"or such stron# re0udices a#ainst them. , did so out of sheer immaturity, naivete, and re"elliousness. -ay"e it aid off in some unsensed, uno"vious +ay, such as makin# me think only of the oor or seein# life only from their oint of vie+, "ut , am not sure. , kno+ that to+ard the end of my stay, , suddenly #ot knots in my stomach thinkin# of all the #a in# holes in my information, and made >uick tri s, amon# others, to some of the +ealthiest "usinessmen and traders of the city. But these +ere a#ain eo le to :use,; so that +as all ri#ht. *ince , +as myself so clearly :+ealthy,; that is to say, not sufferin# from the shorta#e of any necessity, or even of most comforts, of life, , had to stru##le very actively to kee other +ell?off eo le a+ay and the oor close to me. 9o have dressed differently +ould not have "een the solution, "ecause , actually +ore rather chea saris and sandals, usually old, sometimes even torn. 3a0a 3am, our Kin# Canute, scorned them in his inimita"le +ay. :,f you +ore these in our villa#e,; he told me once, overseein# my check of laundered saris, :even the do#s +ould "ark.; But other thin#s marked me as +ell?to?do: the shine of my hair, the +ell?creamed look of my skin, the +ell?fed and +ell?+atered look of me alto#ether, the matchin# "louses, the +atch, "a#, sun#lasses, the lack of reluctance to ay rickshawallas certain amountsM, could have taken care of one or t+o of these characteristics, "ut not all. ,t +ould have taken years for my face to develo the thin, inched, +orried look that marks many of the oor. Nor do , consider such hysical ali#nment necessary. ,t comes u "ecause , +as constantly accosted "y +ell?off eo le +ith invitations to 0oin them and their kind rather than to han# around, as , +as seen to "e doin#, +ith the oor and the "ack+ard. 2ne of my favorite laces in Banaras +as the teasho of .allan Eadav. ,t +as not dee ly recessed in the "uildin#, so it lacked the dark, cavernous >uality of all those other teasho s that remained closed to me. ,t had ro+s of hoto#ra hs of +restlers on the +all, "enches and ta"les +ith fresh ne+s a ers, and a clientele that "y its look seemed to consist of artisans and la"orers, "ut included in fact +riters, oets, hiloso hers <, mean rofessional onesC everyone +as a hiloso her in his o+n ri#ht=, and riests. , +ent to this teasho many times a +eek and sat many hours, talkin# to .allan Eadav and +hoever else +as +illin#. ,t +as al+ays re+ardin# and also rela'in#, and the only thorn in my side +as the s ecial tea that .allan sardar ke t ressin# on me, the kind that has a dollo of cream floatin# on to . 2 osite this teasho in Brahmanal +as a silk traderDs, a "usiness run "y many "rothers. Unkno+n to me, they had ke t a +atch on my activities, and one day they finally si#naled me over. , +as made comforta"le on the +hite sheets and "olsters of the gaddi and #iven some tea. :@hy donDt you sit here and do your +orkI; they asked me solicitously. :,t doesnDt look seemly for you to sit around in that teasho .; , +as in a#ony and didnDt kno+ ho+ to #et a+ay, short of "ein# rude. No+ if , had "een calmer, , could have talked a"out the silk industry +ith them, the mohalla of Brahmanal, the su"0ect of teasho s and tea drinkin# from their ers ective, and a host of other thin#s. But my ire had "een aroused "y their class, their rotectiveness, their assum tion that they +ere su erior, "ecause they had money and education, to those like .allan Eadav, +ho had little of "oth, and "y all those other >ualities

that , lum ed to#ether as :middle?class; conservatism and uritanism. *o, not only did , suffer needlessly, "ut , also failed to sei1e an o ortunity and aroused their hostility "y my o"vious discomfort in their com any. *imilarly, 9ara Prasad often assed on to me the re>uests of his rich nei#h"or, an oil resserDs family, that , visit them. 9hey +ere ros erous, +ith a lar#e house and actual furniture/ all the mem"ers dressed smartly in e' ensive, modern clothes. 9he +hole idea +as una ealin#, and , resisted it for days. @hen , finally had to succum", , #ave an o"0ect lesson in ho+ to "e an a+k+ard #uest. No+ these eo le +ere atrons of the Kho0+a 3amlila, and , dou"tlessly could have learned a lot from them a"out the 3amlila, a"out the oil? ressin# "usiness, and a"out Kho0+a in #eneral. But ha iness for me +as 9ara PrasadDs house, and this comforta"le furnished lace +ith its +ell?dressed inha"itants +as close to a torture. ,f , could do the +hole thin# a#ain, , +ould "e o en, , think, to eo le on the "asis of their merit as roviders of information and not have "linders on my eyes to everyone +ho a eared affluent or successful. But then, as , also think, , mi#ht "e su"0ect to the dan#er of havin# a more mi'ed re orta#e on +hat the lives of the oor are like, and that deficiency mi#ht reflect the distance of the rich from the oor.

$0, =e@arture
,t +as only the oor +ho came to see us off as +e left Banaras in early 19B$. @e +ere takin# the overni#ht train to .uckno+/ our lu##a#e had "een sent on ahead, and +e carried only slee in# "a#s and hand "a##a#e. 4"dul 6a""ar cycled over to the station, 9ara Prasad came +ith his dau#hter, Na#endra, +ho had "een hel in# us, came to the station +ith us, and -arkande stood shyly on one side. No one had any fare+ell s eeches to make, nor had , a +ord to say. 4ll , could think of +as ho+ to #ive each a little cash in artin# +ithout disru tin# the mood, for sisters ma! #ive money, even to elder "rothersC anythin# at all is ossi"le. But it had to "e done in the correct +ay and +ith the ro erly selected +ords. , finally chose the easier +ay of #ivin# my niece, 9ara PrasadDs dau#hter, a doll and a fe+ ru ees, to her consternation. @ith -arkande, it +as easier, for he +as much youn#er any+ay and did not yet have the veneer of courtesy that characteri1ed older adults in Banaras. 4"dul 6a""ar had once had his son?in?la+, a tailor, stitch some a0amas for us, so , could s>uee1e a fifty?ru ee note into his fist +ith a mum"led in0unction to ass it on to his son?in?la+. 4s for Na#endra, he +as also a youn#er "rother, "ut my research assistant as +ell, and , had learned the im ortance of kee in# the t+o roles distinct. ,t +ould never do to have #iven him money "ecause he +as a oor "rother. 8e +ould have sim ly returned it +ith a flourish, sayin# somethin# like, :, may "e oor, "ut , am roud/ , do not acce t money from my sisters.; But , could ress a hundred ru ees into his hand, sayin#, rather, :)or your trans ort this last +eek, for your #oin# u and do+n "y ricksha+ all over the laceM; 9hey all stood >uietly and +aitedCstill no fare+ell s eeches. )inally 9ara Prasad #ave a toothless #rin, :Be sure to +riteN; , ointed to ten?year?old -an#ra "y his side, no+ in class ( in school. :,Dll +rite to her. -ake sure she +rites "ack.; 9hat made the others +ake u a little. :4lri#ht, 0i00i, come "ack soonN; said "oth Na#endra and -arkande, usin# the familiar, affectionate term for older sister that +as so loaded +ith intimacy for meCmy "rother *unil used it all the timeCthat it made tears come to my eyes. 4"dul 6a""ar +a##ed his "eard +ith a +eak smile. , looked at my informants?"rothers?friends, reali1in# that , had at some oint, +ithout havin# lanned it, erased the dividin# lines "et+een these cate#ories. 9hat may "e called the first lesson of my field+ork for me: an informant, no matter +hat m! lans, could strain at my restrictions and alter my efforts, and in all honesty , had to ackno+led#e the ersonDs ri#ht to do so. 2nce , reali1ed an informantDs e>ual o+er to influence the relationshi , , came to a second reali1ation: e>uality could

tolerate difference, and this +as not a matter for #uilt or re#ret. By freein# myself from the limitations of my inherited +orld and "roadenin# my definitions of self, , sa+ that , could "oth consider others my e>ual and hold on to my references and "eliefs +ithout a olo#y. 9hose values , chose to retain +ere no+ tested and conscious ones and not sim ly the identification marks of a class or a eriod. , +as less of a co# in the machine of history. Closely follo+in# on this +as a third reali1ation: "ein# the erson , +as, , had to interfere in my su"0ectsD lives, as they had indeed e' ected. But althou#h my ethno#ra hy had to "e influenced "y this reco#nition, the activist ro0ect +as necessarily se arate from the anthro olo#ical one. ,t re>uired, as did any +ell?conducted activity, ro er trainin#, lannin#, and fund raisin#, not merely a #eneral feelin# of #ood+ill to+ard humanity. , also came to reali1e that ethnosociolo#y, as commonly understood, is a du"ious ro osition. ,t +as feasi"le and desira"leCin fact, essentialCto understand and re resent +ith em athy eo leDs o+n versions of their actions. But this em athy disa eared rather dramatically +hen an issue directly affected the anthro olo#istDs +ork, comfort, or familyC articularly "a"y. 9here +ere as likely to "e t+o distinct versions, yours and theirs, and if you continued to +rite of theirs +hile maintainin# silence on your o+n, it +as at "est a very mechanical anthro olo#y, at +orst "latantly hy ocritical. 9he last lesson of my field+ork then +as to shun assivity +ith conviction. 2f course, as , have made clear, , consider scholarshi a form of activism too if an informant is seen as a erson, not 0ust a rovider of information, +hich means actually +idenin# the hori1ons of academia in +ays every scholar has to discover individually. )or me the eo le of Banaras had "ecome more than informants, not so much throu#h any effort of mine "ut rather throu#h the stren#th of their ersonalities, the o+er of their #enerosity and love, and the ossi"ilities inherent in the methods of ethno#ra hic field+ork. 4ll these thou#hts 0elled slo+ly, +ith time and many influences, includin# that of my hus"and to +hom this "ook is ri#htly dedicated. 2n that 4 ril evenin# at the train station, , thou#ht rather of ho+ , had come +ith va#ue ur oses, then "ecome roud of my s+ellin# note"ooks, "elievin# that , +ould ca ture these eo le of Banaras and take them a+ay +ith me, "ut ho+ in reality they had ca tured me and forced me to leave much of myself "ehind. 9he s+eetness of accom lishment +as accom anied "y a sta" of ain: one more lace to "elon# to, to think a"out nostal#ically, to lan returns to/ one more set of eo le to ache for.

1(ossar'
Key terms are defined in the #lossary and their ro er s ellin#indicated. Liacritic marks are omitted in the te't to reserve its accessi"ility to non?8indi?s eakin# readers. aghor panth a sect of 8indu renouncers 4hSr a 8indu caste, usually milksellers/ same as Eadav akhr a #ymnasium or clu" for +restlin#, music, oetry, and so on annaprsana the first solid food ceremony of a 8indu infant 4nsTrS the name used "y -uslim +eavers, denotin# linea#e !h a maidservant

bb old man, father/ usually a form of address bbu a term of res ect, often used as a suffi' for Ben#alis bahanF bahan% a sister/ res ected sister <direct address= bahr alang the outside baithaka a sittin# lace, a room ba%r a lar#e "oat, s ecifically for #rou s and #atherin#s BTrT+afTt a -uslim festival cele"ratin# the Pro hetDs "irth bet child/ usually a form of address bhbhF bhbh% a "rotherDs +ife/ res ected "rotherDs +ife <direct address= bhFbh KshabL a "rother/ res ected "rother <direct address= bhng cannabis sati#a indica Bho0 urS the lan#ua#e of eastern U.P. and +estern Bihar birah a #enre of folk music br a :ci#arette; rolled in a leaf bu fatherDs sister/ usually a form of address chabutar raised delineated s ace for sittin# outdoors chchF chch% a fatherDs "rother/ res ected fatherDs "rother <direct address= chch fatherDs "rotherDs +ife/ usually a form of address chait a #enre of music ty ical of the month of Chaitra Chaitra the first month of the U.P. 8indu calendar, season for chait chiwll a teasho kee er chan dried chick eas or lentils cht a savory snack food Chauk the center of a nei#h"orhood or city chaurh

a crossin# of four roads chhMn a kind of cotta#e cheese chhotM log the lo+er classes/ literally, the small eo le dl a lentil dish, commonly eaten once a day in Northern ,ndia dangal a +restlin# match darshan an aus icious si#ht for 8indus LassehrT a 8indu festival +hen the 3TmlSlT is sta#ed des indi#enous, old?fashioned dharma the la+ of nature dholak a t+o?sided drum, used mostly in folk music dhot a traditional #arment +orn "y men on the lo+er "ody and consistin# of one lon# stretch of +hite cotton +ra ed around the +aist and "et+een the le#s LS+TlS a ma0or 8indu festival, +ith +orshi of .akshmi LUom a caste, mostly cremation #round +orkers dos a *outh ,ndian snack Luldul a -uslim rocession at -oharram dulh a "ride#room dupatt a scarf +orn "y +omen in different styles over the chest Lur#T a ma0or form of the #oddess in 8induism Lur#T Pu0T the festival of Lur#aDs +orshi , coincidin# +ith the last days of 3TmlSlT gad a lon# ta erin# +ei#ht used for "ody "uildin# gadd a seat of "usiness, marked "y +hite sheets and "olsters gal a narro+ lane gamchh an all? ur ose cotton scarf traditionally carried "y men 5anesh a 8indu #od, for +hose u"lic +orshi a rocession is taken out 5an#T

the 8indi term for the 5an#es river/ also a 8indu #oddess garb oor, used only in the literal sense gaunhrin a rofessional female sin#er at life?cycle ceremonies ght a river"ank gh clarified "utter <the real thin#=/ also a ve#eta"le oil roduct guru a teacher/ also a form of direct address 8anumTn a 8indu deity, in form like a lan#ur monkey 8ari0an a name used for some untoucha"le castes hr diamond 8olS a ma0or 8indu festival in the s rin#/ also <lo+ercased= a #enre of folk music mU,sh+ar 5od, for 8indus %nghi under ants %hul a s+in# %i%% an older sister/ an affectionate form of address %or a air of clu"s that are s+un#, used for "ody "uildin# 6ulThT a traditional name for +eavers, re#arded as dero#atory and not used in Banaras no+ %ulus a rocession, such as at Lur#T Pu0T, -oharram, Aish+akarmT Pu0a kachch consistin# of clay and thatch kachor a dee ?fried, lentil?and s ice?filled savory/ also the name of a famous lane in Banaras +here these delicacies are sold ka%l a musical #enre of the monsoons kal art kalkr an artist KTlS a 8indu #oddess krigar an artisan, a craftsman krkhn

a +orksho or factory/ a loom karmaknd a s ecialist on 8indu rituals KasVrT a 8indu caste, usually metal+orkers KTyastha a 8indu caste, traditionally scri"es and "ureaucrats khams a form of folk music kothari a small, closed room, usually used as a storeroom kotwl historically, the chief olice officer in a city kshetra an area of o eration, a field kund a tank, an artificial reservoir of +ater used in Banaras for "athin# and rituals kurt an u er shirt?like #arment, usually +orn "y men over a dhot, or a0amas laddu a round s+eet, commonly seen at festivities .akshmana the "rother of 3ama in the e ic $ama!ana .akshmS the #oddess of +ealth and ros erity in 8induism langot a small strin# and cloth contra tion +orn "y men underneath the %anghia +hen e'ercisin#, some+hat like the U.*. 0ock stra lth a "am"oo ole, often carried "y olicemen lekhik a +oman +riter lot a round "rass or co er vessel used for +ashin# u madras <also Madrash= a -uslim school, usually for hi#her studies -ahTdev the #reat #od, a name for *hiva mahant the chief riest of a tem le ma%r <also maCr= a -uslim shrine mandir a 8indu tem le manoran%an entertainment marsi! <also marsi!ah= music com osed and sun# at -oharram math

a 8indu monastery mauln a -uslim +ise man, a reli#ious leader maul#i a learned and reli#ious man, an inter reter of ,slamic la+ maus motherDs sisterDs hus"and/ usually a form of address mel a fair memshib a lady, a :maDam; saha" mohall a formally delineated nei#h"orhood in a city -oharram a -uslim mournin# eriod +ith a festival of the same name, differentlycele"rated, "ut al+ays +ith a tCi! moksha release from re"irth, in the 8indu system mundan the ritual shavin# of a childDs hair mushair a u"lic readin# of Urdu oetry nahn?nipatan defecation and "athin# nakks a re oussO +orker namaste a #reetin# of res ect +ith t+o hands 0oined nawb an aristocrat, a lord, ty ically -uslim nawb aristocratic nch Aaum the lo+er classes or castes nm margosa indica pakk literally, of masonry/ fi#uratively, solid, correct pn a "etel leaf +ra ed around some condiments pand a 8indu riest, usually a il#rim riest pandit a 8indu riest, usually a domestic or tem le riest pankh a ceilin# fan, once of cloth, o erated manually "y ullin# a ro e pnwll a seller of pan ppar

a a er?thin savory made of dried lentils parth "read toasted in gh pardh curtain, the redominantly -uslim custom of kee in# secluded from the u"lic PTrsS a reli#ious community "ased in @estern ,ndia PatUhTn one of the u er classes, or linea#es, of -uslims pattdr a co?sharer of ro erty pinda a 8indu ritual erformed in memory of the deceased/ literally, a "all, sym"oli1in# a "ody prasd the leavin#s of 5od or of someone s ecial, for 8indus pu% a ritual of +orshi pur dee ?fried "read ras the landed #entry, traditionally atrons of culture rkh a ritual thread tied "y a 8indu +oman or #irl on her "rotherDs +rist 3Tma a ma0or deity of the 8indus, hero of the $m!n $m!n the e ic of 3ama, +ritten 1,K%% to 2,$%% years a#o $mcharitmnas a seventeenth?century renderin# of 3amaDs story 3TmlSlT the annual erformance of e'cer ts from the $m!n and $macharitmnas 3Tvana the anta#onist of 3ama in the e ic riC a disci lined ractice rot dry home?"aked "read sdhu a 8indu monk, an ascetic salwr kamC the Pun0a"i ant? and shirt?suit, in U.P. usually +orn "y youn# +omen and considered fashiona"le samrt an em eror sardr a head, a leader satt a +holesale market *T+an

a monsoon month on the 8indu calendar, season for ka%l shauk fondness, assion shaukn one of #ood taste sh!ar a +oman oet sherwn a formal knee?len#th coat, art of ,slamic culture *hiva a ma0or 8indu deity, the residin# deity of Banaras &hobe?raat a -uslim festival +ith all?ni#ht activity at shrines sdh pall an old?fashioned style of +earin# the sari sindur the vermilion o+der used "y married 8indu +omen in the art in their hair *italT the 8indu small o' #oddess solah si'teen sringr an annual cele"ration at 8indu tem les and shrines *rivTstava a last name used "y KTyasthas tau% a fatherDs oldest "rother thn a olice station U anishads 8indu sacred literature dealin# +ith a"stract hiloso hy Aaishya a caste cluster, usually traders Aedas 8indu sacred literature in *anskrit, meant to "e chanted #id a ritual fare+ell to a dau#hter leavin# the natal home Aish+akarmT a 8indu deity, su reme craftsman, crafter of the universe ETdav a 8indu caste, usually milksellers/ same as 4hir Car the #old and silver thread used in Banarasi sari +eavin# and for em"roidery

Preferred Citation: Kumar, Nita. Friends, Brothers and Informants: Fieldwork Memoirs of Banaras. Berkeley: University of California Press, c1992 1992. htt :!!ark.cdli".or#!ark:!1$%$%!ft&'%n"(#$!