Varanasi is a strange city. People world over come here on different quests, and often, return with completely different finds; sometimes a blessing that goes way beyond their prayers. Eva from Spain (she gives only her first name) does not know what else to call it although its been six years now.

She remembers it was her love for Banarsi silk that took her to a shop near the Dashashwamedh Ghat during that holiday trip six years ago. A software engineer by profession, she made frequent trips to the Maa Durga Silk Store to buy sarees but soon, shop owner Vinay Mehrotra was teaching her Hindi as well. Eventually, one thing led to another and the two decided to get married. “I never knew that a small visit to Varanasi will change my life forever. But I love this place very much and spend a lot of time on the Ghats,” says Eva. She retained her job although she does most of her work online now. Her husband was too shy to talk while Eva would not be photographed face-on. “After all, now I am an Indian and it is essential for an Indian bahu not to confront everyone,” she laughs.

The river, it seems, had done more than its bit for couples here. It was the boat trips that brought 25-year-old Tibaki Hiroko, from China, to Jaggu Sanhani (28). Hiroko enrolled at the Banaras Hindu University two years ago because she wanted to learn Hindi but Sanhani remembers she spent most of her time at the ghats. “She likes boating and used to come to the ghat very frequently and after having a cup of tea at my stall, used to keep boating in the Ganga for hours. I used to be her khewaiyya (boatman) and slowly we developed a liking for each other,” says Sanhani. “We decided to get married and although I faced some resistance from the people of my community, we went to China in July last year and got married. We also registered our marriage in the court in Varanasi when we came back.”

... contd.