Last Evening in Varanasi-- Dinner at Guptas House-- Thursday Sept 29

I was actually a litle surprised that I was only invited once to dinner, I assumed I would go to Sunday dinner with them every week or something while I was there?  But with Shivani being 8 months pregnant and Siddharth's mother's health deteriorating (she's not long for this world), I guess I wouldn't feel like entertaining either.

Siddharth gave me the tour of  his and Shivani's new apartment in "the complex"-- in families the daughters go to live with the husbands family and the sons bring their new wife to live with his family. 

I wish I could have taken pictures but it would have been gauche.  Their apartment is like an ad in Style magazine or something, all this cool eco bamboo wall coverings, ancient wooden console tables and shelving, huge handwoven baskets, cool chandeliers, backlit marble sides of a full bar in Siddharth's "man cave' with a leather couch that goes around the entire room, lighting is perfect --recessed and dim just my style, huge screen with projector internet connected to watch anything anytime--music, videos, movies-- and he asks me what I would like to hear and I say how about anything old like Tablas or Ragas?  Beep Boop Beep he bring up a list on screen-- "Oh, here's one about Hanuman since your god is the monkey god" and he plays it, wow, what a scene man. drinking gin in the richest man's home in Varanasi.

Gupta Senior arrived later and after cleaning up and putting on his relaxing "at-home" white Kurti (Brig you remember how comfy these were!!) and gives me the tour of his planned Sauna, Pool, Whirlpool, Cabana entertainment area, huge landscaped garden with waterfalls and ponds-- as I've said before, Jesus H. Krishna-- it was incredible.  As we walked with a flashlight around the grounds,  suddenly right next to me a pile of blankets on top of a wooden table moves and I startle with audible intake of breath-- a man is lying there.

I look at Siddharth  "Yes, a few of the men are sleeping here."

So while the family is inside living the life, the construction workers (the cheapest labor you can imagine-- they make about $2 a day) are lying out in the open on cement or wood with one blanket outdoors.  How about a cot or futon for them?  a pillow?  geez.

So we say good bye and Shivani gives me a big box of my favorite-- PISTA BARFI.  Doesn't that sound delicious?  Its a sweet treat covered with paper thin real silver foil and one of the most delicious things I ever tasted.

We take our goodbye photos-- notice Abhiminyu in the background, he is seething, somehow really pissed or jealous that I am able to socialize with these men.  He acts like I am his possession or girlfriend or something.  Over the few weeks he has even stopped at certain shops where his friends work and called them over to take a look at me.  "See this?  This is what I got!"  Ah ha!! they say and nice to meet you shake hands etc and wink at Abhi.  Ewwww.

Me and my odd soulmate Mr. Gupta Senior

Me, Ashok Kumar Gupta, Siddharth Kumar Gupta