h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Varanasi, an experience - A2850969
Author: MiniMy - U181646

I am back with this entry. Will keep on editing it with more historical facts. Please let me know your thoughts on this.

no problem...

Hello CN!

I liked your entry. It's a good entry, and it works well in conveying a sense of atmosphere, which is too often missing in many geographical entries. Just a couple of nitpicks:

For an adventurer, at heart a seven day boat ride from Allahabad to Varanasi is recommended. --> "For the more adventurous, a seven day boat ride .."

"drainage systems fill the roads two feet deep during monsoons" --> drains overflow to depths of up to two feet?

As somebody remarked --> do you know who this somebody is?

Sanskrit, the most scientific language in the world --> I'm not sure if I understand this. Can you explain?

'ganja' on the ghats (with the pandas) is recommended.--> Sounds interesting! Can you explain?

the 'aarti' ceremony --> what does this entail?

Good work!

Woodpigeon

Hi Mini
I am lost ......
I cannot edit the entry simply because I dont get a link to do that.
Secondly, it shows your name as the author when I submit it to the peer review.
Can you help me out here

CN

Thanks Woody!!!
I cannot edit the entry further because I do not get a link to do that. Its that simple. But to answer your questions, here goes:

eah I know the somebody, but the mortal wishes to remain anonymous. He is a friend though.

Sanskrit is one of the oldest languages on earth and it has been said that if computers were to use Sanskrit, they'd be more efficient.

ganja is a good old joint of grass. and the pandas are the local hindu priests who savor the ganja as a blessing from the Hindu God Shiva. Mythological stuff.

Aarti is a traditional form of worship and it is done in quite a fashion along the Dashashwamedh (translates to the one who had power equivalent to 10 horses or indirectly to the Hindu God Ram) Ghat.
It is performed usually at dusk by lighting candles and earthen lamps. Various flavors include worshipping the sun, the water, the land or the other natural elements.

CN

CN,
have you tried the test thing and creating a new guide entry?

mini

Nopes.
I thought I could edit the entry by meself without having to create a new one.
Should I use GuideML to create a new one?

yup. I think that you should use GuideML to create the article because that is what ppl in Peer Review commented on last time. I'll be here a while so you can ask me stuff, if you want...

mini

No don't do that. For ease of getting this into the edited guide, we do not want to have two copies of the same article floating througth Peer Review.

As things stand now MiniMy is the only one who has editing rights over this entry - it's a quirk of the system, there can be only one editor regardless of how many contribute to an entry. So what I suggest is that you, Comfortably Numb, post your suggestions and ideas for edits here, and that MiniMy then incorporates them into the entry.

Eventually when the two of you are happy and the entry is looking good, it will get picked and it will progress to the Edited Guide with *both* of you credited as co-authors. OK?

Nasty simpost there.

No. Please, just ONE entry in Peer Review. This entry is the one that is in. So if the pair of you are happy to work together to get this into the guide as co-authors, then there is no need to go creating extra and additional entries.

no problems from me. I just thought that CN might want to take it over as it has CN's article originally, before I hijacked it from the Flea market...

Let me know the corrections then..

mini

Yeah Im happy to contribute with Mini. Thats fine!!
As some people commented, I'd like to add the following to the entry as a footnote, much like the Ghats are defined at the end:

1.Ganja is a rolled joint of grass.

2.Pandas are the local Hindu priests. They lazy around on the Ghats savoring Ganja and Bhang(another local intoxicant) which they believe are fruits of worshipping Lord Shiva. For a living they usually perform religious rites and promise salvation for the soul that is directly propotional to the money you give them.

2. Aarti is a traditional form of worship at the end of the day. It is done in quite a fashion along the Dashashwamedh Ghat (named after the one who was as powerful as 10 horses that is the Hindu God Ram).
the ceremopny is performed daily at dusk by lighting candles and earthen lamps which are then released into the river where they form unusually brilliant patterns.

it is all updated - mainly as footnotes. Let me know of any other corrections you would like made.

mini

Under Things to Do:

Another example of history that one stumbles across is Rani LakshmiBai's place of birth near the Hanuman Ghat. Not too many people know about it and it is kept off the tourist map.

Across the river Ganges is the Jamnagar fort where one can admire the antique car collection of the Maharajah.

It is advisable not to go in for a swim in hte river during the monsoons as the Ganges swells to dangerous levels and rises as high as the ghats themselves.

ok. I added those bit into it...

I may have to remove the part 'As somebody remarked 'Six months is not enough to love this city. Two years is. Four years is even better. ' '. Let me know.

mini

If you take that out, then the magic and the romanticism will be gone. The entry should create an atmosphere rather than be just another place to visit. The facts should be interwoven with an aura of mystery that the city has to offer. Its a city that no two people relate to in the smae way.

it is just that a quote from "somebody" may not be ok for the guide. Maybe it can be used without the quote and just as a sentence?

what do you think?

mini

we can modify it to read something along the lines:
A Short visit might not be enough to unravel all the charms of the city because one will definitely miss the alluring sights that each season has to offer. For example, the celebrations witnessed in the city during Dev Deepavali and Holi on either side of the winters should be compelling enough reasons to tempt one for a longer stay. Nimmish is a delicacy to be savoured in the winter months whereas the summer brings with it scorching heat and a chance to escape to the waterfalls of which Rajdari, Devdari and Lakhanyadari are the most famous ones.

all updated

mini

Great!!!!
I dont have anything more to add....whats next?