{"product_id":"banaras-walks-through-indias-sacred-city-by-nandini-majumdar-rare-books","title":"Banaras: Walks Through India's Sacred City by Nandini Majumdar [rare books]","description":"\u003ch2 data-start=\"135\" data-end=\"150\"\u003eBook Summary\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"152\" data-end=\"771\"\u003e\u003cem data-start=\"152\" data-end=\"196\"\u003eBanaras: Walks Through India’s Sacred City\u003c\/em\u003e is a richly textured walking guide to Varanasi (Banaras), offering readers intimate glimpses of the city through twelve curated neighbourhood walks. Each chapter corresponds to one walk (for example, Assi, Shivala \u0026amp; Sonarpura, Madanpura, Manikarnika, etc.), starting with maps (ancient and recent) and guiding the reader through lanes, ghats, workshops, temples, mosques, relics and ruins, while weaving together history, myth, architecture, living communities, artisans, rituals and street life. \u003cspan class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ms-1 inline-flex max-w-full items-center relative top-[-0.094rem] animate-[show_150ms_ease-in]\" data-testid=\"webpage-citation-pill\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"773\" data-end=\"1304\"\u003eThe author’s aim is to help the reader “unravel the city’s secrets” — to see beyond chaos and the first impressions of tangled streets and noise, and to witness the rhythms, the sacred, the everyday, the crafts, the devotional life, and the aesthetic beauty of Banaras. Some of the walks highlight silk‑weaving in Madanpura, ghats along the Ganga, Sufi shrines and mosques, ancient water reservoirs, mythological sites, and relics and ruins of the city.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1306\" data-end=\"1946\"\u003eA recurring theme is how Banaras is constantly changing — yet retains a spirit, what locals call “Banarasipan” — of openness, abandon, continuity with tradition, sensory richness, and a kind of living layering of time The book is not just for tourists but for anyone who wants to walk, observe, reflect, and experience the city deeply. The combination of beautiful photographs by Constantino Schillebeeckx, fold‑out maps, comparisons of older and newer maps, along with descriptions of sights, smells, colours, sounds, makes it evocative as well as informative. \u003cspan class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ms-1 inline-flex max-w-full items-center relative top-[-0.094rem] animate-[show_150ms_ease-in]\" data-testid=\"webpage-citation-pill\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 data-start=\"1953\" data-end=\"1972\"\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1974\" data-end=\"2513\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSaraswati Nandini Majumdar\u003c\/strong\u003e (often simply Nandini Majumdar) is a writer and musician who grew up in Banaras (Varanasi). She is associated with \u003cstrong data-start=\"2154\" data-end=\"2164\"\u003eNIRMAN\u003c\/strong\u003e, a non‑profit organization in Varanasi working in education, the arts, and cultural exchange. \u003cspan class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ms-1 inline-flex max-w-full items-center relative top-[-0.094rem] animate-[show_150ms_ease-in]\" data-testid=\"webpage-citation-pill\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Besides \u003cem data-start=\"2305\" data-end=\"2349\"\u003eBanaras: Walks Through India’s Sacred City\u003c\/em\u003e, she has written children’s books (for example \u003cem data-start=\"2397\" data-end=\"2411\"\u003eSatya’s Boat\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"2413\" data-end=\"2420\"\u003eRain!\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"2422\" data-end=\"2428\"\u003eCows\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"2430\" data-end=\"2450\"\u003eThe River at Night\u003c\/em\u003e) published via NIRMAN. \u003cspan class=\"\" data-state=\"closed\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ms-1 inline-flex max-w-full items-center relative top-[-0.094rem] animate-[show_150ms_ease-in]\" data-testid=\"webpage-citation-pill\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2515\" data-end=\"2865\"\u003eHer work is deeply rooted in her lived experience of the city: its lanes, its people, its culture and its contradictions. \u003cem data-start=\"2637\" data-end=\"2646\"\u003eBanaras\u003c\/em\u003e is both a love‑letter and an act of preservation: she has stated that proceeds\/royalties from the book will be donated to NIRMAN for arts and community revitalisation in Banaras.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Clapping Pages","offers":[{"title":"Used","offer_id":45164216713402,"sku":"35SA5CKQP-Used","price":39.0,"currency_code":"AED","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0713\/5576\/0826\/files\/bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb.jpg?v=1758267384","url":"https:\/\/clappingpages.com\/products\/banaras-walks-through-indias-sacred-city-by-nandini-majumdar-rare-books","provider":"Clapping Pages","version":"1.0","type":"link"}