Yesterday, I visited Varanasi for the inauguration of Utkarsh Small Finance Bank. We are their complete digital core banking technology partner.
Few observations about Varanasi and around
- One of the oldest cities with a somewhat recorded history from 1100 BC
- Birthplace of the Indian scriptures
- Birthplace of Jainism and Buddhism
- Very talented craftsmanship
- Very old architecture of large temples
- It’s on the bank of the Ganga river with lots of water and fertile land for agriculture giving 3 crops per year.
- Even in the modern era, Banaras Hindu University and Allahabad University are much earlier universities in the State, including IIT Kanpur nearby.
This translates into the
- Rich intellectual capacity of the city
- Rich culture of learning as a society
- Rich natural resources
This combination is the ultimate recipe for a highly developed city as well as the ‘world’s greatest tourism spot’ in line with Paris or Rome.
My question to this group is – what is holding back this city of Varanasi to flower and fruition?
The purpose of this curious question is not to blame anyone but to try and understand the
- Elements of social and economic development
- Elements of individual and social thinking
- Role of vision vs. contentment
