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Youths deviating from Banarasi culture, aping the West: Scholar
FRENCH SCHOLAR and eminent social psychologist Prof Barbara Bonnefoy said the younger generation in Varanasi had deviated from the traditional lifestyle popularly known as Banarasi masti.
FRENCH SCHOLAR and eminent social psychologist Prof Barbara Bonnefoy said the younger generation in Varanasi had deviated from the traditional lifestyle popularly known as Banarasi masti.
Prof Barbara, who is here with a team of French scholars to study the changing scenario of Varanasi, said she observed enormous changes in the lifestyle of the people here, the ‘mohallas’ (colonies) and other aspects. “The younger generation is much influenced by western culture,” she said.
Prof Bonnefoy told HT that the older people were still living with traditional values of Varanasi, but the youth preferred changes imported from the western culture.
“There is a tradition in Banaras to squat while eating, but the present generation prefers to sit on the dinning table for meals”, she said. While the older generation was still living in old houses, the younger generation preferred to live in new buildings and decorate their rooms in Western style, she added.
She also compared the lifestyle of the people of European countries with that of Indians. She said the rich in European countries preferred to live in old palatial houses of architectural importance away from urban areas while the poor lived in new buildings in urban areas.
Prof Bonnefoy said in Varanasi, the poor lived in old buildings while the richer class preferred to live in new houses in urban areas. Also, Europeans liked to decorate their homes with old paintings and antiques, but Indians generally did not have such interests, she said.
She also expressed concern over the poor condition of the Ganga and its adjoining areas. She said people of the holy city should preserve the ecological system of the ancient city.
She went on to say that Varanasi was attracting many western countries. As team of Austrian scholars also visited the city last week to study its cultural, historical and architectural importance, she added.
