We arrived at about 6:20 this morning on the train from Howrah. A silk importer/exporter who shared our compartment offered us a ride into Varanasi, thus sparing us the hassle of either getting ourselves onto another train to the Varanasi train station or securing a taxi into the city. The man traveled overnight from Kolkata, simply to add to his Durga Puja observances a dip in the Ganges, before boarding the train back to Kolkata. When he learned that I am a weaver (of sorts), he suggested I hunt down the community of Madanpura, where some of the famous Benares silk saris are handwoven by local artisans. I LOVE having projects like this!