Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked for 50 days’ time from the people of India to turn the country's economy around.
What better way is there to figure out the real impact of PM Modi's moves than by getting a pulse from his own constituency —Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
We travel across different markets, areas of the temple town to figure out how Banarasis are responding to the move. Our first stop is Beniabag. One of the oldest and biggest retail markets in India. We speak to shopkeepers who deal with daily materials. Everyone has the same story to tell. Nothing is working. No sales.
We meet Janu, wholesale trader of plastic utensils. At peak wedding season, his daily sales hit upwards of Rs 2-3 lakh per day. Today, he hardly has two to three customers.
"If we continue like this, I don't think we can move beyond the end of January. This whole talk of digital economy is all very well. But we can't go digital overnight," he says.
Right next to Janu’s shop, we meet Varanasi's biggest wholesale dealer of bags and purses. Ravi Kishan is even more saddened.
“I have had no sales in the last one week. It's sad that PM Modi's move has hit me like this."
But move towards Godaulia chowk. The famous Dashashwamedh ghat. Speak to simple boat rowers there. Their take is simple. “We used to get Rs 1,000 earlier. Now, we get Rs 400. What to do?” one of them says.
We speak to the youngest son of Ustaad Bismillah Khan, one of the most famous sons of Banaras. His view: Support Modi but don't create a scenario where even artistes start getting affected.
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