THE MOBILE MASSEURS OF VARANASI

ant massage? Half body massage, hands massage or whole body massage, I may give it right away at the stair,” that’s how mobile masseur Kishan Sharma approaches a Japanese tourist at the Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi.

Kishan is one of 150 mobile masseurs offering dry massages on the steps of the ghats here, under the open sky.

They have no equipment, rates start at Rs 20 for 10 minutes, and as they roam from one ghat to another, most of their customers are foreigners eager for the exotic experience.

The Japanese tourist nods his head immediately, at which Kishan takes his hand and begins kneading it. Then come the shoulders and arms.

Twenty-something Kohei Saka from Tokyo gazes out at the Ganga and visibly relaxes. In 10 minutes, the massage is done and the money has changed hands.

“I never imagined that I would get a massage standing at a Varanasi ghat. I am feeling quite relaxed. This is really very good,” Saka says.

Kishan has already moved on to the next foreigner. “They like this in the sun, under the open sky. They don’t bargain and they pay well,” he says.

Some masseurs have tied up with boatmen to offer their services during a boat ride down the Ganges.

“For massage on boat, the tourist has to pay for the boat as well,” says Mahendra Sharma, another mobile masseur. His customers of the day have included Chloe Prentoulis, a retired teacher from Los Angeles, and an Englishman-turned-sanyasi who declined to give his name.

Not everyone wants to be pestered about a massage during their first encounter with the mighty river, though. Many of the tourists are also not fans of the literally hands-on approach used to peddle these services. “The massage is good. But the way he started massaging me without asking was irritating,” says Peter William, a young tourist from England.