VED VYAS PEETH in Varanasi, which until August 2017 was the seat of research for all things Kashi, was the first casualty of the Bharatiya Janata Party government’s maniacal modernisation project: the four-storey building was razed to the ground. Although the administration claims that “enough compensation” was paid to the Vyas family, the fact is that the octogenarian Kedarnath Vyas, the patron of Vyas Peeth, did not get a single paisa as compensation from the government, nor a place to stay. He is forced to live in a small four-room rented tenement along with his son, Jitendra Vyas, and his family of four.
Kedarnath Vyas, who is the author of Kashi Shodha Grantha , a highly acclaimed book of research on the heritage of Kashi, is today in penury. “All my books, rare manuscripts, rare documents about dignitaries who have visited the peeth, expensive idols of gods and goddesses, everything is lost. I could just manage to save these,” he points to two huge bundles of books. Hard of hearing and not able to see or walk properly, Vyas only wants a life of dignity. “They should give me my peeth back,” he demands.
