Ahead of the Kanwar Yatra, shopkeepers in Varanasi are selling colourful t-shirts with images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath printed on them. The Kanwar Yatra will begin on July 17 and continue till August 15.
Responding to why youths are getting crazy about Modi-Yogi t-shirts, a shopkeeper said: "Generally, kanwariyas used to purchase plain saffron T-shirts. But these time Modi-Yogi merchandise is in demand as kanwars are happy with the steps taken by the Yogi government for the yatra. PM Modi has contributed alot for the development of his constituency."
"This time people are also buying tees saying 'Apna Time Ayega' and 'Jeeta hu shaan se, Mahakal tere naam se'," he said.
Following the age-old 'Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb' of Varanasi, both Hindu and Muslim shopkeepers sell clothes and other things for 'Sawan' here.
"Mostly youths are undertaking Kanwar Yatra. So t-shirts with such one-liners are high in demand. Also, people are happy with Chief Minister Yogi ji as he has given the permission for playing DJs during the yatra," a kanwariya said.
"In Varanasi, Hindu and Muslims live together. It is an old tradition. We sell various products during Hindu festivities and they do the same during festivals celebrated by our community," a Muslim shopkeeper said.
In June, Adityanath said that DJs will be allowed during 'Kanwar Yatra' if they play bhajan and not filmy songs. "DJs will not be banned during the 'Kanwar Yatra' but they should only play bhajans. No filmy song is allowed," read an official statement from CMO's office.
The 'Kanwar Yatra' is an annual pilgrimage of Lord Shiva's devotees. The kanwariyas (pilgrims) visit Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch holy waters of River Ganga. They then worship God with the same water.
( With inputs from ANI )