#339
Bull in a Chicken Shop!
From Sanchita Guha, Journalist
Twenty-five years ago, a bull
walked into the Lucknow
Chikan Shop, a cloth store
tucked away in the dusty
folds of Varanasi. It stayed on
for half a day. Paramanand
Chhugani, the shop owner,
rubbed his eyes and
scratched his head.
The next day, the bull
returned and stayed put till
the lights went out at 9 pm.
Chhugani’s surprise took
on the form of devotion. A
devotee of Lord Shiva, the
supreme deity of Varanasi,
Chhugani decided that the
bull’s visit was a sign from
the Lord. By the third day,
the bull had a name—Nandi
Baba.
The bull arrives at the shop
at 9.30 am, except in the
summer, when it waddles
in half an hour later. The
shutters are opened only
after the bull reaches the
shop. It walks in first and
everyone else follows. Then,
it walks up to the idol of Lord
Shiva, licks it and sits down
at its feet. Chhugani ensures
that it gets a sumptuous
lunch. Fearing that the bull
will be inconvenienced if the
shop is closed, Chhugani
keeps it open every day of
the year.
Shoppers in Varanasi
are used to Nandi Baba’s
presence. In fact, the shop
has become a tourist
attraction. People in Varanasi
have anointed Nandi’s visits
to the shop as a miracle.
Sometimes, they flock
there only to worship it.
The Chhuganis do not tu