For Delhi-born actor, Rajniesh Duggal, Banaras was a totally different experience when he first visited the city nearly three years back for a film shoot and the actor still savours the fond memories of the time spent here. Rajniesh, seen in films like 1920 and Laal Rang, was in town for the promotion of his TV serial 'Aarambh'. Loving spending time in the city, Rajniesh took time off from work to go to Banaras Hindu University for a long drive on a motorbike. "During our long spell of shooting in Banaras for film 'Direct Ishq' we had canned a lot of scenes in BHU. This is not only one of the best but also the greenest universities I have seen. The ambience here is perfect for studies. With so much of greenery around, I am sure it inculcates a sensitivity towards environment in the students. I am happy that a lot of other educational institutions are also making their campus greener. I had recently gone to IIT Bombay and was delighted to see the greenery around there," he says.Rajniesh poses on a rickshaw in BHU and riding a bike (BCCL/ Unmesh Pandey)The actor recalls that things had not started on a good note for him while shooting in the BHU campus. "The production team had a squabble with some students who wanted to see the shooting. On the intervention of the director, things eased out and thereafter we shared a good rapport with them. Throughout our stay those students ensured that we had no problems while shooting here. They became part of our local production team. I remained in touch with them and even wanted to meet them during this trip but unfortunately they are out of town," says Rajniesh.Introduced to the Banarasi paan during his stay here, Rajniesh says the love for it still remains in his heart. "My character in the film demanded me to eat paan for nearly every scene so I used to consume 12-15 paans every day. It became kind of a habit for me as the Banarasi paan tastes just out of the world. The best part was I also got the hang of conversation which Banarasis make with paan in their mouth. With an excellent use of sound and expressions they are able to communicate without spilling the paan. I also managed to do so," he adds with a laugh.Though always spiritually inclined, Rajniesh says, "Banaras has further strengthened my belief in God. I used to visit Mathura and Vrindavan with my parents as a child but coming here has infused my faith in Lord Shiva. I started reading a lot about him and began seeking inspiration from him while emoting on screen. In fact, I am trying to visit all the jyotirlings in the country and also went for darshan to a temple in Mauritius which is also considered a jyotirling," he says.

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