Tag: india
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Warp and Weft
Threading the needle Just looking हम तो बस देख रहे हैं… It begins as all great shopping adventures do—with feigned casual indifference. “There is a family-owned textile shop called Stuti Weaves in the textile district, and they have a tour. I read all about it in TOI (Times of India) We should go see it!”…
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River Rhythms at the Sangam
In 2025, the Maha Kumbh Mela returned. A festival so rare that it only occurs once every 144 years, drawing millions to Prayagraj’s sacred waters. While the Kumbh Mela rotates every three years among four holy sites, it is in Prayagraj, at the Sangam (the confluence of the Yamuna, Saraswati, and Ganga rivers) where pilgrims…
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Between Balloons and Smoke
The boat cut through the river slowly, deliberately, carrying us past the city’s ancient ghats, each one a chapter in Varanasi’s long history. The guide spoke only in Hindi—Gopi’s instruction, meant to sharpen my ear—but the words I caught were enough. Dah Sanskar, the final rites. The smoke rising from Manikarnika Ghat was not just…
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The Devotees’ Trials, The Servants’ Burdens, Resolved in an Instant
भक्त जनों के संकट, दास जनों के संकट, क्षण में दूर करे Our journey led us to the heart of Banaras, where the sacred pulse of devotion beats strongest—to Shri Kashi Vishwanath Mandir. The air was thick with incense and anticipation as we moved through the throng of devotees, all eager for a fleeting glimpse…
Awaara 