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Kashi 3.0

Memory is unpredictable . One never really knows what we will remember and what we will forget. Which is why nostalgia arrives in unpredictable waves, highlighting something and skimming over others. Recently, I have found myself thinking of how memory works, as I was assailed by nostalgia over a trip to Varanasi, a city I prefer to think of, as Kashi. The nostalgia hit right as we landed at Varanasi airport. The last time I was here, it was 1988, I was 13 years old, the airport was brand new… regular flights hadn’t started yet (I think) … flights landed about once a week, and for the rest of the time, everything was open to those of us who lived in the airport quarters nearby. There were fields everywhere, vast expanses of green… I have vague memories of corn and sugarcane… and being overwhelmed by the vastness of the fields (this was the first time I was in such close proximity to them), and the warm hospitality of complete strangers who lived and worked amidst these fields. I h...
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Brahminy Starling

It looked just like a myna from a distance. However, there was something different about it. It took some time for me to realise that we were seeing a Brahminy Myna or Brahminy Starling.






It has a sort of a crest and black cap which distinguishes it from our usual myna. Besides, the bill is yellow with a bluish base, which also makes it look different. In fact, once we saw these a couple of times, I began wondering how I had mistaken it for the common myna in the first place!!!










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  1. Bhavesh ChhatbarAugust 5, 2011 at 5:58 PM

    You reminded me of my visit to Chaitanya Dham [AKA Prati Pandharpur] where I saw Brahminy Starling parents. If you remember, I published the photos on my blog [see Brahminy
    Starling]. You asked where the place is. Did you manage to go there? It's beautiful!

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  2. Anu ShankarAugust 5, 2011 at 7:29 PM

    No, Bhavesh! have yet to make that long delayed trip to Pune and around ! the time doesnt seem to come!!! I remember seeing your Brahminy starling pics! they are certainly much better than mine :)

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