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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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Flying High

We know little of Flags except our National Flag. However, there was a time when India was made up of tiny kingdoms, and each one of them had their own flag! Can you imagine how many varieties of flags there must have been? I have never really been interested in flags, and honestly, can't say that I recognize many, but my interest in flags was aroused when I noticed the one atop Jaigarh Fort. 



Flying high over the Jaigarh Fort, the colourful flag provides a welcome contrast to the brown, which dominates the landscape. This is the flag of the erstwhile royal family of Jaipur, and flying atop the fort named after one of its greatest ancestors, it signifies the importance of the royal family, which lingers on in spite of the fact that they no longer rule the city.


Read my article in Travel Thru History to know the story of this flag!

Link: http://travelthruhistory.com/html/culture63.html

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Location: Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

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