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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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Of Ker and Sangri - not as food, but in nature.

This tiny flower, nestled amidst thorns, is so pretty, that I brave the thorns (and the others' warnings) to try and get a decent photo....




It is only later that I learn that this is the flower of the 'Ker' tree... We have tried the Ker berries at Suryagarh, in different dishes, and I know that it is much used locally, especially as pickles. The shrub is thorny, and resembles a cactus. It retains water, and thus thrives in the desert, even during drought. 

A bigger Ker tree.. with flowers as well as berries


Its popular accompaniment is Sangri, the beans of the Khejri tree, and here, they both grow together, giving each other company in nature as well! 

The big tree is the Khejri, and on both sides are the Ker shrubs. These two are flowering too, but the flowers are so tiny, you cant see them here 


These trees and shrubs must be incredibly old, for a full grown Khejri tree is usually a short one, the roots going deep into the earth, longer than the height of the tree over the ground! 


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Location: Jaisalmer, Rajasthan 345001, India

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