Travel Blog - Journey, Stories and Experiences

I can't open my eyes. My friend rolls his scooter on a downward slope and the high wind is hitting my face. It is a battle between me and the wind where I struggle to keep my head up, straight, pretending that there is nothing around me. "What are you saying?", is the common sentence occurring out of my mouth as I can't hear my friend. I don't even remember what story or what opinion of his is he telling me. Sometimes I say "Yes" just for the sake of it but sometimes I can't take the risk of a cross-question from him. It is nice of him to be talking with his head turned towards me. But sadly, that is not enough. With the slope still continuing on in a lush green area with tall trees on both ends, a motorcycle comes right beside us. The shiny afternoon is making this red bike glow making it impossible to ignore. The head turns towards us and the guy on the bike raises his visor and shouts, "Oye!". My friend stops the scooty and so doe...

Varanasi or Kashi or Banaras, whatever one may call it, the place plays a significant role in the life of a Hindu whether he believes in god or not. It's not about the temples you visit but the air you breathe when you are walking on the congested streets of Varanasi. It's about the ghats you visit. It's about the food you eat. For long people have associated Kashi with a sense of spirituality often labeling you with tags as "devotee" or "Shiv Bhakt" but my trip to Varanasi made me realize that the magic that people talk about happens not inside the temples but in the places you would least expect. Varanasi and the vibes I was one among the millions of people who arrived in Varanasi for the annual event of Dev Deepawali celebrated fifteen days after Diwali and organized by the Uttar Pradesh Government. The highlights of the event are the firecrackers which when I witnessed, completely left me in awe of the moment. The greatest fire show I witnessed! Bu...