26/06/2026
Every time I come to Banaras, I tell myself I'm here to explore, to document its handlooms, walk its alleys, visit its weavers, and understand its history a little better. But somehow, every visit leaves me with something I wasn't looking for.
Reading these lines in Diana L. Eck's Banaras felt strangely familiar. They gave words to something I have always sensed but never quite articulated. There is a reason Banaras never feels exhausted, no matter how many times I return. You don't just discover the city, the city slowly reveals itself to you, as and when it wishes to be discovered.
Perhaps that's why Kashi has been glorified for centuries. Not because it asks to be believed, but because it has a way of making you believe, through its people, its ghats, its silences, and even its dust. And every time I leave, I know I haven't seen all of it. I've only been invited to come back.