Varanasi

Varanasi: A pause in eternity

Kumar Anshuman

A year in the life of Varanasi, the prime ministerial constituency

On a magic carpet in Varanasi

Now that the election is done and dusted, hot flushes will give way to quieter thoughts. Some will ask: “Have we chosen wisely?”

The runaway messiah

Aatish Taseer

Arvind Kejriwal is the most dangerous of all political animals: the messiah. The man for whom any existing reality is too impure to be corrected

The Comfort of Masks

Aatish Taseer

The masks are a celebration of sameness from which many people feel shut out. They convey both the euphoria of this election and its air of mutual distrust

Mogambo in the Sacred City

Aatish Taseer

The wait is over. The Congress Party has found a man to fight Modi from Benares.

It Was a Faith Accompli

PR Ramesh

Varanasi for Modi was chosen nine months ago. The inside story of how the House of Saffron took its boldest decision.

The Ghats are Alive

Mihir Srivastava

Talking Modi by the Ganga

Hinduism’s holiest destination has become Indian politics’ hottest dateline which will test the faith and tenacity of the man around whom the arguments about our national destiny swirl. A report on the political symbolism of Varanasi