Varanasi is changing
 

See: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...=.3c70244fd2aa

Glad I saw it before. It wouldn't be so bad if it were going to improve living conditions, but Modi is demolishing houses for his own advantage.

I saw that this morning. very sad...

We are free to ask what is going on in Kashgar Xinjiang China? An ancient crowded city of the old Silk Road now mostly gone in favor of 'social control' and high rise housing, all dictated by the far-away authorities. Certainly the local citizens had zero input or even voice in the matter since they did not look like the Han authorities.
Also, very sad.

It is very far from just changes to the buildings in Kashgar that should be worrying you. The entire (large) province is an open-air re-education camp. With actual labor camps. Not sure why that is relevant to Varanasi, but no reason you can't start another thread about it.

See, for starters: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/16/w...s-uighurs.html

In Varanasi rivers are much cleaned now. Roads are well repaired from last 10 years.

Another interesting perspective .

https://swarajyamag.com/magazine/kas...-of-vishwanath

India is truly buried in ' history ' and Varanasi is no exception. Change has been the only constant. Guess it was required for the holiest of holy cities. It has gone thru many changes and this to my opinion is a good one.

Often western media sitting many time zones and miles away have little or no understanding of the ground realities . Negativeness here is simply because one sees ' destruction ' before positive construction has taken place. For centuries chawls have buried ancient temples which have now emerged and are being carefully restored. Once done the glorious past would be restored. Well this is what is likely to happen. It's certainly not the job of a jack-hammer happy crazy politician. It is PM Modi's dream to give back Varanasi its glory...as Varanasi has given him a massive mandate and so has the whole of India.

Can anyone share their experience of Kumbh Mela in UP? Did anyone visit that fest?

I haven't been to the Kumbh Mela, but a friend did. She said this is not a place for people who are even a tiny bit claustrophobic as the crowds are unlike anything you have ever experienced unless you have been to Mecca. She said crowd control is non-existent compared to the organization for the Haj. She is not claustrophobic at all, but was very nervous at many times over the festival. Other than that, I can't tell you anything else, as that info convinced me that I shouldn't go!

Varanasi ' punarstaapit' , a sanskrit word for resurrection has happened .....a reborn, re- vamped, renovated, rejuvenated Benaras . History is recreated and restored to its former glory. Ancient temples un- earthen. A surprise in waiting for many of us who have been there . If all goes well ...will report soon...till then take care folks.