Kaashi: the city that wasn’t!
Kaashi: The City That Wasn't! is a satirical network writing piece that lampoons the travel blogs of Western tourists. Within the work, the narrator wanders the city of Kaashi, or Varanasi, documenting the various sights they encounter on their 'unusual journey' via text and photography. The voice of the text is derisive and makes liberal use of references—including, but not limited to, American pop-punk band Green Day, the Bengali mystery film Joi Baba Felunath, and English poet William Wordsworth. This undercuts its motif of spiritual enlightenment, a trope popularised by white travel bloggers who visit the city.
Kaashi: The City That Wasn't! is published on the WordPress blogging platform.
Kaashi, or Varanasi, is one of those places to surely feature on anyone’s Freudian bucket list.
I have heard a lot of talks, especially from the foreigners that they come to Varanasi to “find” themselves! This time I realised a teeny tiny bit of how that happens.
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