Varanasi breathed in colors — vivid marigold garlands swayed in the evening breeze, their fragrance tangling with the smoky tendrils of incense. Women in bright sarees moved like rivers of silk through the narrow alleys, laughter and murmured prayers brushing past like whispers of the past. The Ganges shimmered in gold as the sun dipped low, the water holding centuries of secrets beneath its surface.