Priya Malhotra 1 The train rattled over the iron bridge, the wheels clattering like a mechanical mantra, carrying Priya back to a city she had almost forgotten. Varanasi. Benares. Kashi. The city of gods, the city of death and rebirth, the city of her childhood summers spent under the watchful gaze of the Ganges. As the train slowed, she caught sight of the river, a glint of silver under the pale dawn sky, snaking its way through ancient ghats and crumbling temples. She leaned her forehead against the cool glass, exhaling a sigh that fogged the window. Grief still weighed…