Eight in the morning at Queen's College: a Tiranga Yatra and bike rally loops through the heart of the city on Wednesday

If you are anywhere near Maldahiya or Lahurabir early on Wednesday morning, expect tricolours, drums and a slow-moving crowd. A Tiranga Yatra and bike rally sets off from Government Queen's Inter College at 8am on August 12, organised under the 'Maa Tujhe Pranam' banner by Amar Ujala along with the Nagar Nigam and the district administration, in the run-up to Independence Day. The route makes a loop through the middle of the city: out of Queen's College, past the main gate of Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, on to Chaura Mata temple and Patel Dharamshala, then past Vinayak Plaza to the Patel statue at Maldahiya, through Lohamandi and past Kashi Anathalaya, before turning at Lahurabir crossing and coming back to Queen's College. Thousands of school and college students are expected to walk it with flags in hand, joined by social and trade bodies, a bullet-bikers team and roller-skaters who will break into stunts along the way. Vehicles playing patriotic songs lead the procession, groups along the route will welcome the marchers with flower showers, and traffic police will be posted at the junctions so the rest of the city keeps moving. Anyone who wants to join can register through the QR code the organisers have circulated for the campaign. If you are not walking, the simplest thing is to plan around it: that stretch between Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Maldahiya and Lahurabir will be busy from about 8am until the yatra returns.

Compiled by HelloBanaras from public sources: Amar Ujala — Varanasi