Varanasi: As India prepares to host Russian President Vladimir Putin for a two-day state visit beginning Thursday evening, unusual scenes from Varanasi have taken over the internet.

Locals performed aarti and held a welcome march ahead of the Russian leader’s arrival, inviting a flood of amused and exasperated reactions from netizens who questioned the spectacle.

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Here's how netizens reacted

Clips of the ceremony quickly grabbed the internet's attention. One user wrote, “Can we plz ban boomers from public life. This is a low iq activity." Others cringed at the display, and wrote, “ Yaar mt kro... 2nd hand embarrassment ho ra hai. ”

Visuals from the march were edited and

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