Varanasi locals performed an aarti and held a welcome march for Vladimir Putin ahead of his India visit.

As India prepares to welcome Russian President Vladimir Putin for a two-day state visit beginning Thursday evening, unexpected scenes from Varanasi have taken the internet by surprise. Hours before Putin’s scheduled touchdown in New Delhi around 6:35 PM, visuals of people performing aarti for the Russian leader began circulating widely on social media.

In a video shared by ANI on X, Varanasi locals can be seen conducting a full-fledged aarti in front of a framed photograph of Putin. The clip also shows men waving Indian flags beside a banner reading “Bharat-Russia dosti zindabaad,” featuring images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Putin shaking hands. The group is later seen m

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