Banaras/Varanasi
October 30, 2018
What is India was one of the real reasons maps of India did not exist for a very long time.
The borders are fluid making India a malleable country.
I find that, just like the borders, the many adjectives I use to describe India are always changing.
I often say it is the color and the noise. Sometimes it is the pollution or the wonderful people and sometimes, it is the food. India belies description, but I feel the need to reach for a few words.
This morning, I once again took a sunrise ride on the Ganga, along the coast of Banaras. Since I have taken the Ganga river trip along the banks of Banares three times in the past, I decided to look at the river differently this time. I took away two words that I often use to describe India: the color and the noise.
It truly is a different place when looked at this way, the serenity comes through. That being said, serenity is not a word one would ever use to describe the Ganga, but it is important to consider.
The Ganga is known for its filthy waters, but it is also known as the resting place of ashes and bones from departed Hindi’s, something that has been going on since time immemorial
It is the ultimate wish of a Hindu to die and be cremated along a riverbank; the holier the river the better for the departed soul. Banaras, which is situated along the holy river Ganga, is the holiest place of all. It is considered so holy that every Hindu wishes to die there. Indeed, this desire is so ingrained in the psyche that some pious Hindus make provisions to move to Banaras at an old age for the sole purpose of dying in Banaras and instantly being reunited with God.
So today, instead of photographing the clothes washers, the bathing masses, the constant cacophony of bells, horns, and whistles from the religious, I decided to give this moment in time its due: serenity.
If the Ganga is to represent death to so many, then this serenity should be honored, if only in a series of Black and White photos.
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If you need to see what the river looks dressed in color, you can read older posts about the Ganga here.
Thes photos were shot with a manual Leica M Monochrome and are best viewed on a large screen.
