Always the Hours

 

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“Dear Leonard.
To look life in the face.
Always to look life in the face and to know it for what it is.
At last to know it.
To love it for what it is, and then, to put it away.
Leonard.
Always the years between us.
Always the years.
Always the love.
Always the hours.”
(Virginia Woolf/Nicole Kidman in “The Hours”)

This picture was shot in the oldest part of Varanasi (Benaras) in a little street of Madanpura.

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Floating dreams

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“Guria’s floating school on the Mansarovar Ghat in Varanasi is popular among children at the ghats.
The school—a 250-square-foot- boat—has been rented for 06,000 a month.
It has 70 students on the rolls, mostly children from the boatmen community.
Singh hopes the school is successful in minimising the vulnerability of these hapless children to abuses.
The school runs for two hours from 5 p.m.
It has a computer, a television, a DVD player and a small library.
A solar panel ensures smooth supply of electricity.

“Earlier these children would not study and loiter with firangis (foreign tourists). Some of them begged, shaming our city. Thanks to this school, they utilise their time in studying now,” says Shanker Manjhi, the owner of the boat.

The students are given snacks after school—an incentive to ensure the children are regular.
“Every day I wait for evening to come here. Unlike other schools, the teacher does not beat you nor do they get angry if I ask questions many times. Once the classes are over, I wait for my candy, ” says young Vaishali.

Pawan Kumar Yadav, who teaches at the school, says, “We give them non-formal primary schooling here, so they can read and write. But our long-term aim is to make them on par with students in mainstream schools.”

(The Week – December 18, 2012)
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This is a new school made by Guria on a boat along the Ganges in Varanasi (Benaras), it welcomes children from the ghats and allows them to have a good school level in order to maintain their schooling and to avoid ending up begging or being involved with prostitution and childlabor.

Growing into Destiny

 

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“You are far greater than you have dreamed of being.
And no matter what you are experiencing in your life right now, trust that all is good and unfolding in your best interests.
It may not look pretty, but it is exactly what you need to learn for you to grow into the person you have been destined to become.
Everything occuring in your life has been perfectly orchestrated to inspire your maximal evolution as a human being and bring you into your true power.
Learn from life and allow it to take you where you are meant to go_it has your highest interests in mind.”
(From “Daily Inspiration” by Robin Sharma)

Last morning this little girl was standing along the road from Mughal Sarai to Varanasi (Benaras).
The back lighting was providing that special atmosphere which makes Varanasi so special…

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In The Starlight

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“It is said that no star is a heroine to her makeup artist.”
(Richard Corliss – American journalist)

This is a backstage glimpse from a window into the makeup room before the show of a school in Bhadohi in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh at 45 KM from Varanasi (Benaras).
Several kids wearing gorgeous costums were waiting in line in front of the make-up artist who was changing their features in order to make them play specific characters.
This little girl was getting ready to perfom a traditional dance.
The light was provided by a single bulb from the ceiling in the room and allowed to have make a series of pictures with no editing.

Man of the year 2011

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“My greatest strength has been my stoicism.
I do not want to sound like a pedantic.
The day you realise you are just a speck of dust, you rise above the feeling of winning and losing.
This realisation comes through an inward journey and it requires ample courage.
It is not something you can get in a departmental store.”
(Ajeet Singh – Indian Human Right activist)

Today “THE WEEK”, the largest selling English newsmagazine in India, selected Ajeet Singh to be “Man of the year 2011″.

week.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/th…
week.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/ho…

Congratulations to my friends Ajeet and to his wife Manju.
Those congratulations have to be shared with the whole Guria family and with everyone who supported this non-profit organisation through many ways…
The fight against human trafficking and prostituion is not over, together we can change…!!!
This is GURIA’s website, www.guriaindia.org

Please read the interviews and the website and be aware of the story behind all this, Ajeet Singh is a true modern hero.

This picture was shot a few weeks ago when Ajeet came for the first time to Paris during a short trip In Europe.
It was early in the morning in front of “le Château de Versailles” (Palace of Versailles) a few hours before going back to India.
Ajeet was happy, there was a smile on his face but there is a bigger one in his heart…

Happy Diwali

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“May lights triumph over darkness.
May peace transcend the earth.
May the spirit of light illuminate the world.
May the light that we celebrate at Diwali show us the way and lead us together on the path of peace and social harmony.
Happy Diwali to everyone, Divali ki shubhkamnayen.”

Divali is a major Indian festival, significant in Hinduism , Jainism and Sikhism.
It is celebrated as the “Festival of Light” where the lights or lamps signify the uplighting of darkness and victory of good over the evil within.
The celebrations focus on lights and lamps, particularly traditional dīpa or deeya (earthen lamp), and fireworks.
Divali is celebrated for five consecutive days at the end of Hindu month of Ashwayuja (amanta) in October/November.
Hindus, Jains and Sikhs alike regard it as a celebration of life and use the occasion to strengthen family and social relationships.
For Hindus it is one of the most important festivals, and beginning of the year, especially in North India.

This image was shot along the holy waters of the Ganges in Varanasi (Benaras).

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The Vision of the Heart

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“What the eye sees the heart preserves.”
“The vision of the eye is limited; the vision of the heart transcends all barriers of time and space.”
(Ali ibn Abi Talib – religious leader, warrior, Orator and Poet. Son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad, 600-661)

I met those two brothers in a little street of Jaitpura in Varanasi (Benaras) at the time of Muharram.
They were standing nearby a tazia.
The night was cold however it was easy to feel the heat from everyone’s heart. They were happy to share this generous and heartful moment in front of my camera.

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A Passionate Intuition

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“Faith is a passionate intuition.”
(William Wordsworth – English Romantic poet, 1770–1850)

This little boy wearing a beige jacket made this tazia.
His family invited me to have tea and to share a few sweets which are especially done at the time of Muharram.
From the window of the house I took several pictures of the people passing by and admiring this miniature replica of Husayn’s mausoleum and the children of the house decided to go outisde and to gift my lense their happiness.
This picture was shot in the area of Jaitpura in Varanasi (Benaras).

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An Oasis in the Heart

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“Faith is an oasis in the heart which can never be reached by the caravan of thinking.”
(Kahlil Gibran – Lebanese born American philosophical Essayist, Novelist and Poet, 1883-1931)

Walking in the narow streets from Pili Kothi to Jaitpura in Varanasi (Benaras) at the time of Muharram is an enchantment.
In front of each house stands a tazia which is a miniature replica of Husayn’s mausoleum.
The simple ones are usualy done by the children living there, others which are more elaborated are made by several artcrafters from the city who follow different religions and maintain this way that well-known Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb (Ganges-Yamuna Culture) which is a fusion of Hindu and Muslim elements in the culture of the central plains of Northern India.
During this magical evening families and friends visit each house where stands a tazia as the day after they will be carried in processions.

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Peace and Serenity

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“And once we have the condition of peace and joy in us, we can afford to be in any situation.
Even in the situation of hell, we will be able to contribute our peace and serenity.
The most important thing is for each of us to have some freedom in our heart, some stability in our heart, some peace in our heart.
Only then will we be able to relieve the suffering around us.”
(Thich Nhat Hanh – Vietnamese Monk, Activist and Writer, b.1926)

This young monk was under the Bodhi Tree behind the Mahabodhi Temple which is the place of Gautama Buddha’s attainment of nirvana (Enlightenment), in Bodh Gaya (बोधगया), in the Indian state of Bihar.

- This picture is dedicated to those suffering from the Himalayan earthquake -

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