A Certain Instinct

“There is in the human body a certain instinct for what is beneficial to us, as there is in the heart for what is our moral duty, an instinct which no authorisation by a doctor of medecine or divinity can replace.
We know that cold baths are bad for us, but we like them: we can always find a doctor to recommend them, not to prevent them from doing us harm.”
(from “The Captive” by Marcel Proust – French novelist, 1871-1922)

This man was stepping into the cold holy waters of the Ganges at Lal ghat in Varanasi (Benaras)…
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“Il y a dans notre corps un certain instinct de ce qui nous est salutaire, comme dans le cœur de ce qui est le devoir moral, et qu’aucune autorisation du docteur en médecine ou en théologie ne peut suppléer.
Nous savons que les bains froids nous font mal, nous les aimons, nous trouverons toujours un médecin pour nous les conseiller, non pour empêcher qu’ils ne nous fassent mal.”
(“La Prisonnière” de Marcel Proust – Ecrivain français 1871-1922)

Cet homme pénétrait dans les eaux glacées et sacrées du Ganges en bas de Lal ghat à Benares…
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What You Seek

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“The place you seek, is seeking you.
The place you need, needs you.
Divine Principle brings need and supply together for mutual good.
God wisely, and intelligently, and lovingly controls, guides, protects, prospers, and blesses this union of His idea (man) and this normal joyous activity (work).”
(Mary Baker Eddy – American author and founder of Christian Science, 1821-1910)

This man took a bath at Tulsi ghat among the milkmen who often come there to wash their metal jugs in the holy waters of the Ganges.
According the Vedas this place is the navel of the universe.
Benaras is so special to many of us, what you seek there is also what is seeking you…
“What you seek is seeking you.” (Rumi – Persian Poet, 1207-1273)

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Being Happy

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“When all your desires are distilled you will cast just two votes: To love more and to be happy.”
(Hāfez – Persian lyric poet, 1325-1390)

This young man was bathing in the holy waters of the Ganges in Varanasi (Benaras).
The turquoise blue shades of Lal ghat were reflecting in the sacred river, calming down the deep greens and gold of the stream…

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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…

The Canvas of Eternity

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“You will see your life for what it really is: a small blip on the canvas of eternity.
And you will come to see clearly who you are and the ultimate purpose of your life.”
“Which is?”
“To serve, of course.”
(From “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” by Robin Sharma)

This is a picture of Anand’s brother who is a ship carpenter along the Ganges in Varanasi (Benaras).
Like his father his work is to fabricate, assemble, install and repair wooden boats which will never leave the shores of the Eternal city.

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No Doubt

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“There is neither this world nor the world beyond nor happiness for the one who doubts”.
(Bhagavad Gita)

This man was standing at Lal ghat along the Ganges in Varanasi (Benaras).
He stood still for a long time as if he was between this world and the world beyond…
In Hindi “lal” means “red” however the whole place was painted with a Turkish blue but in fact it is a corruption of Lala.
This ghat was erected by a rich merchant in c. 1800 after whose name it is now known.
The red langot (Indian underwear) is a nod to the color.
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“Il n’y a ni ce monde, ni le monde de l’au-delà, ni de bonheur pour celui qui doute”.
(Bhagavad Gita)

Cet homme se trouvait à Lal ghat le long du Gange à Varanasi (Benaras).
Il s’est arrêté pendant un long moment comme s’il se trouvait entre ce monde et celui de l’au-delà…
En hindi “lal” signifie “rouge” et pourtant cet endroit est entièrement peint en turquoise, en fait il s’agit d’une altération de Lala.
Ce ghat tient son nom d’un riche négociant qui l’a fait ériger aux alentours de1800.
Le langot rouge (sous-vêtement indien) est un clin d’œil à cette couleur.

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Lost Gold

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“All that is gold does not glitter; not all those that wander are lost.”
(From “The Fellowship of the Ring” by J. R. R. Tolkien)

This man is a gold digger, he comes at the end of the day at Tulsi ghat in Varanasi (Benaras) and searches the holy waters of the Ganges when the pilgrims are gone.
Then he finds a few jewels, coins or gold statues lost or offered to the goddess Ganga by worshipers.
This gold carries the soul of so many expectations, so many wishes…

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Our Dispositions

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“I’ve learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances.”
(Martha Washington – American First Lady (1789-97), wife of George Washington, 1st US president. 1732-1802)

At the end of an afernoon in May, this young man was enjoying a cool bath in the holy waters of the Ganges at Bhonsala ghat in Vanarasi (benaras).
It was one of the hotest day of the year and this is why he was so happy to be in the river.

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Without Harness and Chain

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“And the weaver said, “Speak to us of Clothes.”
And he answered:
Your clothes conceal much of your beauty, yet they hide not the unbeautiful.
And though you seek in garments the freedom of privacy you may find in them a harness and a chain.
Would that you could meet the sun and the wind with more of your skin and less of your raiment,
For the breath of life is in the sunlight and the hand of life is in the wind.
Some of you say, “It is the north wind who has woven the clothes to wear.”
But shame was his loom, and the softening of the sinews was his thread.
And when his work was done he laughed in the forest.
Forget not that modesty is for a shield against the eye of the unclean.
And when the unclean shall be no more, what were modesty but a fetter and a fouling of the mind?
And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.
(“On Clothes” by Khalil Gibran from “The Prophet”)

This young Brahman was washing a piece of cloth after taking a bath in the holy waters of the Ganges.
This was shot at Nepali ghat in Varanasi (Benaras) in front of a small Vishnu temple where a few priests come every evening before sunset in order to perform a water-pouring ritual.
The angle and perspective I have there allows my camera to attempt to capture the glimpse of what I call the human soul…

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The Milk of Human Kindness

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“Yet do I fear thy nature; it is too full o’ the milk of human kindness.”
(William Shakespeare – English Dramatist, Playwright and Poet, 1564-1616)

This milkman came to clean his metal jugs in the holy waters of the Ganges near Gay ghat in Varanasi (Benaras).
Most of the milkmen in the city do the same after the early morning delivery.
Those men play a vital role in the city, I often see them riding their cycle in the morning and some come to exercise at the akhara where I take pictures.
They carry human kindness…

India is the world’s largest producer of dairy products and home to the world’s largest dairy herd.
Milk output is expected to touch 121.5 million tonnes in the current year, translating into a growth of nearly 4% vis-a-vis the previous year.
India aims to double milk output growth to become a “major player” globally and gain from rising prices.
The country expects to boost output by 10 percent annually in two to three years.

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