Christmas To A Child

“There’s nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child.”
(From “I Lost Everything in the Post-Natal Depression” by Erma Bombeck)

The windows of Fortnum & Mason in London are already celebrating Christmas…
And I feel like being a child again in front of all this…

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The Head, the Eye and the Heart

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“To photograph: it is to put on the same line of sight the head, the eye and the heart.”
(Henri Cartier-Bresson – French photographe, 1908–2004)

This picture was shot in All Saints Cathedral of Allahabad in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
It was at the end of the Sunday Mass, this family came close to the marble altar in order to get Absolution from the priest.

The building is considered as one of the finest Anglican Cathedral in Asia, it was built in 13th century Gothic style, and was consecrated in 1887.

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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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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.

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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Together

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“The virtues, like the Muses, are always seen in groups.
A good principle was never found solitary in any breast. ”
(Hindu Prince Siddhārtha Gautama – the Buddha, 563-483 B.C.)

Those monks are pilgrims who came to Bodh Gaya in the Indian state of Bihar.
They were praying and singing under the Bodhi tree facing the Mahabodhi Temple where Siddhārtha Gautama, the spiritual teacher and founder of Buddhism, is said to have achieved enlightenment, or Bodhi.

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