True Wisdom

“I know what I have given you.
I do not know what you have received.”
(Antonio Porchia – Italian poet, 1886-1968)

This man is a worshipper of Shiva and stays in an ashram near Raj ghat along the Ganges in Varanasi (Benaras).
Since a few days it has been very hot in the city but last morning there was a gentle breeze which is a sign of a coming monsoon and this wise man seemed to be enjoying the weather from his balcony…

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Related To the whole world

“As a woman I have no country.
As a woman I want no country.
As a woman, my country is the whole world.”
(Virginia Woolf – English writer, 1882–1941)

This lady was changing clothes after having a bath in the holy waters of the Ganges in Varanasi (Benaras).

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Unfolding Wings

“Jump, and you will find out how to unfold your wings as you fall”
(Ray Bradbury – American writer, b.1920)

This man was wrapping his boby with a piece of fabric after taking a bath in the holy waters of the Ganges at Scindia ghat in Vanranasi (Benaras).

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How Far

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“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”
(T.S. Eliot – American born English Editor, Playwright, Poet and Critic, 1888-1965)

Anand is wearing a kantha silk scarf made with a hand embroidery.
This artcraft is done by ladies involved in several workshops that we have settled with GURIA, a Human Rights organisation fighting against the sexual exploitation of women and children, particularly those forced into prostitution and trafficking.
Each scarf is unique and made in sarees provided by women in Benaras who take this opportunity to get rid of pieces that they brought in order to celebrate happy moments, festivals or parties.
Those accessories carry traces of happiness in their yarns…
Our model shows his body for the purpose of this brotherhood and happiness chain as this is a way to catch the attention on this fight for Human Rights and human dignity.
(Scarf style “Kingdom” – 100% silk – Collection RED HALO)

RED HALO is a collection of household linen based in Benaras (Varanasi – India) providing work to people who were living with difficulties and education to children.
“Like” the RED HALO page on Facebook and join this amazing human adventure in Varanasi,www.facebook.com/redhalo.in

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A Choice

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“Colours have a beauty of their own which must be preserved, as one strives to preserve tonal quality in music. It is a question of organization and construction which is sensitive to maintaining this beautiful freshness of colour…
Colour is never a question of quantity, but of choice.”
(From Matisse’s essay “The Role and Modalities of Colour”, 1945)

At sunrise this lady was drying a few sarees after washing them in the holy waters of the Ganges in Varanasi (Benaras).
She was a pilgrim coming from the other part of the country, she was probably staying in one of the ashrams nearby.
Watching her doing her laundry and spreading those bright colours which was a happy moment as it was bringing life to Panchganga Ghat.

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In Your Light

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“In your light I learn how to love.
In your beauty, how to make poems.
You dance inside my chest
Where no one sees you,
but sometimes I do,
and that sight becomes this art.”
(Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi – Poet and Sufi mystic, 1207-1273)

This red sari was drying under the sun along the Ganges in Varanasi (Benaras).

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Being Needed

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“Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life, to be needed.”
(Storm Jameson – English writer, 1891–1986)

A few days ago I met this lady at Dasaswarneth ghat along the Ganges in Varanasi (Benaras).
It was very early and there was a heavy fog all around.
She came from far in order to worship there with a group of other ladies.
They didn’t speak Hindi nor English and I couldn’t understand their South Indian language but they were happy and it was contagious.
After bathing in the holy waters they were drying their hair, and spreading some tumeric on the skin.
They allowed me to take a few pictures and we had a great time all together.
If happiness comes from the feeling of being needed I am sure that this lady knows how much she is needed…

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The Beauty of the Flower

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“By plucking her petals, you do not gather the beauty of the flower.”
(Rabindranath Tagore – Indian Poet, Playwright and Essayist, Won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, 1861-1941)

At sunrise many women spread their sarees along the Ganges after washing them.
They look huge petals of extraordinary flowers which bring life to the awaking ghats.
This festival of colours and patterns becomes a treat for the lense of a photographer and a tribute to femininity…

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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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Being the Noise

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“There is a community of the spirit.
Join it, and feel the delight of walking in the noisy street and being the noise.Drink all your passion, and be a disgrace.Close both eyes to see with the other eye.”
(Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī – Persian poet, 1207-1273)

I often take a few pictures of this sadhu along the Ganges in Varanasi (Benaras).
This time he was walking on main ghat wher it is sometimes very noisy.
I tried something with Photoshop in order to focus on him away from this tumultuous flow going around…

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