“Being Kind”

“Be kind to all creatures; this is the true religion.”
(Siddhārtha Gautama, known as the Buddha – c. 563 BCE/480 BCE – c. 483 BCE/400 BCE)

This is a close-up of one of the statues of the Buddha inside the Tibetan temple in Sarnath which is located at 13 km away from Varanasi (Benaras).

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The Extraordinary in the Ordinary

“It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer.
You need less imagination to be a painter because you can invent things.
But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the extraordinary.”
(David Bailey – English fashion and portrait photographer, b.1938)

This picture was shot in a little village near Varanasi (Benaras) where a few workers of the Red Haloteam live.
When I come and visit the families I enjoy taking pictures of the ordinary countryside life which I find extraordinary as it reminds me a few images from old Indian movies I used to watch when I was a teenager.
Time has passed living fragments of nostalgia and the illusion that hours, months or years could stop over there…

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From The Soul

“When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.”
(Jalal ud-Din Rumi known as Rumi – Persian poet and theologian, 1207-1273)

Early in the morning, I met these two young men who were washing their garments in the holy waters of the Ganges at Lal ghat in Varanasi.

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Coming Further In

“I have come home at last!
This is my real country!
I belong here. 
This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now…
Come further up, come further in!”
(From “The Last Battle” by C.S. Lewis)

In Varanasi (Benaras) there is a temple between Scindia ghat and Manikarnika ghat which is dedicated to Lord Shiva.
This temple doesn’t look like any other in the city because of its amazing sculptures with angels which are all around the shrine.
Those angels are musicians and they all play a different instrument.
Each time I come, there is no one, then I am alone in this dreamy atmosphere.
I know it is a kind of gate to after death as just nearby funeral pyres burn day and night at the cremation ghat which is underneath.
However this is not the reason why there are angels here.
I became close to the priest and his family who are keeping this sanctuary, sometimes he is making a puja for me and each time we meet he applies a refreshing ointment on my forehead made of eucalyptus and turmeric…

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Happy 2014

*** Have a beautiful 2014 ***
May this year be filled with Love, Peace & Happiness.
Keep on believing in your dreams…

Thank you for the sustained support you give to my work…You are amazing…

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The Legend of Savitri

Savitri, a princess, fell in love with a poor man called Satyavan.
Narada Muni warned her not to marry Satyavan as he would die at an early age.
He even told her when Satyavan was going to die. But Savitri was unmoved and married Satyavan.
On the day of Satyavan’s death, she saw that Yama himself had Savitri begging Yama for her hushband lifecome to take him.
She begged Yama not to take Satyavan.
But Yama said that no one could stop death.
Savitri followed them for miles and miles. Impressed with her determination, Yama said, “I will give you two boons; you can ask for anything except the life of Satyavan.”
For the first boon, Savitri asked for the well-being of her father-in- law.
For the second she cleverly asked for a hundred sons.
Without thinking, Yama granted her two boons.
At this Savitri asked Yama to return her husband because without him, she could not have any sons.
Defeated, Yama returned Savitri her husband.

This painting explains the life of Savitri, it is on a wall temple dedicated to Sati in a gali of the old Kashi, somewhere nearby the Chowk in Varanasi (Benaras).

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Dreams Without Measure

“When you were a wandering desire in the mist, I too was there, a wandering desire.
Then we sought one another, and out of our eagerness dreams were born.
And dreams were time limitless, and dreams were space without measure.”
(Kahlil Gibran – Lebanese-American artist, poet, and writer, 1883-1931)

The City Palace is a palace complex in Udaipur, the City of Lakes, in the Indian state Rajasthan.
It was built by the Maharana Udai Singh in 1559 in a flamboyant fusion of Rajasthani and Mughal architectural styles and stands on a hill top that gives a panoramic view of the city and the Lake Pichola.
This picture was shot in the Audience Room of the maharaja’s apartments and symbolizes what I always dreamt of India when I was younger.
Each time I have an opportunity to escape for a few days to Udaipur, I come back there and the dream is untouched, flawless and without measure…

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Style Is Eternal

“Fashions fade, style is eternal.”
(Yves Saint Laurent, French fashion designer, 1936-2008)

The iconic Nicaise is wrapped in a woolen scarf with an Aari embroidery.
(Scarf style “Jaisalmer” – Col. Black/Scarlet – 200×70 – 100% Wool – Collection RED HALO)

French actress and model Nicaise Jean-Louis has kindly accepted to pose for Red Halo in order to support our social work.
During the 70’s Nicaise became one of the first top models with dark skin complexion to work for High Fashion companies, ever since she never stopped working for the most prestigious fashion names, she also performed on stage and played is several well known movies such as “Moonraker” (a Bond girl) or the French movie “Le gendarme et les gendarmettes” (Yo Macumba).
For the anecdote Nicaise was born in the French Caribbean island Guadeloupe and she has Indian ancestors as her grandmother was from Pondicherry.
You may join Nicaise’s page atwww.facebook.com/nicaise.lemoine

RED HALO is a collection of household linen based in Benaras (Varanasi – India) providing work to people 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

Join the photographer at www.facebook.com/laurent.goldstein.photography

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Please do not use any photographs without permission (even for private use).
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Wearing A Throw

“Wearing A Throw”

“It wasn’t easy looking dignified wearing a bed sheet and a purple cape.”
(From “The Son of Neptune” by Rick Riordan)

Anand is wrapped in a throw made of pure linen with a aari embroidery.
(style “Akbar” – 150×200 – 100% linen – Col. Grey – Collection RED HALO))

RED HALO is a collection of household linen based in Benaras (Varanasi – India) providing work to people 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

Join the photographer at
https://www.facebook.com/laurent.goldstein.photography

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Horse of freedom

“In riding a horse, we borrow freedom”
(Helen Thompson – American writer)Nicaise is wrapped in a woolen throw with Aari embroideries showing Rajasthani horses.
(Throw style “Raj” – Col. Walnut – 200×150 – 100% Wool – Collection RED HALO)The iconic French actress and model Nicaise Jean-Louis has kindly accepted to pose for Red Halo in order to support our social work.
During the 70’s Nicaise became one of the first top models with dark skin complexion to work for High Fashion companies, ever since she never stopped working for the most prestigious fashion names, she also performed on stage and played is several iconic movies such as “Moonraker” (a Bond girl) or the well known French movie “Le gendarme et les gendarmettes” (Yo Macumba).
For the anecdote Nicaise was born in the French Caribbean island Guadeloupe and she has Indian ancestors as her grandmother was from Pondicherry.
You may join Nicaise’s page at www.facebook.com/nicaise.lemoine

RED HALO is a collection of household linen based in Benaras (Varanasi – India) providing work to people 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

Join the photographer at www.facebook.com/laurent.goldstein.photography

© All photographs are copyrighted and all rights reserved.
Please do not use any photographs without permission (even for private use).
The use of any work without consent of the artist is PROHIBITED and will lead automatically to consequences.