A visiter is invited to join a family's Diwali celebrations

INDIA | Wednesday, 19 December 2012 | Views [1223] | View Smaller Image

The children’s mother, resplendent in a deep red sari, paints a white rangoli design in the entranceway to the haveli. This is meant to bring luck and to welcome Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, into their home for the Diwali celebrations. When she was finished she handed me the brush and watercolor paint and let me create a design in the opposite doorway. The 150 year old walls, with their crumbling plaster and paint work, are a lovely backdrop.

Candles are lit in the central courtyard of the haveli while my host’s two young children look on. I love the orange glow of the light reflecting up from the marigolds into her face and how intently her younger brother is observing the flames being transferred from one candle to the next. Many of the photographs I took that night are, like this one, focused in on the subject, highlighting small details in the scene that are so touching, emphasizing the intimacy of these family moments and taking advantage of the beautiful candlelight.

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My host’s son carefully lights tea lights in the dramatic archway at the entrance to the haveli while his sister twirls to show off her party skirt. Soon after sunset we had filled every alcove and stairway in the front courtyard of the haveli with twinkling lights.

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A visiter is invited to join a family's Diwali celebrations

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