My Scholarship entry - A 'place'

A City by the River

INDIA | Monday, 8 July 2013 | Views [541] | View Larger Image

As I roamed about the lanes of the makeshift 'Kumbh City' searching for the Sadhavi (Female Sadhu) camps someone told us about, I bumped into her. Long matted hair tied up in a bun, a cigarette in hand, she spoke of living life without materialistic burdens. Here she proudly poses for my camera as a lady vendor selling amulets looks on. She hailed from Guwahti in eastern India. Female Sadhus or 'sadhavi' as they are called, form a small but significant group at Kumbh.

Standing in the middle of a rare clearing, a young lad looks at the crowded 'ghats' (riverbank) as millions of people throng the largest religious congregation in the world. Behind him the clear blue of a February sky is punctuated by lamposts running along the riverbank as the noon sun blazes on.
Maha Kumbh Mela, Allahabad, India 2013

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As the auspicious evening prayers begin, the whole makeshift 'Kumbh City' lights up, casting a golden glow in the water as boats and ferries transport people back ashore from the holy confluence where water from three rivers meet.
The surging million strong crowd, I found, can be overwhelming & yet, peaceful and intoxicatingly beautiful.

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My Scholarship entry - A 'place'

A City by the River

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