Varanasi, India

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

WORLDWIDE | Tuesday, 12 October 2010 | Views [167]

If one cannot afforded enough wood, they must depend on the charity of others, or else the remainder of the body is given to the river. A smoky haze lies over Varanasi with ash lightly falling all around you 24 hours a day from the Burning Ghats that are never far away. (These men have followed generations before them, selling precious sandalwood for the cremations.)

The cremation is an expensive ceremony for the millions that live below the poverty line in India. Throughout the continent Hindus work into their old age to afford this, budgeting the travel of their ailing selves or the transport of their deceased body, as well as enough wood to complete the cremation. (These colourful women in Rajasthan dream of such an honourable farewell, joking that they’ll come back as dogs in the next life to bite their sons if they don’t see to it.)

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It is disrespectful to photograph the funerals themselves however in an attempt to capture the deep faith and passion of the devoted, this series tells a minute sliver of the story of the Hindu faith that revolves around the holy Ganga and the ancient city of Benares. (These men huddle around a fire by a chai stall, holding up their underwear to dry after bathing in the holy waters.)

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Varanasi, India

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

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