Varanasi, India

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Tuesday, October 12, 2010 | 5 photos

Varanasi has over 3,000 years of history on the banks of the Ganges and in Hinduism is the holiest of places to die and be cremated. Hindus travel from around the world to bathe in its waters and to die here, whilst everyday business continues, working around funerary and festive parades, cows and the hundreds of temples that add to the mix filling the streets with the colour and smell and amazing excitement and magic of India. 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.

I have been fortunate enough to live a life on the road. With U.N. parents moving every few years we have lived in Cambodia, Fiji, Kosovo, Thailand, Rome, New York, Kathmandu, and with the start of University I have finally returned to Australia, studying and working to fund further travels. Bhutan is a dream that with the current visa laws and daily costs seems far off, to explore the Kingdom whilst still relatively untouched would be a magical experience. I am studying Engineering, Hindi(Urdu) and Islamic Studies with a grandiose (and I am often told idealistic) plan to travel the world building infrastructure in aid. I would depend on the charity of the better off to live this dream and it is through the power of photography that I feel it is possible to bring about the awareness that will stir such generosity. I know it is hard but possible to capture the pain and disparity going on everyday (as well as the potential and beauty of these places) with one perfect photo, I want to learn from the best and use such a skill to achieve this goal.

No matter how exciting my destination, the most wonderful part of my travels has been the wonder of stories of the amazing people I have met along the way. To gather these stories over my lifetime and be able to show the world their faces and share their stories with the aid of photography would give me so much happiness.