Evening by the Ganges

My Photo scholarship 2011 entry

India | Sunday, November 6, 2011 | 5 photos

About the photographs:
"Uttarakhand", is a Indian state located in the northern part of the country, in the Himalayan region. The state is known for abundant natural beauty as well as for some of India's most important holy pilgrimage places. One town of prime importance from a religious point of view is "Haridwar", literally meaning the Door to God. The holy Ganga river flows through this town and is hence visited by millions of Hindus every year who believe they will wash away their sins by taking a dip in the river.
Every evening, at 7pm, hundreds of people throng the banks of Ganges to offer prayers and be a part of the "Ganga Aarti" - the hymn of Ganga river. As a part of the prayers, a flower bowl with a tiny lamp lit in it is floated down the river. The highlight of this daily event is the temple priests carrying very large oil lamps and performing the rituals. The entire 30 minutes are a spiritual experience comprising of people of all ages, gender and backgrounds coming together, singing and praying. I have tried to capture the essence of this entire spectacle in the photos.

About Myself:
I am a photography and travel enthusiast from Mumbai, India. I have been trekking since the age of 12 and love being in the wilderness. Professionally, I work as Relationship Manager in a software development company. Photography has been a passion which I am working on to develop into something more worthwhile. To me photography means freezing a moment or just learning something new with every shot! I believe a photograph can alter a story, change perceptions. I believe that professional guidance can make a huge difference and even change the course of your life for better and that is what I would be hoping to do through this travel scholarship.