Experience the unique beauty of the Varanasi ghats at dawn
Full of life. Full of People
The mood of the Kashi ghats changes with the day.
The mood of Kashi’s ghats, like all places, shifts with the passing hours. I’ve never been fond of the sunset at the ghats because the buildings are in the shade, appearing dull. As twilight yields to night, peace settles upon the river and the riverside steps.
Morning follows night; sail traditional boats before sunrise in river towns. I did that many years ago and took many photos. If my memory is not betraying me, I used a waterproof Canon point-and-shoot camera, and I also carried my Nikon F-75 with me. I took color photos with the Canon and used the Nikon F-75 for black and white. While typing, a thought occurred: restore these old film scans and make them available to everyone. I will do this exercise after Diwali.
Sit on a traditional boat before the sun rises.
Before the sun rises, permit yourself to immerse yourself in solitude and wait for the sun to rise. Go to the ghats twice—once for the boat ride. Do some photography before heading out for chai and breakfast. If you enjoy the local fare, such as bedmi-puri (I detest it, but people love it), go for it! If you’re similar to me, grab a chai and biscuit, mingle with locals, and then go back to your hotel for breakfast. I love my eggs! When I am traveling, I indulge in mixed-fruit jam on toast. Since I am greedy, I eat and then head for a bath.
May I add an audio file?
Make several trips to the ghats.
Return to the ghats the next day. Consider taking several trips to the ghats if you plan to stay longer. Always visit places multiple times to explore them thoroughly. Mingle with the people, observe their morning rituals, bathe in the morning sun, and shoot a few images.
I have divided the photos and YouTube short videos into four sections: the boats, the people, piety, and a general, vertical image and video section.
Pay close attention to the light. Dust haze often dominates the river scenes.
Return to the ghats the next day. Consider taking several trips to the ghats if you plan to stay longer. Always visit places multiple times to explore them thoroughly. Mingle with the people, observe their morning rituals, bathe in the morning sun, and shoot a few images.
I have divided the photos and YouTube short videos into four sections: the boats, the people, piety, and a general, vertical image and video section.
Pay close attention to the light. Dust haze often dominates the river scenes.
Pay close attention to the light. Even though I shot the photographs in November of that year, the haze dominates the images. I remember the dust haze in Kashi when I was driving on the roads. When you go up to the hills, dust settles during the monsoons, and the sky is clear between October and March. The situation in the plains is different, with a non-stop focus on construction, a burgeoning vehicle population, polluting vehicles that refuse to fade into history, and general human indifference, all factors that contribute to the rising levels of muck in the air.
Do these factors affect your health and cause you to cough? Of course, they do, and in the coming decades, the sound of wheezing will assault our ears as people pray for nanobots to make them immortal.
In the meantime, you cannot ignore the haze when you walk out with your camera. Make atmospheric dust an integral part of your composition and explore the possibility of creating ethereal images. Never forget that you must deal with the material available to you.
Photograph the people at the ghats.
When you turn your back to the river, study the unfolding action on the steps of the ghats. Turn back to photograph the boats again. Keep turning around, keeping a vigilant eye open for photo opportunities.
The morning light, with its beautiful shades of blue and gold, lifts the daily action, taking it from the mundane to the sublime. You will find people sitting, lost in their thoughts, while others sell their services (such as ear cleaning, fortune telling, and priests drumming up business). Some pray on the steps. Others fold their hands in prayer in the water. Others bathe and wash clothes in the rivers. Some simply do anything that pleases their fantasy.
Walk around, and you may encounter other photographers prowling with a camera, searching for people to photograph. I like the word prowl because photography is like an active, silent hunt, and I will write about this philosophy in a later post. Wait for the post!
Many people who walk out with their cameras resemble horses with blinkers. They look straight and often stick their cameras into people’s faces, making them jump. Remember that you are the tourist, no matter how frequently you visit the place. You are not local. The moment you are out with your camera, you become an outsider. While some people don’t mind a photographer capturing them, others object to it. Be sensitive to the surrounding people.
Still your mind. Be like a hunter. Have fun.
Still your mind, and I know I often repeat this statement. Still your mind and observe. Be mindful of the action unfolding before you and observe the interplay of light and shadow.
When you’re happy with your work, enjoy a cup of chai with a biscuit. Converse with people and enjoy their company for a few moments. We each travel to the end of our time on earth. When our paths intersect, grab the chance to say hello. I believe it will make you a better person and a better photographer.
Have fun!
Rajiv,
This post seems to have really reached people. I don't know how many likes or views you have and some people like a post but don't tap like. Might be worth considering which elements of the post reached out to people. I think that anything that showcases something or the Ghats in the early morning is a great move. Or whatever you feel is really working to get the post across.
Larry
Rajiv,
Really great to read this post about the Ghats in Benares and even though there have been torrential rains, you haven't mentioned pollution like the soap suds you mentioned you saw in the Varuna River where it joins with the Ganges. I don't know know if a heavy volume of rain helps the river rid itself of the worst pollution or just moves it all downstream. And at least for now, or when you've visited there, it is not so bad. Maybe it is different at different times of the day. You seem to imply that it wasn't so bad, at least the times you visit although you do mention haze. It is so much better to appreciate the life and activity along the river and that there are some attempts to preserve it even if those consist of not bothering it too much. The construction you mention on the plains, is problematic because though it may improve conditions on the plains yet what is the cost of that? These posts are excellent and make me hopeful that there are efforts underway for new India to help old India to continue to exist. Anything you can write or say concerning this would be great to read or hear.