Early one cloudy and foggy morning in Varanasi, India, I walked from my hotel near Meer Ghat—one of the many areas on the Ganges River—towards Assi Ghat.
I walked this way every day that I spent there. However, every day was different, every experience made this place feel even more other-worldly. After sipping several sweet and milky chais and chatting to locals, I came across this ghat. Higher than most ghats, there were some metal bars installed here to prevent any misfortunes. Two sheets, hanging over it, drying in the soft breeze drew my attention because of interesting form and because of the chiaroscuro falling on the cotton. The calm Ganges flowing behind it, and the riverbank could be seen in the distance, making the scene picturesque.
I felt that capturing this moment, by itself would have been appealing, but I thought that a photograph needed something more. Thus, I sat down and waited on a step for sometime, waiting for what Cartier Bresson would describe as ‘the decisive moment’.
This image encapsulates my feelings for Varanasi. A very spiritual and haunting place; here bodies burn for the public to see and a strong scent of human flesh hangs in the air. For me, the sheet in the foreground became a metaphor the curtain of life, the Ganges symbolic of life, and the boat moving upstream towards the curtain, the end of life.
Info on the photo:
Nikon FM2 & 35mm f/2
Ilford HP5+ developed in Rodinal
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