India

[dreampolice]

I've not been very well since we got have returned from India, so haven't done a great deal with my photo's. I'll drip feed a few in here but not in any particular order, despite my intentions of making themed groups.

 I quite like this capture taken through some railings as this guy carrying a bag on his head wandered through my field of view.

Bag head by Nigel G, on Flickr

Some of you may have seen on FB or Instagram a photo that I took from inside a shop looking out. This was at the back of the shop. This guy made juice and chai etc.

Blue kitchen by Nigel G, on Flickr

And this guy, was a tailor

Tailor by Nigel G, on Flickr

In Varanasi, as you may imagine, everything centres around The Ganges. They swim in it, pray to it, wash clothes in it, burn bodies next to it, throw parts of partially cremated bodies into it, dump rubbish in it, and no doubt drink it. 

Life on The Ganges by Nigel G, on Flickr

Life on The Ganges 2 by Nigel G, on Flickr

Life on the Ganges 4 by Nigel G, on Flickr

Life on The Ganges 5 by Nigel G, on Flickr

Life on The ganges Washing 2 by Nigel G, on Flickr

Life on The Ganges Bathing 2 by Nigel G, on Flickr

Motorbikes, cows and Tuktuks are India.

Motorbike, cow, tuk tuk by Nigel G, on Flickr

I'll do some more later

[spinno]

India in a nutshell without the tourist trappings

[kate]

Wonderful Nige.

[steveandthedogs]

Nice set Nige.

Hope the bug is getting better!

S

[dreampolice]

Mar 1, 2024 16:34:28 GMT steveandthedogs said:

Nice set Nige.

Hope the bug is getting better!

S

Thanks. I don't think it is anything I got there, but since late Wednesday I have struggled to keep anything in (both ends!) and add to that I started having an issue with my leg whilst away (thought it may have been sciatica but a phone conversation with a physio this morning thinks it isn't). It has been causing me great pain as well as my leg giving way on me! At least I have a physio appointment on Wednesday.

[kate]

Mar 1, 2024 18:08:38 GMT dreampolice said:

Mar 1, 2024 16:34:28 GMT steveandthedogs said:

Nice set Nige.

Hope the bug is getting better!

S

Thanks. I don't think it is anything I got there, but since late Wednesday I have struggled to keep anything in (both ends!) and add to that I started having an issue with my leg whilst away (thought it may have been sciatica but a phone conversation with a physio this morning thinks it isn't). It has been causing me great pain as well as my leg giving way on me! At least I have a physio appointment on Wednesday.

Sounds like a visit to the GP and sample to the lab is in order. I do remember the ecoli I came back with from Egypt. Diagnosed a week later via medics at work.  Consider it.

[JohnY]

Good set of pictures. Add suitable words and you might get into BJP with them.
I hope that the Delhi belly soon clears up. Worth getting advice from the GP. Some conditions take a few days to develop so might well be from India.
Sometimes remote consultations, so popular now, can be useful if they give time for the GP to look things up or consult a colleague who's clued up on things from Southern Asia.

[dreampolice]

Some sleepers

Sleeping on the ghat by Nigel G, on Flickr


Sleeping by Nigel G, on Flickr

Don't think it was a corpse by Nigel G, on Flickr

Asleep on The Ghat by Nigel G, on Flickr

Asleep in his Rickshaw by Nigel G, on Flickr

Edited to add another

Sleeping with the dogs by Nigel G, on Flickr

[spinno]

Another great set Nige, you'll make National Geographic one day soon!

[dreampolice]

Mar 2, 2024 17:45:37 GMT spinno said:

Another great set Nige, you'll make National Geographic one day soon!

Not too sure about that, but thanks anyway!

[dreampolice]

There are 2 cremation ghats in Varanasi. The one nearest our hotel was for the poorer people and is isn't as busy. This one below was further down the river. It is always busy. They are cremating bodies 24/7. The Hindu way of doing it is quite interesting in the rituals that they go through for one. You could see the bodies wrapped in bright shrouds being driven into the city on lorries, the back of pick up trucks and on roof racks, and then just lying on the ghats awaiting their turn before they are taken down to the river, washed in The Ganges then wrapped in a white shroud by the chief mourner, who is the eldest son (or another male: Females are not allowed to mourn/be present at the cremation) Depending on their wealth depends on how much wood they buy as well as what type of wood. They burn for up to 8 hrs, and at some point during the burn, the chief mourner will use 2 sticks to remove a partially burnt bone and dump it in The Ganges. During monsoon season, the river levels can cover the ghats and the building in the background with the chimneys is an electric crematorium where the bodies can be burnt at that time.

Head shaving by Nigel G, on Flickr


Cremation Ghat by Nigel G, on Flickr

Cremation Ghat 2 by Nigel G, on Flickr

[dreampolice]

This is from the cheaper cremation ghat. You can see the guy in white (in the haze of the fire). He is about to take a body (wrapped in orange) into The Ganges for washing and redressing into white. Also note all of the discarded orange robes. Everything just gets dumped/left where it is. Rather disturbingly, you can just see the feet of the deceased sticking out of the pyre. It really amazed me with their outlook on death and how they deal with it. It also seems odd that sheep just wander around, picking through god knows what. The silt on the river banks that you see, is not silt. It is ash from the bodies. That eventually just goes into the Ganges. Incredibly moving place to be.

creamte by Nigel G, on Flickr

[mick]

Your pics revive lots of memories for me. I used to work in India and lived there for about a year. I never quite had the courage to take pictures of the burning ghats. I agree that Varanasi, especially the Ganges, is very moving. Almost impossible to be dispassionate about the scenes in front of you.

When I got home I had quite a collection of pictures that did pretty well in UK photo clubs. In the end I got bored with being labelled "Mr India" and turned to Odonata.

Thanks for the memories. Hope you recover quickly.

Mick

[dreampolice]

Here, it was in the 30's. Some fish were kept on ice. others just on the pavement. Luckily the photos didn't capture the smell. Can't see the flies either.

Fish Stall by Nigel G, on Flickr

Crabs and a fish by Nigel G, on Flickr

Buckets of crab and squid by Nigel G, on Flickr

Fish by Nigel G, on Flickr

[dreampolice]

Beggar, Cat, Food Stall by Nigel G, on Flickr

Fruit Seller by Nigel G, on Flickr

Mahadev Cafe by Nigel G, on Flickr

Chai seller by Nigel G, on Flickr

Pushchair and fridge by Nigel G, on Flickr