Capturing The Pulse Of India And Nepal

It's time to show you the rest of the photos I took at the photo exhibition I visited at the beginning of this week. The title of the post is not coincidentally Capturing The Pulse Of India And Nepal. After seeing all the photos, I think it's highly appropriate and that is exactly what the photographer, Botond Nagy did.

Assi Ghat, Varanasi

Assi Ghat is the southernmost ghat in Varanasi. To most visitors to Varanasi, it is known for being a place where long-term foreign students, researchers, and tourists live. With hosting Subah-e-Banaras in the morning, assi ghat provides a spectacular notion of river Ganga. source

Today I'm not going to write about the environmental and health concerns of the river. That is known and you can read about it everywhere. We're here to discuss photography and from that point of view, this photo is a great one. Boats are coming in or going out, while kids are having fun jumping in and out of the water. Simple life and maybe people are not as suspicious when you take a photo of them, as they are in other parts of the world.

Assi Ghat, Varanasi

A different reality, a spiritual one you don't see elsewhere I suppose.

Swaminathan Akhada, Varanasi

What was I saying about simple life and people not being so suspicious? Look at the photo and try to imagine what that scene would look like in a more developed country, on another continent. You would see a fancy gym, with the latest equipment and outfits. There's no need for that, it can be done without it and most likely close to that level, as efficiency is regarded. Photos like these point out the differences we have in the world and makes you think what life really means and how you live it. What I loved about this photo was the golden tone and the dedication of the people. I don't know if they acted for the camera or not, but it's a very good one.

Pashupatinath, Kathmandu

The Pashupatinath Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Pashupati, a form of Shiva, and is located in Kathmandu, Nepal near the Bagmati River. This temple was classified as a World Heritage Site in 1979. This "extensive Hindu temple precinct" is a "sprawling collection of temples, ashrams, images and inscriptions raised over the centuries along the banks of the sacred Bagmati river", and is one of seven monument groups in UNESCO's designation of Kathmandu Valley. It is built on an area of 246 hectares (2,460,000 m2) and includes 518 mini-temples and a main pagoda house. source

Last time I told you photos from India dominated the exhibition, but there were photos from Nepal as well.

When I saw this photo, my first thought was, it can easily be an award winning photo. Unfortunately the reflections take away from its value, but even so, it's a brilliant one. Just look at the colors and the happiness on the man's face. These are the people who have very little in life, yet they are happy as they can appreciate the little they have on every level, even on a spiritual one. Finding happiness in life is an art and I'm not referring to money and wealth as those don't guarantee happiness.

Varanasi, India

This was an interesting photo, most likely it's a ritual, but I'm not sure, so if you're from India and know what ritual this is, please let me know. The photographer was lucky to capture the scene. He was at the right spot, to align everything so nicely. The orange shirts go well with the light.

Howrah Flower Market, Koltaka

I was standing in front of this photo, looking at it for 3 minutes, thinking it's brilliant. When I saw this lady, the first thing that came to my mind was that every wrinkle of her skin can tell a story. @dimascastillo90, what do you think? She seems deep in her thoughts and was wondering if she knew the photo was being taken. I would call this photo Life! but I can't explain why. Most likely I see a life full of struggle and hardship.

Varanasi, India

Now this is a heartbreaking photo, no matter how I look at it. For those of you who don't know:

Cattle are considered sacred in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, as well as in African paganism. In some regions, especially most states of India, the slaughter of cattle is prohibited and their meat may be taboo. source

I understand cattle are considered sacred, but to see this poor animal in that condition, it hurts. The photo obviously reflects reality, but it still hurts.

Varanasi, India

This was another wonderful one, but what you see on my photo is not really great. Trust me, I've tried every trick in the book, but this was the best I could do. The walking lady had a really nice dress color, which fir perfectly in the mix of colors of the street. The mural on the right it's a bonus to the whole scene. A nice coincidence.

Assi Ghat, Varanasi

This photo seems minimalist, but it's a great one. Imagine what are the chances to capture a man with a dog on the right and lower in diagonal a random dog. The photo is nicely aligned as well.

For me, this exhibition was like a trip to a far land, to another culture I know very little about, but one that can offer quite a lot. I'm not sure how happy people are over there, when they see a photographer, but the opportunities to take a lot of interesting photo seems huge.

If you're a newbie, you may want to check out these guides: