the result...

clothes, manikarnika ghat, varanasi, march 2012

she looked at the money, her old hand turned around the note 50 rupees. Her face disappointed. i am sitting at the floor. The guy next to me. People are spending usually 500 1000 rupees. For her blessing.

the walls are written with words, cannot read it. What does it mean , i ask. He does not know. She does not know. She just gives s me a quick blessing. Touches over my head. Next to her a bit to eat, a bowl, a jar. no furniture. But spacious and pen view on the ganges and the funeral place.

I took a picture. Just one. there was no funeral happening. So I thought it is ok. Probably it was.. for everyone. Except from this guy. Stood next to me. Started to talk. I said it is ok. I did not know. He carried on. About a fight, happened yesterday, about permission, costing a lot of money and about the hospice and donations for the wood, for poor people who are dying in the hospice alone. Fair enough.

I agreed cause I understood, a deal and I was curious, so I went with him.

Tourism is business and everybody needs money. And in tourism money comes from people. Very straight forward. And that is ok.  You want something and somebody is giving it to you and the exchange is money. So he was right not me.

But there is no fixed deal. I did not know. An invisible deal. Still a deal.

just imagine. You would be not allowed to do take an imagine of the statue of liberty? Or the Odeonsplatz, or the Berkircherl in my village. If not you need to pay or you threatened.

In my village there are so little tourist you search for places tourist wanna come. Threating would be the last thing tasks them for.

But communication is a question of cultural context and language matter o ability. Both I s my perspective and not them.

I gave her the money, stood up, left. did not say anything, walked down the dirty stone stairs into the funeral area, covered with piles of wood.

‘ if you wanna take imagine of the place I know guy you can give money can give him money for that’

I look at him. Wait. I think I holy this place and the death of people and prefer not to take an imagine in order to honor them’

Guess that what you should do anyway.

‘ can I get a bit of money for me?’

I looked at him. Surprised.

No

He left quick, into one direction, I am into the other. Guess our communication was clear.