sometimes a bit is missing....

shiva, jain ghat, varanasi, march 2012

i discovered him out of the nowhere. i turned around and there he was, naked, just with a bit of clothes around his male parts, a stick and totally covers with white ash, even his hair, rastas, thick. he was walking though the crowed, his face moving in all kind of directions.

i need to love. i was s sorry, but i could not help it.

if you ask me  anything about india i have to pass. basing my knowledge around the magazine economy and the movie slum dog millionaire my knowledge about india and varanasi does pretty not exist. ashram and ayuveda seem to be me for the same and nothing.

that’s ok I guess. knowledge can be transferred in different ways and perception is a good aspect to acknowledge. not knowing what to expect or better that any expectations enables for a different perspectives. but also just different and my research for projects is very slow.

the most of the people who are coming here have an idea. varanasi is an old city, the oldest in India. It is well know for its ghats, its temples and its holiness. originally a pilgrimage place people come here to pray. those days mostly from india, probably, nowadays for all over the worlds.

they are listening, praying, meditating. young guys are mostly found next to the shamans. smoking a joint or looking into the river, the woman are into meditation and yoga retreatments and in between you find the experts for ayuveda and music.

western world is starving for the presence, the quietness for a slow motion in there life, or just for something different. identification and image is inclusive. before and afterwards.

the shaman are moving away at the moment. apparently, because praying is not easy anymore nowadays. they are searching for quieter place.

reminds me a bit on gentrification in london or new york.

my shiva is moving around, trying t find a spot where he can sit. some people look at him, some people just ignoring it.

there is a birthday party for a child. the music is loud. he walks through the dancing kids, settles down in the middle of all the partying people.

birthdayparty, ghat, varanasi, march 2012