When taking portraits camera is not the only equipment that conceives a picture, it is the eye of the artist and the portrait itself that complete the picture.
Portraits are one the things that come to our mind when it comes to varanasi. A holy place like Varanasi truly holds diverse faces and stories. A walk through the Ghats of Varanasi itself reveals the true face of hindu culture and the level of religious extrimism. Anyone with a Dslr or a decent camera can take a frame from Varanasi and get some uploads but my goal was to capture the true expression and feeling of those facez even if it doesn;t attract positive feedback from the subject. The overwhelming number of photographers roaming around the ghats in Varanasi often irritates the sadhus and local people. They too deserve some privacy. But there is other section of sadhus who are there for the money.
Nearing to a peaceful end
When the expressions are powerful enough to ignore the scarf around
One can caption them as the modern-day models of Varanasi. They pose for the photographers and demand foe money. This fact alone destroys the authenticity of Varanasi and its people. Majority of the images that rushes over the internet are such images of sadhus who poses for money. Manipulated visuals was not my taste and I haven’t planned a single shot before stepping into Vranasi. I was ready for the whole time to take the frame. each and every frame was truely a surprise becuase of the same reason. Genuinity is one thing that is lacking in the present world and it is one thing that I always crave for.
The Spiritual Serenity of Varanasi
As an artist, I like little post-processing. The concept of Varanasi thrilled me since a holy site will have something hidden or uncharted for artists to capture and exhibit. From local ghats to embellished temples, Sadhus were ubiquitous. It almost makes you think sadhus are the majority. What makes these folks. Stay in Varanasi and ask why devotees flock there. Peace is one solution I found. We feel quite serene when we view the holy Ganga. It may be in our head or a supernatural power that makes us feel emotions. For spiritual reasons, Varanasi is peaceful.
The Spiritual Spectrum of Varanasi
Superstitions from their birthtime they practise yoga and Follow all the Hindu tradition. They believe that the land of Shiva helps them attain “Moksha”. The fact that they believe Shiva is the Tribal head itself makes the difference. They consider Hindutva as a way of living just like most Indians do. An advantage of this mindset is that they won’t fall under religious superstitions. But still, there is some section of society that still believes in every religion itself. Those are the real threats to any religion. The differences in these faces are evident in Varanasi. Even the faces it was so hard to focus on composition when the eyes were sharp enough to pierce the photographer’s heart. Sadhus of religion itself. Those are the real threats to any religion. The differences in these faces are evident in Varanasi. Even the faces of children speak a thousand words. It was so much hard to focus in composition when the eyes were sharp enough to pierce the photographers heart..
Copyrights: All the photos and text in this post are copyright of Benson K Thomas, Kozhikode and Creative Hut Institute of Photography and Film. Their reproduction, full or part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of rightful owners.
