The magazine of the photo-essay
May/June 2021 issue
“A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!”
Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film maker
Varanasi, the oldest city of India and its religious capital draws people in droves to partake in a communal prayer
ceremony - 'Ganga Aarti'. The fire, smoke, chanting, the dance-like flowing gestures of the young priests, against
the backdrop of the rising and setting sun on the banks of the Ganga river, cast a spell on the spectators.
For those spell-bound minutes, they forget all their daily travails, as they are swept up in the grand ode to the Gods
and the sacred Ganga river Goddess. For those precious minutes, we are all one. I'm no longer just the observer of
the ritual - I'm caught up in the spirit of oneness, this coming together, and that is the essence of my photoessay.
by Archana Kumar
