My unfinished photographs of Banaras

A city of wanderers, seekers, dreamers and believers.

May 25, 2024

A couple of years ago, I decided to visit a wildlife national park that is closest to the Banaras airport. I therefore decided to stop at Banaras city for a day. Banaras, also known as Varanasi, is located in the northern part of India and is regarded by the Hindus as the ultimate pilgrimage destination. I had heard stories about how spiritualism is woven into the everyday life of the city. Since I was in transit and had very less time in the city, I decided to take a boat ride on the river Ganga or Ganges. In fact, Banaras is an important site for pilgrims because it is built on the banks of the sacred river Ganges and is dotted with several temples, big and small.

I was keen on seeing the famous ghats of Banaras as well as the city view from a boat. The term “ghats” refers to those parts of the city that have a flight of steps leading down to the river. It was freezing cold at the time of the year I was in Banaras, but that did not deter me. As we started the boat ride, I was totally taken in by what was unfolding before me. I saw a beautiful city that was a blend of spirituality and cultural richness. Moreover, photographing from the boat gave me a distinct perspective that I thought would not be possible from the land.

Do you know of any city where you can find wanderers, seekers, dreamers and believers together? Banaras is one such place! People gather at the banks of the Ganges to bathe, pray, meditate, and perform rituals. Amidst the serene atmosphere there is busy activity. And that’s what makes it very striking. On many of the ghats one finds delightful graffiti, holy men sitting around among the public and children playing around. Can you imagine a city that is marked by both chaos and order? Banaras gets its chaos from the bustling streets, crowded ghats, tourists from all over the world contrasting with the order of the rituals and the stillness of the serene Ganga. This unique combination gives the city a certain timelessness and an old-world charm.

With the beautiful migratory birds accompanying us we came close to the ghat where Hindus cremate their loved ones. The ghat is specially designed for this purpose. To see a place where life and death coexist brought in moments of silence and melancholy. The contrast of human emotions of happiness on other ghats and the sadness on this particular one was both stark and humbling. But then I was in the city of salvation and this was the reality of the moment. It’s a belief that Banaras liberates you from the cycle of life and death.

The boat ride started as a tour of sorts but when it ended, something about Banaras had touched my soul. I was reminded of the great Indian photographer Raghu Rai (member of Magnum Photos) who conducts photography workshops in Banaras and considers it as a photographer’s paradise. He has often said about the city that “Everything is experienced at once - the ghats, the streets, the faith, the temples, the river, the celebrations, man and beast, the burning bodies, all jostling for space in the same frame.”

At the end of the day, as I moved onwards to my destination, there was a feeling of an unfulfilled longing that I took with me. There was something about Banaras which is very attractive and has the power to hold your attention. I had not anticipated that I would succumb to the charm of this vibrant city. Even when I think of it now sometimes, I feel a strong pull to visit it again and just soak everything in as a person and as a photographer. One more time.