Kashi: A heaven for photographers.

Whenever Kashi is talked about, immediately we see the Ghats, the pure water of the river Ganga and the ancient alleyways of the city of Kashi. It is every photographers dream to go to Kashi to take photographs one day. It is indeed a rare opportunity to get to visit Kashi for photography. One will find a story every step of the way while wandering in Kashi. If you rotate 360 degrees in the middle of the road, you will get a better photograph and story each time. Throughout my travel, I have observed that you cannot fulfil your desire for photography regardless of the days that you spend there. I had been to Kashi in 2016 for photography and it was unlike anything that I have ever experienced. Kashi stands as a true testament to its greatness and diversity back since the ancient times. Tourists, pilgrims and saints travel from all around the world to congregate at Kashi to attain liberation for their ancestors which is also called as ‘Moksha’.

In order to attain liberation, one must learn how to detach themselves from worldly gains and understand the importance of maintaining a good demeanour. In Kashi, all of these things are taken care of and people come here to attain monkhood. I met an enormous number of people coming from very diverse walks of life. They explained their perspectives, opinions and the importance of Kashi and due to these personalities, I got the opportunity to witness Lord Shankar himself in them. Every photo I captured seemed to revive an old memory or story of that place in front of my eyes. I stayed in Kashi for 5 days. There is a stigma about crematoriums where people get goose bumps even if they are mentioned in a conversation, but I think that there are no purer places than crematoriums. I look at it as a place where people are completely rid of their pride and vanity and we can observe who they were in a very real sense. It is a place where a line is drawn between life and death. I stayed in such a crematorium for a total of three days. Of all the people I have seen in my life, I am the only one who I know who took the decision to photograph in a crematorium for three days straight. Although, everything I learnt in that period was the ultimate truth. Not only did I get the opportunity to stay at a place where I will be at my end, but I also enjoyed it. Every moment in the 5 days that I was at Kashi was spent being content and extremely self reflective. I believe photography enables you to appreciate the ups and downs in life. It allows you to comprehend difficult situations and how to get over them as well. My time in Kashi was spent photographing every place and sentiment I could with my complete attention. I am presenting these photos to you now. Every photo of Kashi has the ability to garner different emotions in everyone, and today I am expressing my feelings through my perspective of Kashi.