Sons of Ganga

Sons of Ganga chronicles life unfolding on the banks of the Ganges in the city of Varanasi, India.

The Ganges River is the most holy of rivers in India. She is Ganga, the mother goddess, said to flow from the toe of Vishnu, the Provider.

In Varanasi, the ancient city on the banks of the Ganges, the river is an intrinsic part of spiritual life for Hindus - bathing in the Mother allows one to wash away the sins of lifetimes. The dead are cremated on its ghats, their ashes returned to Mother Ganga, their souls released from moksha, the cycle of rebirth.

Yet, there are also more pragmatic purposes to the Ganges - its water is used by countless dhobi wallahs who wash sheets and garments on its banks; boatmen ply its surface taking pilgrims and tourists from ghat to ghat, the locals wash, bathe and swim in her, and, ultimately, she becomes the repository for every piece of refuse, sewage and waste that comes from human and animal habitation of the city.

The Ganges at Varanasi is so heavily polluted that its waters are septic. Data collected reveals that there are 1.5 million faecal coliform bacteria per 100ml of water, where the amount for safe bathing should be less than 500. Undeterred by such facts, the people of Varanasi continue to bathe in the Ganges, to devote their prayers to her, and to use her banks and her ghats to enact puja (prayer) and to venerate her.

I visited Varanasi in November 2008 and was immediately struck by its contrasts: when you stand on the ghats overlooking the Ganges, a tremendous sense of calm and serenity settles upon you. Yet, just metres ahead, men and women splash in the turbid waters of the river, seeking to cleanse themselves of physical and spiritual stains. Behind, large cattle low and defecate on the steps, while touts linger within ear shot, spiels at the ready. The air is heavy with the acrid smell of smoke from the funeral pyres of Manikarnika Ghat. The hubbub of life by the river is suddenly broken by the ringing of bells and chanting as another corpse, swathed in marigold, is borne towards the burning ghat, where it will be immersed in the Ganges before it is ceremonially immolated.

I walked the ghats and explored the alleyways of the old city. I sat down, waited and was invited to photograph inside akharas on the banks of the river. I conversed with a retired banker on an evening stroll by the river, a boatman who lived in a shack on the ghats, children who wanted to be photograph and then asked for baksheesh in recompense, Shaivites who prayed and bathed in the river and a band of young men who washed in the river, exercised in the akhara before heading out to their work in various IT and business companies in the city.

Sons of Ganga will be on exhibition from March 13 - 31, as part of the FotoFreo 2010 Fringe Festival.

Exhibition venue:

The Cracked Gallery
Behind the Monkey: 479 Beaufort Street, Highgate
Opening hours: Mon-Sat: 10am - 5.30pm; Sun: 11am - 4pm.

Sons of Ganga is proudly presented and supported by:

Selection of preview images