Turn around, see yourself where you see them

Waking up early in the morning would have been a task for me had I been anywhere else on the planet, but in merely two days, Varanasi’s early morning rituals had rubbed off on me and somehow I found myself up and about walking towards the ghats, once again. I had an image of the place in my head now, I could go back to it whenever I wanted to. Or so I thought. At 6 in the morning, just before sunrise, the ghats looked nothing like they did the day before. It was quiet and calm, I could see much more of it now, the river looked wider and the water looked cleaner. I was scared I would walk in and ruin the perfection of the sight.

The peaceful ganga, usually hushed ghats with only a speck of people taking morning dips and the sun just making a grand entrance, it was nothing short of an elaborate stage set.

With much effort on my part, I tore my eyes away from staring at everything with an open mouth and we were all packed into boats. After getting settled in o the far end of the boat, I took out my sketchpad and pens and looked up. I have to say, the sight was bewitching. It was nothing like anything I had ever seen before. Even though it was the same ghats, the same river, the same people and the same temples that I had been looking at and marvelling for the last two days, I was now looking at it from a different angle and perspective altogether. 

I don’t even mean it metaphorically, I was literally seeing it from a different angle. Now I was in the water, I was a part of the image I had in my head for so long. When you walk in the ghats, you become a part of the madness, the activities, the noises, the smells, everything becomes you and you become everything. You see the river next to you with its vast openness and it becomes your anchor, your safe haven in case you want some peace and quiet. One glance at the expansive, brilliant ganga and instantly you feel better.

It was a different experience to sketch out a view from the ganga of the temples and the ghats. after a beautiful, long boat right along the ghats I was mentally and physically exhausted. i knew I was done for the day even though it was barely mid afternoon by the time we were done. I had had my fill of the place and I knew my mind could accept and process only so much.