Pic Post: from the streets and ghats of Varanasi

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elegant Varanasi...in the crowded noisy narrow streets, the man's well crafted stole and the women's burkha bordering the tattered rickshaw's canopy




also attended a traditional festival called 'budva mangal' that Varanasi people say is about 1000 years old and which has been revived thanks to the efforts of the late shehnai maestro, Ustad Bismillah Khan (did you read my obit on him?). while there are private efforts that I am told are held with more authentic style sitting in floats on the ganges while the masters of local classical music (of which there are several) played or sang, the audience sat also sat and cruised up and down the river...there is amazingly crafted beautiful dressing, showering of rose petals to show appreciation and a sense of festivity in celebrating the river and the music. the one I attended (bad pic here) was sponsored by the government, and hence had a mixture of some good music, some light classical bad stuff, loud noise and too much lighting and the float stayed stationary on the ghats!

From Recent-Pictures