A Pilgramage of Sorts

Devotee in the Hooghly at Dakshineswar Ganga Ghat, Leica M11 w/35mm Summilux

In February, I took another trip to India - my eighth to date. I spent more time in the Siliguri region, venturing further up into the Himalayas of West Bengal than I have previously. After making the long drive to Sikkim, it was unfortunate that I only spent one night before having to return. With some spare time on my hands, I opted for a flight to Kolkata to visit Dakshineswar Temple, Belur Math and the Vivekananda house. I have actually visited the first two on other trips, only before I knew who Ramakrishna was. Since then, I have started frequenting a temple here in Santa Barbara and becoming more aware of not only who Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda were/are, but why their teachings have become so important across the globe. I'm not going to get into explaining it all - too much to write and I'm not very qualified on the subject (though that's never stopped me before).

Dakshineswar at dusk, Leica M11 w/35mm Summilux

Looking back at my library, I have found dozens of images that depict Vivekananda and Ramakrishna in various cities around India. This time in Kolkata, I found icons of both these men everywhere. Perhaps partially because I was in the epicenter of their lives, or perhaps it was because I simply knew what I was seeing. Life is just funny like that. It's kind of like birds to a fourty year old; one day, you look around and suddenly realize they are everywhere. And so many kinds! And they all have different songs. And different behaviors. All this stuff. Right there, all along. Just took some time to see it properly.

2009, Vivekenanda in Vasai, Maharastra, shot with my trusty Canon 1Ds MarkII

2010, Somewhere on the outskirts of Mumbai, I think.

Speaking of seeing, I saw way too much in my first day or two in Kolkata - too much to see and process and photograph in the short time I had planned there. So I scrapped the rest of my plans and decided to just dive deeper into this historic city. For nearly a week, I wandered the city streets, mostly by foot, taking my time and shooting for the joy of it. I have so much work to go through and figure out what to do with - a ton of street portraits I'm really proud of. More on that to come.