A friend of mine asked me to put this in the fullyhyd.com  blog, because she was not able to access my blog.So here it is.

Dreamy eyes

4.30 A.M., I was in the famous <strong>Babu ghat </strong>with my camera, to capture some of the moods and moments, while the people of Kolkata, gathered near the famous Ghat of Ganges to celebrate the auspicious occasion of Mahalaya (if you are interested in reading about the festival of Mahalaya,click this link). Not that I am a religious person, but still I enjoy visiting these religious gatherings, because these are the occasions where you get to meet people of different kinds, you come across moments which are sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes crude, and sometimes hilarious. One such religious gathering exposes you to so many dimensions of humanity and life , that you cannot help but get facinated to it.

So I was busy taking pictures, capturing moments of joy, suffering, ecstasy, hope and peace, while the wave of people infront of me were busy chanting morning prayers, singing devotinal songs,and preparing  for the sacred bath.
After two hours of continuous shooting I was bit tired, and sat on a bench to have a smoke. Suddenly I was this young boy, looking through the fence, while her mother was getting ready for the bath. I was really fascinated by those two dreamy eyes. What was he looking at.? Kids of his age were all playing around or looking at people rushing towards the Ganges with huge amount of curiosity. But his look was different. It seemed that he was totally indifferent to what was happening in and around him, gazing at the distant horizon, dreaming about something quite unusual of a boy of his age. I took the first snap just because of those two dreamy eyes.

Behind the fence

I finished my smoke, had a cup of tea, and again got busy taking pictures of people in different moods, people offering rituals, the mother dragging her unwilling son towards the river, middle aged men watching women changing dress after the bath. Suddenly I turned back  and saw this little boy standing alone holding the fense,gazing at the far-away crowd with those dreamy eyes.

The Journey

Poor boy! He did not have any idea about the duration of his wait.  There are thousands and thousands of people standing in the queue, and reaching the river itself takes at least one hour. I turned my camera, and could see group of people rushing towards the river gate, and the rest anxiously waiting for their turn.

In the sea of humanity

Once you enter through the gate you are lost in the sea of humanity, all waiting eagerly for the auspicious moment of taking a bath in the holy water. His mother is also among them,fighting her way towards the river,while being constantly pushed and pulled, felt and touched,by this hungry,fanatic,religious mass.

Where are you?

Two hours past, the boy was still waiting alone in the same place.His impatient eyes looking here and there.The dreams in his gaze were fading away soon!

The eyes became more and more impatient and restless as time passed by.

There she comes...

Suddenly there was a flash in his eyes, for a moment it seemed he found but again lost his mother in the distant crowd. Both the expressions were evident in his anxious eye. His hand went up in hope, he wanted to call her, but soon hope turned into despair.

The wait continues

His eyes got tired of looking.There was an expression of lost hope,furstration and sorrow.

Three hours past...

Now I too started worrying for this boy, it was almost three hours and her mother did not return. With that worry I left that place hoping, this boy will find his mother. On my way back I saw a similar picture in the distance.Another boy  waiting for some one,looking at the huge crowd below. How long is he waiting for?

hi everyone,

Sorry I could not keep my promise. I was suppose to put up the photo feature "Lost in the Crowd" yesterday night, but actually couldn