by Geoff | Apr 28, 2022 | India, Varanasi
My previous blog post described the role of the Karta at Manikarnika Ghat at Varanasi; the white cotton-clad males who lead the antyesti rituals on the ghats of Manikarnika, one of the most auspicious cremation sites in the Hindu world. Although moksha can be...
by Geoff | Apr 24, 2022 | India, Varanasi
The men with the white cotton clothes and the shaven heads are conspicuous amongst the sacred, infernal landscape of Mannikarnika Ghat, the most auspicious cremation site in the entire country of India. Often separated from family and friends, they sit upon piles of...
by Geoff | Apr 19, 2022 | FujiGFX50r, India, Morocco
Buying a new camera with a modern technological profile does not mean that you, as a photographer, have not been in a similar situation before. A camera is just essentially a hollow receptacle ( a box that captures light ), and the medium, although changing from...
by Geoff | Nov 2, 2021 | Somerset, Somerset Levels, UK
Landscapes are never static. They are in a state of constant flux and evolution. In and around the 2nd world war Weston Zoyland airfield on the Somerset Levels the metal and rubber of airplanes have been replaced by the metal of containers, detritus and machinery....
by Geoff | Aug 13, 2021 | Morocco
Flowers please the mind and grant prosperity. Hence, men with righteous deeds bestowed the name Sumana on them The Mahabharata book 13, Anusasana Parva Chapter 101, verses 19-21 Situated under the famous Howrah Bridge in Kolkata, the flower market is a riot of...
by Geoff | May 22, 2021 | India, Kolkata
Seven years ago I spent 2 months in Kolkata, arriving for the first time at the wonderful Howrah station, planning to take a taxi to my pre-booked hotel. Stepping outside the bustle and noise of the station I immediately saw that taking a taxi would not be wise; ...
by Geoff | Sep 26, 2020 | Morocco, Northern Africa, Tangier
One of the charms of visiting different cultures is exploring the hidden nooks and crannies and discovering areas of well used and tarnished, but living, cultural landscapes. One of those areas could once be found in the old harbour area of Tangiers, a centuries...
by Geoff | Feb 13, 2020 | Essaouira, Morocco
The Moroccan king Mohammed 6 visited Essaouira just a few weeks ago. This is a feature installed for that visit down near the docks. The words below are from the song The King Will Come recorded by Wishbone Ash. In the fire, the king will come. Thunder rolls, piper...
by Geoff | Feb 12, 2020 | Essaouira, Jewish, Juif, Medina, Mellah, Morocco
Mellahs across Morocco have become synonomous with urban decay, poverty and increased risk. There is nothing different about the Mellah in Essaouira. Although culturally rich it has become neglected and necrosed. Here are some photographs at dusk portraying some...
by Geoff | Feb 12, 2020 | Aisha Qandisha, Essaouira, Gnaoua, Hamadcha, Morocco, Moulay Idriss Zerhouna, Northern Africa, Ouezzane, Sherif, Shrine, Sufi, Wazzan, Zaouia
UNFINISHED POST We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time. Little Gidding T.S. Elliott It may seem incongruous to entitle a page about Islamic and African culture with...
