“Feast of Lights: A Banarasi Sunrise”

 

I walked in the direction of an impending sunrise,

from Gowdalia chowk to the Daswasmedha ghat,

past the Vishwanath Gali’s entrance starting life –

way before the rest of the arising eastern world.

 

Flower sellers tried to waiver my steady attention 

as I hastened on to celebrate in the feast of lights;

even as beggars flanking the path since predawn 

tried to steal my mind’s eye from a diffident Sun.

 

My vision dodged arched frames, flags, canopies

to detect the grey sky burst into streams of light –

which grew so intense as I watched their gleam,

till they erupted into fissures of tangerine delight.

 

Orange streaks of light spread diffusing grey sky,

as rituals of custom, religion, picked momentum;

past unflappable orange flags on pole lined ghats 

the fleets of boats stood guard – as Sun emerged.

 

Sun now decked in a silverlined orange turban –

bridegroom’s face glorious with the silken halo:

his lovelorn face took on a tangerine hued glow 

in lifting princess Ganga’s dark azure sari-hood. 

 

An orange feast of light announced to the world,

the royals – Sun and Ganges are now wedded: 

as men, women, turned to priests for ceremony –

hailing the couple, partaking love’s visual buffet.

 

PS: Please click on this youtube link to listen in and recreate the meditative mood I wrote this with: https://youtu.be/9WkvGRNIfDU

#banaras #varanasi #sunrise #ganges #wedding #love #poetry ##daswasmedhagjhat

28/02/22 — On the eve of Shiva Ratri, sharing a perspective of Shiva in the painting inspired by the thoughts below…Also that in all my creative pursuits I don’t have teachers, but I’m disciplined and self-taught…

“Self-control is strength. Calmness is mastery. You have to get to a point where your mood doesn’t shift based on the insignificant actions of someone else. Don’t allow others to control the direction of your life. Don’t allow your emotions to overpower your intelligence”

— Morgan Freeman.

Advertisement