The

The
decision to travel to Northern
India was a somewhat intimidating one. It’s supposed to be the
most intense part of India; chaotic, noisy and overpowering.

But I was looking for a completely different world – and that is
what I got. There are many clichés, but main thing I experienced
was that Indian people are generally very curious. Once, my
girlfriend and I were standing on a train platform and seven men
formed a semi-circle around us, just staring. They didn’t mean to
be hostile – they were genuinely interested – but it was unnerving
and I worried about how I was going to capture good images amid all
the attention.

But after a while I learnt to let it wash over me and began
seeing the beauty in the madness. I experienced the kindness of the
people, whose spirituality is deeply rooted in a culture of
reincarnation. I became more confident and unfamiliar surroundings
took on a more nuanced reality.

Every person has a story, and there are people everywhere.
Legend has it that when the Hindu Goddess Sati died, her consort
Shiva cried so much and for so long that his tears created two holy
lakes. Around one of them, the city of Pushkar was built. The other
is at Ketaksha, which means “raining eyes” in Sanskrit. This is
just one of the magical stories I heard. Indians have their own way
of saying yes by shaking their head from side to side – and growing
moustaches, a symbol of power and a high social class. It’s these
little things that you start to appreciate once you delve a little
deeper.

India taught me even the most unknown places hide something
familiar. Cultures might be so diverse, but aren’t we all trying to
express the same thing? Managing to feel at home in a place so
different from what you know changes your world perspective.

Sometimes we feel a need to travel the lands and seas, but
eventually we go back to our homes and our families, wherever they
may be.

@yuriandries | www.yuriandries.be