As

As
I walk through
Rajasthan, a street barber shaves his customer’s beard
attentively. No need for a shop, his bag is hung on the wall and
his tools are laid out. The bearded man smiles at me in the
reflection of the misshapen mirror. Later I see a woman clad
top-to-toe in silver jewellery playing a game using chalk and
stones. People gather to watch her play against her opponent.

A chaiwala sells tea to passers-by. I buy a cup for 10 rupees –
it is the sweetest and most delicious tea I have ever tasted. Our
language barrier meant that all we could do was smile at one
another, but that was all we needed. He laughed, then I did, then
he laughed harder.

I walk towards the infamous ghats of Varanasi.
A sadhu – a holy man – is reclining peacefully on the banks of the
Ganges, the most sacred river for Hindus, his body smeared with
ash.

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