From the Streets into the Home — Baba, Pandu & Ramayana
I met Baba when he collected me from Varanasi airport in April 2014.
On the way to my hotel, we agreed that he would drive me during my stay. Later that day he returned with his friend Jitendra Pandi, whom I knew as Pandu. Over the following days, the two of them became my companions as I explored Varanasi.
On April 19, Baba invited me to his home. The relationship that had begun with a taxi ride now brought me into his family's daily life.
Later, with Baba and Pandu, I went on to a household gathering for a reading of the Ramayana. There was sung recitation, musical accompaniment and food being prepared.
In my notebook that day, I wrote: “I have never experienced such a warm welcome.”
What began at the airport had brought me into a family home and then into another household's gathering. These photographs record the home visit along the way.