56 A Song for the Ganges
गंगा के लिए एक गीत
Varanasi |
India
Hindi
Behind the scenes
The stories and images of Varanasi in India left a strong impression on me, through the spiritual intensity of a place where daily life, prayer, and death seem to coexist naturally.
As I wrote this text, I imagined a simple scene at dawn on the banks of the Ganges: a woman walking down the steps to the sacred river, placing a small lamp on the water, and beginning to sing.
I do not understand her words, yet her song seems to connect everything around her: prayers, boats, children playing, and funeral pyres burning a little further away.
As if, on the banks of the Ganges, faith made it possible to embrace life and death within a single movement.
Echoes of the world
The text is written in Hindi, the most widely spoken language in India and one of the country’s official languages. It is written using the Devanagari script, recognizable by the horizontal line that connects the letters.
The word गंगा (Ganga), the Ganges, is pronounced roughly “gun-gaa.” The final vowel is elongated, and the sound carries a slight nasal quality, which is common in many Indian languages.
Another important word is घाट (ghat), the steps leading down to the river. The gh is pronounced with a soft breath, and the final t is produced with the tongue slightly curled back.
With just a few sounds, an entire world of gestures and faith can be evoked.
And you, have you ever been moved by a place’s spirituality without needing to understand it?
To reflect and capture your thoughts, turn to the dedicated pages in the book.
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