In contrast to the grand wedding I witnessed, I saw this couple in a tuk-tuk. Presumably heading home after their wedding. It was the wedding season in India because during the months of November and December, the weather is dry and perfect for weddings. We could also hear and see fireworks going off in different parts of the city from our hotel room and they were from the different weddings taking place all over the city.

The back story of this photo below was that we were in another tuk-tuk when I saw this pair of newly weds. It was the perfect photo opportunity for me so I whipped out my camera to take some shots. As you can see, the bride was rather coy and shy. It was a challenge to focus manually in low light and also, the constant rocking of the tuk-tuk did not help. When we stopped, they moved and vice versa. I tried a few shots which all turned out blurry and I knew I had to do something quick before I lost them to the traffic. In the end, I gave up and shot a short video clip of them before they indeed disappeared within seconds. This photo is a still taken from the video. I am glad I managed to capture this scene - one of the more memorable ones for me on this trip. Not a real 'photo' in a true sense of the word but I am happy I got the moment captured nonetheless.

With this, our 2 day trip to Varanasi came to a close. I would not hesitate to visit again just so I can take a walk along the ghats again.

By Kirk Westaway

中谷良一

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