Thursday, March 26, 2009

ENJOYING OPEN-AIR BATH - INDIAN STYLE !!

ON THE SHORE OF RIVERS, WATER-BODIES AND ROAD-SIDE TAPS !

As I have clicked many 'street' scenes, I have collected photos of otherwise unnoticed scenes.Like ablutions in streets and 'ghats'... sometimes in month of January ! These are not the occasions of mass-bathing on religious occasions , but, an every-day chore , where there is hardly any 'story'.

I have, so far, avoided clicking any woman taking bath in public. But, some of the male bathers I clicked deserve a second look. All these photos are clicked from a distance.Therefore , the quality of these shots are not great, but, the content is candid.

The first photo here is that of a boy in the open yard of St John's Church, Calcutta in a morning of January, 2009.Notice the broken bucket, attention he is receiving from the viewers and his being totally absorbed in the act !


The second photo is that of two 'mates' in overtly sexual postures. One of the mates is seen cleaning and stroking his crotch with both his hands, with his backside to the street ( and therefore away from my camera).The other person has a clear 'hard-on' and looks down at it in half-jest ! This photo was taken on a Sunday at BBD Bag this winter.

I discovered the small deity's position in Babughat ( on the Ganges,Calcutta ) while waiting for a Draft to be prepared in SBI's MainBranch in BBD Bag .Big men and young boys were swimming in the heat of April noon. We can see a vermilion-coloured 'Hanumanj' here. I have another photo of this location where we can see a 'Shiva-Linga' submerged in knee-deep water !


Here is a photo of a site of two mates again far-off from a 'ghat' . This is 500 yards from 'Kasto-Haarinee ghat' on the Ganges at Mungher,Bihar. The posture of the man applying soap standing comfortably on a stone appeared as if he was standing naked under a shower . He did not swim at all unlike his mate who finished his swim, dried himself and now ready to change his wet loin-cloth.

I was in a hurry and therefore could not do justice to this location. The river was cool and blue, simmering in the afternoon sun. Romantic with country-boats plying . Photos taken from a turret that rises from the shore to and beyond the level of the road, clearly 35-40'' from the river-bed.

Next is a photo of a man very shy about taking a dip.He was standing on the shore for a long-time whereas his friends were enjoying a swim in the Ganges.This is mid-day of January,2007. I went to a village in Murshibad district and was on my way to Katwa station, accompanied by my cousin. The location was ' Uddharanpurer Ghat'. at least 50' from river-bed.His red swim-wear and silver-chain quite noticeable even from a distance !



I end with with a photo of young swimmers, enjoying themselves in a June morning The location is a large water-body at Parnasree, Calcutta, where I stay.One point is very clear : the young persons in this photograph do have the privacy of bathrooms at their homes.

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