"UNCLEEE, take my picture"

I'm 19, and I'm not used to being called "uncle", so i was pretty surprised when I realized I was the "uncle" being spoken of. It was around 6:30 pm and I had set out with my camera to take a few pictures to upload, when I came across a group of children playing cricket(like baseball, but cool) ,  and was reminded of my receding hairline.

The children who helped me come to terms with my age

I was caught totally off guard, not by them calling me uncle, but by their enthusiasm and lack of inhibitions. I was thinking about whether people would let me take pictures where I was going, but my question was answered less than  5 minutes after I left home.

A short walk past some vegetable vendors , slums and views of the sunset, I had arrived at my destination. Banganga, literally translated to “arrow ganga” is a hotbed of temples, street food and small temple related industry cose to my house. Legend has it, that when Lord Ram was at the spot, his wife Sita needed holy water for her prayers, so his brother, Laxman, shot an arrow into the ground creating a tributary of the Ganga river.

Today the tank, despite not being clean at all, is surrounded by temple on all four sides and is a sight to behold.  Something I noticed here today, that I never noticed before, is the number of people who rely on these temples and their visitors to make a living. Even at dusk, away from the buzz and crowds usually thronging to the area, the area was lively, with impromptu gatherings at the cigarette stores and food vendors discussing the elections, and who was getting whose vote. 

Among all the vendors, the one I found the most mesmerizing was the florist. Sitting inside a glorified closet, he was effortlessly braiding flowers in beautiful garlands to be offered to the gods. I also really wanted to get some of the street food, but fear of dysentery made me refrain. 

Today I got a healthy serving of happiness, perspective and sights I have never seen before, but the thing I'm really thankful for, is the new-found enthusiasm I have to find out more about my beautiful city

The sun sets over the arabian sea

 A Silhouette of Shiva's Temple

A vendor Braids Flowers to Sell Worshipers

The Street Lamps Reflected in The Tank

A Street Flanked By Clotheslines and Slums

Banganga

Another Sunset

A Proud Cat

A Street Food vendor and Two Curious customers