Aarti Lamps Reflected in Ganges Dawn

Brass oil lamps glow against the dim, pre-dawn sky, their flames flickering violently in the wind. The wet season air hangs heavy with a yellowish incense haze that softens the edges of the stone ghats. Water in the Ganges ripples rapidly, distorting the golden reflections into long, trembling streaks of light. Thick smoke curls upward, mixing with the mist as the first hints of nautical dawn filter through the cloister garden. Rough stone steps lead down to the dark river, where the firelight dances on the churning surface. at the edge is a single oil lamp tipping slightly on a wet ledge, its flame bending sharply in the gust.