Mango Vendor Passes Fruit at Prayagraj River Market

Low-hanging grey clouds hang over the Ganges in early spring, diffusing midday light across the water's surface. A wooden vendor boat drifts beside a stone fish counter, its wet planks reflecting the dull sky. The vendor, clad in a faded orange kurta, extends a woven basket filled with bright yellow mangoes toward a customer in a neighboring skiff. Ripples distort the reflection of the red clay counter and the green leaves atop the fruit stems. The transaction occurs over a narrow gap of water, where the rough texture of the vendor's hands presses against the smooth skin of the mangoes. One fruit rests on the rim of the basket, its stem pointing directly toward the rippling water.