Authors: Ben Ruhe
Date Submitted: May 31, 2001
Article Type: Journal

For the first time in 144 years the stars were correctly aligned, so the six-week Kumba Mela festival at Allahabad, India, early this year was quite special. Millions of Indians turned out to honor a spot where the god Krishna spilled a drop of holy water on his flight away from demons. By bathing in the water at this confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers, Hindus washed away their sins and received great spiritual sustenance. The photograph was made from a kite by Nico Chorier of Montpellier, France. It is a perfect example of the value of such photography, since, unlike helicopters and airplanes, a kite is not intrusive and can record such a scene without creating the slightest disturbance. In fact, the flight of the kite might itself be seen as a kind of religious gesture—a symbolic meeting of heaven and earth.

PDF Link: Journal Issue