BLESSINGS IN HAMPI - HAMPI, INDIA

During my third trip to India, I stayed with a family in Hampi. One morning, Kavita's mother, an elderly woman bathes her five-day-old grandson, Shankar, beneath a palm tree. As she sang, I began photographing the scene from above.

On the sixth day after his birth, the baby’s mother, Kavita, invited me to witness the first blessings for her son. This traditional ritual, aimed at ensuring the baby's health and spiritual well-being, was an important family event. Inside their home, Kavita recited prayers as sandalwood incense smoke filled the room, purifying Shankar’s spirit. She applied a small dot of kajal to his forehead, tied black threads around his wrists and ankles to protect him from evil, and marked his tiny feet with white chalk, before covering him with rice powder.

I also witnessed the family dynamic, with Kavita’s husband caring for their two-year-old daughter, Ria, as he bathed her and attended to household tasks. The experience provided a window into the family’s daily life and their cultural traditions.