Ponto de Vista

The Kanwarias are a sight I remember well from my childhood in Delhi — dressed in orange, they walk to the Ganga from their villages and towns to collect holy water which they take back, without letting it touch the ground, in two vessels. Their numbers and reach has grown in the last few years as per this Frontline article. What I noticed was that the average age of the yatri is much lower AND they’re also a bit hipper. Instead of the usual jhola sling bag, many are carrying backpacks 🙂 Of course, the day I took this photo, a truck driver on the Gurgaon-Delhi highway ran over two Kanwarias who then abandoned all their nonviolent teachings and burned cars and such in retaliation.