The Cremation

torags

and the mourners

black mamba

Hey Rags,

I'm enjoying this latest trip you're on. These open cremations make quite an impact on me. I have a question: do the ashes from the burning bodies swirl around unrestricted or is there an effort made to confine them in some fashion? The whole practice seems a tad gruesome to me.

Another question: in a number of the scenes you shot, the waterways seem to be clogged with a tremendous amount of trash and garbage....is that situation widespread?

Keep up the good work,

Tom

torags

black mamba wrote: »

Hey Rags,

I'm enjoying this latest trip you're on. These open cremations make quite an impact on me. I have a question: do the ashes from the burning bodies swirl around unrestricted or is there an effort made to confine them in some fashion? The whole practice seems a tad gruesome to me.

Another question: in a number of the scenes you shot, the waterways seem to be clogged with a tremendous amount of trash and garbage....is that situation widespread?

Keep up the good work,

Tom

No restrictions on air, you're breathing the host. They are making an effort to build electric units, but being so tradition bound, I don't think they'll make an impact in the foreseeable future. Like you, they made an impact on me.

All the rivers are loaded with garbage. It used to be biodegradable, but now with plastic....

This shot was in Nepal. In India on the Ganges river where the religious rites are done, a dead body floated past our boat at night. Burials in the river for some castes are not unusual, the weights might have broke in this case. The next day, thousands were bathing in the same water for a religious ritual.

It's a different world and the cultural shock will stay with me a long time

BTW, in the post Sahdu times two, the powder on the subjects are the ashes from the crematorium (so they're wearing somebody)

Glad you enjoyed the shots