India (December, 2016) – I was excited to return to Varanasi; on my second visit we arranged several boat rides, the first to view the evening Aarti spectacle from beyond the sacred shore. It was the first Hindu ritual that I have encountered that felt more like watching a highly choreographed dance performance, versus a communal religious prayer (at the steps of mother Ganga, no less). In the end the cold and humid boat ride at twilight was the peak of the evening mission.
