Greetings from Gujarat, India, where a banyan tree is a place for rest, prayers and play
Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR’s international correspondents share snapshots of moments from their lives and work around the world.
Banyan trees are my constant companion as I travel in India. These trees sprawl out, sending down roots that grow from their branches like ropes that children swing on. In both Hindu and Muslim areas, it’s not unusual to see oil lamps nestled in reverence at the tangle of banyan roots — the tree is seen as life-giving. Sometimes, there are strips of cloth fluttering off branches in hopes of prayers answered.
The trees are also shade-giving, like this one I saw in late spring outside Dingucha village in the western state of Gujarat. These men were sitting quite still in the late-afternoon heat, catching a break next to a stall that sells paan, a mixture of ground betel nut and flavorings. The light looked sepia-toned — as if I’d stepped into an old photograph — and I began snapping. There was no such respite, though, for the stream of young women I saw walking past, balancing heavy pots of water on their heads — a grueling task they’re sometimes expected to repeat several times a day.
See more photos from around the world:
- Greetings from Khartoum, Sudan, where those with the least offer their guests the most
- Greetings from Moscow, Russia, where Lenin’s tomb attracts a new surge of visitors
- Greetings from New Delhi, India, where performing monkeys spark delight — and ambivalence
- Greetings from Damascus, Syria, where a crowded bar welcomed post-Assad revelers
- Greetings from Alishan, Taiwan, whose red cypress forests offer timeless beauty
- Greetings from Odesa, Ukraine, where a Black Sea beach offers respite from war
- Greetings from Shenyang, China, where workers sort AI data in ‘Severance’-like ways
- Greetings from Palmyra, Syria, with its once-grand hotel named for a warrior queen
- Greetings from Mexico City, where these dogs ride a bus to and from school
- Greetings from the Galápagos Islands, where the blue-footed booby shows its colors
- Greetings from Afrin, Syria, where Kurds danced their hearts out to celebrate spring
- Greetings from Dharamshala, India, where these Tibetan kids were having the best time
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