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Wood for cremation. Varanasi, originally uploaded by entrelec.

All around Manikarnika ghat is the wood business for the cremations. Different qualities are proposed, but even with the baddest, it's really a problem for many families.

Varanasi located on the West bank of the River Ganga in India, is often called the City of Death. According to Hindu belief it is said to be the most auspicious place to die and have one’s remains submersed in the river. Varanasi also known as holy city where hundreds of old and sick await death on this final outcrop of the mortal world. According to legend the city was founded by the hindu deity, Lord Siva around 5,000 years ago, thus making it one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in the country. It is one of the seven sacred cities of Hindus.

Jaggery factory2, originally uploaded by equilibriumart.

This is a traditional Indian jaggery factory, They are all outdoors and very, very rustic. They boil freshly extracted sugar cane juice in a huge vat, with a massive fire under the ground, in a kind of furnace. Then they hang it in large pouches to clean, and let the pure sugar drip through. Finally they cool it in a very wide flat pool where they stir it so it thickens, then lift out slabs to cool on a tarpaulin on the ground. If you eat it at this stage it is the best, then it hardens as it cools more. This photo captures the late afternoon sun through the steam coming off the vat - it was very atmospheric. Near Baraut, UP, India.

everyday Life, originally uploaded by randoment.

A peek into the everyday lives of the not-so-fortunate and the needy in India. Shown in this picture is a little Tea Stall in Noida, India, where Mukesh and his family sell tea and biscuits to office goers for a living.

Rural India, originally uploaded by randoment.

The family in the picture are farmers in bazpur, UP, India.
this is a glimpse of the lives of Rural Indians.
Despite of a strong hold in the global market, a fast pace in development, and a stable economy, poverty and suffering still continues to affect the Rural side of India.
What prevails though, is the Unconditional Hospitality, Warmth,Optimism and happiness which are the very foundations Indians are raised upon.

C O W - D U N G. Ramnagar, originally uploaded by Claude Renault.

Indian women putting up Cow Dung cakes to dry next to a mustard field in the village of Ramnagar. U.P.They use it as a fuel.