An Evening by the Ghats of Haridwar

I reached Haridwar in the evening, just when the ghats were becoming alive.

There was sound everywhere: bells, chants, footsteps, shopkeepers calling people, and the river flowing through it all. Yet somehow, standing near the water, I felt calm.

I watched lamps float on the Ganga. Each one looked small, but together they made the river glow. People stood with folded hands, some with faith, some with hope, some maybe with pain they did not say aloud.

Haridwar felt crowded, but not empty. It carried emotion in every corner. That evening, I did not just see aarti. I saw how deeply people need places where they can leave something behind.