The Colors of India
Every picture tells a story. And when that image is taken by Steve McCurry, the story is especially compelling. Here the photographer focuses his lens on Rajasthan, where daily rituals have remained unchanged for centuries and even a simple veil is somehow bathed in magical hues.
By Paul Theroux
Hindus believe that through puja, a religious ritual with sacred offerings, they can communicate with the divine. The candles and marigolds these children sell will become floating gifts to the goddess Gunga Ma, known in the West as the Ganges River.Steve McCurry
A veiled woman carries a sack on her head. The print on her scarf is typical in the state of Rajasthan.PHOTO: Steve McCurry
Every spring, revelers across India playfully douse one another with colored water and throw gulal (a tinted powder) on friends and passersby to celebrate Holi, a Hindu festival.PHOTO: Steve McCurry
Two men play chess in Jodhpur's old city, a neighborhood of narrow, winding streets bordered by a six-mile-long wall. Many of the buildings are painted in shades of indigo, a hue once reserved for Brahmans (people of the highest caste), which is how Jodhpur came to be known as the Blue City.Steve McCurry
In Jodhpur, which lies at the edge of the Thar Desert, the start of monsoon season is marked by the Teej festival, two days of fasting and dancing in honor of the goddess Parvati and her husband, Lord Shiva.Steve McCurry
A young boy has his turban tied at the Rajasthani Shafa Shop, a hat store in Jodhpur.PHOTO: Steve McCurry
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