Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly sequence wherein NPR’s worldwide correspondents share snapshots of moments from their lives and work world wide.
Banyan timber are my fixed companion as I journey in India. These timber sprawl out, sending down roots that develop from their branches like ropes that kids swing on. In each Hindu and Muslim areas, it is common to see oil lamps nestled in reverence on the tangle of banyan roots — the tree is seen as life-giving. Generally, there are strips of fabric fluttering off branches in hopes of prayers answered.
The timber are additionally shade-giving, like this one I noticed in late spring exterior Dingucha village within the western state of Gujarat. These males have been sitting fairly nonetheless within the late-afternoon warmth, catching a break subsequent to a stall that sells paan, a combination of floor betel nut and flavorings. The sunshine appeared sepia-toned — as if I would stepped into an previous {photograph} — and I started snapping. There was no such respite, although, for the stream of younger ladies I noticed strolling previous, balancing heavy pots of water on their heads — a grueling activity they’re typically anticipated to repeat a number of instances a day.
See extra photographs from world wide:
- Greetings from Khartoum, Sudan, the place these with the least provide their visitors essentially the most
- Greetings from Moscow, Russia, the place Lenin’s tomb attracts a brand new surge of tourists
- Greetings from New Delhi, India, the place performing monkeys spark delight — and ambivalence
- Greetings from Damascus, Syria, the place a crowded bar welcomed post-Assad revelers
- Greetings from Alishan, Taiwan, whose purple cypress forests provide timeless magnificence
- Greetings from Odesa, Ukraine, the place a Black Sea seashore presents respite from warfare
- Greetings from Shenyang, China, the place employees kind AI information in ‘Severance’-like methods
- Greetings from Palmyra, Syria, with its once-grand resort named for a warrior queen
- Greetings from Mexico Metropolis, the place these canine trip a bus to and from faculty
- Greetings from the Galápagos Islands, the place the blue-footed booby reveals its colours
- Greetings from Afrin, Syria, the place Kurds danced their hearts out to rejoice spring
- Greetings from Dharamshala, India, the place these Tibetan youngsters have been having one of the best time
