Brushing His Teeth
Ganges River
Varanasi, India
July 2015
This man lived on the banks of the Ganges River. I would see him every morning as I looked out , over my balcony. He spent his early mornings, preparing spiritual offerings which he sold to the bathers. In the late evening, he tucked himself up and slept on the steps.
One morning, as I am watching him, I hear the splashing of water. My neighbor on the next balcony is throwing his waste water over his balcony. Urine and fecal matter spill out and splatter on the ground, near this man. He doesn't flinch. He doesn't stop; he continues brushing his teeth. And I retreat to my room, repulsed by the moment.
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