“There are some parts of the world that, once visited, get into your heart and won’t go. For me, India is such a place. When I first visited, I was stunned by the richness of the land, by its lush beauty and exotic architecture, by its ability to overload the senses with the pure, concentrated intensity of its colors, smells, tastes, and sounds… I had been seeing the world in black & white and, when brought face-to-face with India, experienced everything re-rendered in brilliant technicolor.” ~ Keith Bellows, National Geographic Society

My close friend recently got married in India and I was thrilled from head to toe to be able to visit and be a part of their amazing celebration of Love. After landing in the airport, I stepped into a world of vibrant color, beautiful bright saris, compassionate people, deep spirituality, beeping horns, kind eyes, rickshaw madness, and dusty air, to a place that cultivates ‘santosha’ or inner contentment; India!  

India opens your eyes to an array of colors and vibrance that instantly create happiness and enchant the senses. I was thrown head first into sensory overload with tumbling rickshaw rides, constant horns, and close encounters with cows to slowly adjust and realize that amongst the ‘madness’ there is complete awareness and unconditional love in the eyes of the people I met on the streets of India. There are many lessons to be learned by the simplicity and kind hearted actions of the people I came in contact with. I appreciated each step down the somewhat dusty streets and soaked in the beauty at every glance.

A few of the shots below mark the beautiful start of my dear friends wedding celebration at Kirpal Ashram where the Bhog Sri Akhand Path Sahib took place in the vibrant tent. A quote that was given for the day was “Day and night we behold your beauty, Even the sun and moon marvel at your radiance.” – Sant Darshan Singh.

Outside the gates of the peaceful Ashram is a kaleidoscope of activity. There are fresh fruit vendors, tailors, sari and fabric stores, beauty salons, street food, jewelry stores, and countless options of shop fronts to walk into. I loved walking through Kamla Nagar with my camera shooting every angle of bustling activity that I could.