Sachin Ghai describes Yamuna Ghat in Delhi, India, as his idea of a photographer’s paradise. “In winter, thousands of migratory birds circle the wooden row boats on the river,” he says. “During foggy, golden sunrises it makes for incredible images.”
For Ghai, travel photography is a passion, so he had orchestrated a short trip from his home in Nabha, Punjab. First, he had visited Agra, to capture the Taj Mahal. The next morning, he awoke before dawn to visit the Yamuna River. Despite being one of the most polluted bodies of water in the world, locals can be seen fishing while visitors take boat rides from the ghat, the name for the flight of stairs that leads to the water.
“In this image, the people on the boats are feeding the birds,” Ghai adds. “They call out ‘Aww, aww’ and the birds glide towards that spot, as if they instantly recognise the familiar call of kindness.”
While Ghai toyed with the option of converting the image to black and white, he eventually chose to retain the colour. “This version felt more real – the gleaming hues of sunrise blending with the mist, the birds moving across the pale sky,” he adds. “It held the soul of the morning.”
