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‘The balloons made me smile but his expression made me stop’: Harivansh Verma’s best phone picture

While celebrating a religious festival on the banks of the Ganges, the Indian photographer captured the everyday struggle of a street vendor It had been a sacred day for Harivansh Verma. It was the evening of Ganga Dussehra, the major Hindu celebration and gathering along the banks of the Ganges. He was in the city of Haridwar, the location of Har Ki Pauri ghat, a holy riverbank. “Haridwar holds a lot of deeply spiritual memories for me and my family,” Verma says. “In Hinduism we believe taking a dip in the Ganges cleanses you of your sins. Devotees travel from across the country and the ritual baths go on continuously from sunrise until late into the night. The atmosphere is magnificent.” Continue reading...

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Why it mattersCulture

While celebrating a religious festival on the banks of the Ganges, the Indian photographer captured the everyday struggle of a street vendor It had been a sacred day for Harivansh Verma. It was the evening of Ganga Dussehra, the major Hindu celebration and gathering along the banks of the Ganges. He was in the city of Haridwar, the location of Har Ki Pauri ghat, a holy riverbank. “Haridwar holds a lot of deeply spiritual memories for me and my family,” Verma says. “In Hinduism we believe taking a dip in the Ganges cleanses you of your sins. Devotees travel from across the country and the ritual baths go on continuously from sunrise until late into the night. The atmosphere is magnificent.” Continue reading...

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What happened

According to The Guardian’s source item, ‘The balloons made me smile but his expression made me stop’: Harivansh Verma’s best phone picture, While celebrating a religious festival on the banks of the Ganges, the Indian photographer captured the everyday struggle of a street vendor It had been a sacred day for Harivansh Verma. It was the evening of Ganga Dussehra, the major Hindu celebration and gathering along the banks of the Ganges. He was in the city of Haridwar, the location of Har Ki Pauri ghat, a holy riverbank. “Haridwar holds a lot of deeply spiritual memories for me and my family,” Verma says. “In Hinduism we believe taking a dip in the Ganges cleanses you of your sins. Devotees travel from across the country and the ritual baths go on continuously from sunrise until late into the night. The atmosphere is magnificent.” Continue reading…

Context

The development sits in VINI’s Culture file for readers following arts, entertainment, fashion, film, music, celebrity, and the business of culture. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-09-12T10:00:31+00:00.

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Primary source: ‘The balloons made me smile but his expression made me stop’: Harivansh Verma’s best phone picture via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.

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