French woman's ‘brush' with peace and joy at Kashi ghats
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Varanasi: Wearing saffron robes, rudraksha necklace and tilak and holding a painting of Lord Shiva, Leah, a 29-year-old woman from France, chants 'Om Namah Shivaya' on the banks of Ganga in the city.
She has travelled to Varanasi in search of peace. She begins each morning visiting Ganga ghats and practising yoga and offers puja to Lord Shiva before starting to paint. Her art is her way of worshipping Lord Shiva.
It is Leah's first visit to the city and she has been staying in Pandey Ghat area for two months.
"Painting, too me, is like meditation and when I feel some emotion, I start to paint and the energy around influences on my painting," she told TOI.
From childhood, she had a passion for painting, which offers her solace and she expresses her devotion by incorporating Lord Shiva into her works. She also paints on the ghats of Kashi, remembering Lord Shiva. "It's a hobby. When I am not at work and when I travel, I paint," she said.
Employed as a chef in France, Leah was disturbed by religious extremism and seeking tranquillity, she came to Kashi. This is her first visit to Kashi, where she feels a unique sense of peace.
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"Kashi is where Lord Shiva bestows peace, liberation and happiness, a feeling I experienced firsthand," she said.
"I came here because I felt a call and had planned to stay for only a week, but I felt good here and decided to stay for longer. In France, I live with my father, who owns a restaurant. I will come back here in Nov and try to stay in the city for longer. It's a nice place and very comfortable to live in," she said, adding, "It's hard to explain how I feel in Varanasi. It's a feeling. As you enter the temples and as you walk on the ghats, you can feel an unusual energy.
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