Oldness in Two by Ryszard Wierzbicki

Bodh Gaya is the birthplace of Buddhism. About 2,500 years ago, Prince Siddhartha Gautama (born in 566 BCE) sat down under a pipal tree here and received the enlightenment that would inspire one of the world’s great religions. Not far from Bodh Gaya, there are Dungeswari Hills where Lord Buddha practiced extreme asceticism in his search for enlightenment. It is said that at one stage he resembled a living skeleton, so extreme were his ascetic practices until he realized the Middle Way. The Holiness of Bodh Gaya as an enlightened place is now in contradiction with the poverty and misery of the surrounding area. The elderly couple in this photograph titled “Oldness in Two”, whom I met in the neighborhood of the cave where Buddha Siddharta spent 6 years in meditation.

Award Winner: Photo of the Day | January 28
Award Score: 64 (Value 12, Clarity 11, Composition 17, Style 12, Skill 12)
Photo of the Day Award Category: Candid Photography
Photograph Location: Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India

Photographer: Ryszard Wierzbicki (Swindon, United Kingdom) Registered
Ryszard Wierzbicki was born in 1963. Graduated with a Master degree of Social Sciences in Children Care Education from University of Gdańsk in 1992 in Poland. He worked in an orphanage and four other companies, going through positions of Educator, Marketing Specialist and Sales & Marketing Manager in various branches (child care, dentistry, orthodontics and IT). Apart of his regular jobs he continued developing his Scuba Diving qualification resulted of an instructor level in PADI. Emigrated to UK in 2006, from where he started his real traveling & photography experience and exploration of South-East Asia. Volunteering occasionally with Stu and the Kids charity organization of Thai and Burmese Orphans (stuandthekids.org). Established 2 forums for active travelers and photographers named Instant Travelling (instanttravelling.ning.com) and World Around (worldaround.pl) in 2010. Changed an ironed suit and laptop for cargo trousers, hoodie jacket, knapsack and started to manage freely the passion of photography, traveling and scuba diving.

Website: http://ryszardwierzbicki.com
Website: http://instanttravelling.ning.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryszard1963