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A crowded ritual scene of devotees reaching hands toward large silver plates heaped with reddish-brown sacred material. A seated figure in a rust-red robe with a gold-bordered shawl and a long rudraksha-style bead mala touches the mound on the right with his hand, a red and gold sash across his body. Several men in white dhotis and orange-red shawls stand behind, and a woman in orange with a gold-bordered sari sits at the lower left. A laptop and water bottles are on the floor nearby, and a small blue-and-orange wrist band is visible. The scene resembles a blessing or distribution of consecrated material during a puja.

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May 24 20152015-05-24May 24 20152015-05-24A photograph of a ritual initiation in a hall. A seated figure in a rust-red robe with gold border and a long rudraksha mala holds a silver tray of folded red-brown cloth or leaf offerings and extends one to a kneeling woman in a rust-red top with a bindi and vibhuti on her forehead. Around them, standing devotees in white clothes with red-and-white checked shawls press their palms together in namaskar. A man in white on the left holds his hands together, and an older woman in a white sari with glasses sits nearby. The seated figure wears a small headset microphone and a gold-marked forehead. a person: the seated robed figure in saffron-orange with a gold-bordered robe, long beaded mala and ceremonial garland matches the presentation cues, though the appearance is only partly clear.2015-05-24A photograph of a seated ritual scene in a hall. On the right, a person in saffron-red robes with a gold-edged shawl, long rudraksha-style beaded necklace and gold tilak on the forehead sits on a brown chair with eyes closed, one hand raised toward a bowl. Beside them a bald young sannyasi in red and orange holds a shallow tray of red-brown offerings. On the left, a figure with a yellow-painted forehead touches the head of the bald devotee. Behind them, several devotees in white kurtas and red-and-white shawls with lanyards stand with hands folded, and an elderly woman with a yellow mark on her forehead stands among them. A small headset microphone is visible on the seated person.2015-05-24May 24 20152015-05-24A seated figure in a saffron-red robe with a gold-bordered orange shawl and a long beaded mala sits on a brown leather throne, offering or receiving red prasad from a large silver bowl held by a woman in a red sari. Around them devotees in white and red-saffron shawls stand and kneel in a hall with purple-lit wall panels. Several people wear red scarves; one woman kneels and reaches toward the bowl, and another woman in orange bends in. The seated figure has a shaved head with a tilak and has a distinctive mala, though the frame does not show enough to confirm identity; the role is a seated spiritual teacher distributing prasad.2015-05-24A seated woman in ochre-red robes with a gold-trimmed saffron shawl and a long rudraksha-style mala receives or hands out offerings during a ritual gathering. Her forehead bears a gold-yellow tilak and she wears a small headset microphone. Beside her a bald man in ochre robes and glasses leans over a large round tray heaped with reddish-brown sweets or offerings, while his hand reaches toward the tray. Behind them, women in white dress and red shawls and lanyards stand close together, some holding trays. A woman at left with yellow tilak extends her hand toward the scene. Several people are visible; the setting appears to be an indoor ceremonial event with a brown leather chair.2015-05-24May 24 20152015-05-24May 24 20152015-05-24May 24 20152015-05-24May 24 20152015-05-24A seated man in saffron-orange robes with a gold-bordered sash and a long rudraksha mala sits in a brown leather armchair, smiling and extending both arms toward a crowd. A white vibhuti or sandalwood mark is on his forehead, and a woman in a saffron blouse with a gold border kneels at the lower left beside a wooden table holding a silver bowl of red sticks. Around them, devotees in white and orange shawls press forward, some with palms joined, including an elderly woman in a green sari and a woman in a teal sari. The room is decorated in maroon and gold tones. The image is an archive photograph; the seated figure has distinctive long-hair and ornate-clothing cues in ceremonial setting, so this is a probable Swamiji (probable) presence receiving devotees, with the kneeling woman an attendant and the crowd devotees.2015-05-24