Published by World Of Cruising, UK

A journey through Assam on a Brahmaputra River cruise in the shadows of the Himalayas is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The Milky Way gleams in the clear night sky as my toes sink into the sand. I carefully carry the small piece of bamboo cane, topped with an oil-burning wick, down to the water’s edge. Then I crouch down and silently make a wish before floating my candle out into the darkness.

It’s a magical moment as I walk back to join the other passengers by the bonfire on the Brahmaputra sandbar and watch the snaking column of lights drifting along on the water. Slowly they change direction, their twinkling gradually growing dim before vanishing from view.

Inspired by the aarti ceremony that takes place at dusk on the banks of the Ganges, we are making an offering to an Indian deity; in this instance Brahma, the Hindu god of creation. “You never know which way the lights are going to go,’ explains our cruise director, Neena Morada. “It is different every time.”