Stolen moments

I frequently hear a clamouring scream from within to break out from my frazzled routine and layers of florid world around me and grasp at something real. I love to explore circus of life with my camera, apprehending quiet interludes with complete strangers. The experience invariably unfolds fascinating, valuable and inspiring stories about people, human nature and life in general. 

I am not a trained photographer with formal education in photography. However, every outing with my camera has enriched me immensely and made some lasting impressions helping me change, grow and evolve as a person and that is the reason why I can't stay away from my camera for long! 

It has been quite a while since I went for photo shoot and off-lately have been sulking in "I can never be a good photographer" mode. The feeling gets enhanced when failed hours of absolute rubbish work gives huge dent to my fragile ego and leaves me deeply humbled. That is precisely how I felt last evening, while going through all my photography albums. Interestingly, a few photographs captured my attention instantly and I was reminded of the stories linked with them. 

It is amazing how each photograph reveals a story! While taking photographs of people my beautiful eyes pierce through the cold horizons of their eyes and scout for something more. I have to keep a watchful eye on those fleeting moments when my subjects allow return of their reality for a brief moment, bereft of any guards. Within those few seconds or fraction of second  lies a challenge to understand, feel and capture gravity of their emotions and get essence of their spirit. Once that is attained, there is nothing more rewarding than being able to capture genuineness of the subjects' being.

The Joker

I spotted this gentleman crowded by dozens of children wanting to take a picture with him. He obliged everyone gleefully but the moment an interesting event for the children was announced, he was deserted without even being thanked by many. Looking at him, posing with big smile, laughing loud, tickling toddlers and entertaining everyone around with his remarkable tricks, I thought, would he be as happy in his real life too? And there came a moment when I saw him contemplating about something, the only time I could not see any joy on his face! 

A man playing lord Shiva, sans the snake 

This man's worried eyes were in search of the crowd that would stop and see his show. Many people brushed past him, barely stopping. The more he felt rejected the more restless and aggressive he looked. Post two cigarettes and a cup of tea in short span, his eyes gleamed when he spotted his partner with a fake snake that was required to be worn around his neck while performing. Choicest of abuses were hurled at his partner for arriving late and before he got into the character of Lord Shiva and opened his third eye, I fled and saved myself from the fury.

A toys seller

This toys seller and her family are a permanent fixture at Kala Ghoda. Like it happens with millions of people living on the streets of Mumbai, this girl has learnt very early in life that harbouring any ambition or dream is futile. However, when a group of uber cool teenage kids, slightly younger than her got down from a swanky car, passed by her with indifference and entered the gelato shop nearby, her face suddenly became dull and there was a hint of angst that surfaced for few moments. She did not have time to feel jolted by the experience as she was instantly drawn back to her world where her three siblings were fighting, creating a scene, again. 

Child folk artist from group of Rajashtani performers

A child artist from the troop of Rajasthani folk artists looked exhausted and very sleepy. He was often seen yawning during the performance and was the only member that looked out of place. Was he forced to join the group? May be all he wanted to do was play cricket with his pals at home, who knows? 

Group of  Rajasthani artists waiting for the performance to begin

There was still time for the show of this group to begin. Unperturbed by the increasing commotion around them, these folk artists were seen sharing bidis, laughing at the urban crowd and the blatant cultural difference that juxtaposed two uniquely different worlds. The business was brisk with generous tips coming their way and they looked bit relieved. It was difficult to judge if all days were as easy for their survival. Despite having received great admiration and appreciation the older group members kept aloof! 

Random moments of Zen

One of the most fascinating things about life is how some random incidents reveal insights that enhance our perception about people and life in general. Sometimes, these incidents compel us to visit unknown realms in our minds. The greatest reward of such beautiful moments is when one's nurtured energies find space for contemplation that translates into life changing experiences. Few days back, I happened to have such experience that took my breath away. 

I was very exhausted by hair tearing moments while being stuck in the traffic, cursing my past life karma and seriously contemplating if there was any possibility of atonement. The vehicles barely moved a few inches every time the signal was green and I was feeling furious, helpless and almost in tears thinking about how much travel I still had to complete. 

Just then, a tall lanky figure in barely a loin cloth emerged near the car ahead of me. A man in his late thirties, a beggar from across the street, carrying a chubby kid on his shoulders was trying to cross the road. There was something primitively beautiful and enigmatic about him. His solemn walk and the joyful conversation with the kid had esoteric quality to it. Despite his dirty body that was perhaps not washed for quite some time, he came across as portrait of purity and radiance that emanated from him. (Remember the kind of halo that the books talk about while describing holy men?) The moment I saw him with his kid being completely soaked in their own bliss, I forgot about everything around me instantly!      

The flood of emotions I felt while experiencing it is beyond realm of words! Here was a man, who did not know from where his next meal would arrive, walking as if he owned this world. I was in such awe for those brief moments that when my eyes met his beautiful, serenely calm eyes I could feel God! It took me quite a while to realize that the man had already left and the people from the vehicles around me were cursing me for not moving my car.

I was in deep contemplative mood after that incident wondering how life is not all about wide eyed glares and wistful glances. There are open and much playful little moments to this long, unending scroll of floating world, a lyrical stream of tenderness running through life right amidst the chaos and cacophony. There are several moments that offer vismaya, that elevating sense of wonder our scriptures talk about. All I need to do is just embrace these simple, poignant moments.  

My only regret during this incident was not having my camera with me but some incidents/images/people are etched forever in your heart and the fakir like man that I saw is one of them. 

An inconvenient truth

Whenever I start writing on any serious topic, there is a voice in my head that says, "There are so many beautiful things to write about, why I am writing on serious political issues?" I listen to that voice many times but some events leave me overwhelmingly outraged, vilified and suffocated. Agreed, politics is not my forte but as a citizen of this great country I am compelled to write about issues that can be no more ignored conveniently, no matter how inconvenient the truth sounds.  

Last week in Mumbai, Raza Academy (an organization working for promotion of Islamic culture) organized a protest to condemn the alleged attacks on Muslim in Assam and Myanmar. Sunni Jamaitul Ulma, Jamat-e-Raza-e-Mustafa, Avami Vikas Party and several other Muslim organizations also supported the protest. Interestingly, within minutes of the protests, people from media and police were attacked and public property was damaged by rowdy protesters. With such lunatics at large, security of people became a challenge leaving many seriously injured and two people dead. I wonder where the so called "secular" leaders  who have always thrived on appeasement politics, were when these fundamentalist hooligans were threatening law and order. 

Frankly, I am always jittery over anyone/group/ that claims to be a voice of community/group/nation, articulating well-crafted rhetoric! I am yet to understand if such protests lead to any alternate suggestions/answers in constructive ways. Wearing black badges and converging to Azad Maidan, the Muslim protesters expressed concern over alleged massacre of people from their community. I am curious to know their stand on issues of Kashmiri Pandits being massacred and thrown out of Kashmir from their legal, legitimate homes. 

Nothing can justify violence and human rights violation. Ironically, we are not perturbed by rampant abuse of human rights as nation but our "sentiments" are easily ruffled by non-issues that stir up to the extent of creating civil unrest to meet political agendas!

The significant human rights violation in Assam over the decades is compelling evidence of violence emerging from suppressed anger, injustice, mindless greed, filthy power games, administrative lethargy and all that resulting in deeply ingrained hatred, suspicion and hostility. The tragic predicament of Bodo community is mainly caused by illegal immigration of Bangladeshi Muslims who not only snatched their lands but have become very dominant in past few years threatening the very survival and also diluting cultural and social identity of Bodo community. Sad, the ruling parties in the state have not seen underlying threat these immigrants have posed to political, economic, cultural and social well-being of our country. 

Why does our past and present always have to remain in conflict? How many more decades  are we going to still choose to be imprisoned by useless rage and damnation? It is time for reconciliation on our blunders of epic proportion that made our country suffer dearly. I know, the ethos of such framework is never a simple black and white solution. Compassion and re-conciliation can be our guiding lessons to move forward but before we think on that line, we need to quell the disruptive forces in mediation of who we truly wish to be as country. Unless we do this exercise with utmost honesty and conviction, the rhetoric of a "great democracy" is "in deep s**t"!

This 15th August, when we buy those tiny Indian flags from the kids at traffic signal and feel great about being patriotic enough, let us not forget that many lives are being lost in silent desperation and somewhere down the line we have knowingly or unknowingly contributed to the mess by being comfortably silent! 

Let there be light lord, please!

What an eventful week! A series of events that happened last week made me search for some touchstones to preserve my optimism and keep my faith in goodness and hope, intact! Pardon me for not focusing on only one issue in this article. These are matters of great concern for any responsible citizen of India, hence this post.

Let there be light!

What shocked nation last week was our historic National Grid failure! Millions of Indians were in complete darkness and powerless due to failure in National Grid. Not once but twice almost half the nation was coerced into obscure isolation. It is almost one week but the concerned ministry has been too busy in blame game to apologize for its blunder. The irony is, the minister for energy Mr. Sushilkumar Shinde was promoted to home ministry on the same day! 

A nation that is raring to be a super power, a nation that is fuelled by world class ability and ambition of its enterprising young generation that consist more than half of its population, a nation with global recognition for being a powerful country to watch for from emerging markets, fails to provide basic utility like electricity to its people! Sounds bizarre, doesn't it? That happens only in India! 

Unless we have political will to take serious measures to bridge the yawning gap between ever increasing demand and supply of energy, there is no ray of hope for finding solution to this issue. There is a lesson to be learnt from state of Gujarat that changed the scene of entire state thanks to its very efficient energy production and management. It is indeed a great example of how good governance can make great difference. (I don't have any political affiliations).

Yet another blunder by Mr. Anna Hazare and his team  

At Jantar Mantar in Delhi, in yet another drama Mr.Anna Hazare and his team's conflicting ideologies were exposed. I have always had doubts about this "movement" against corruption and have expressed them in my previous articles. At Jantar Mantar, Anna Hazare's team came out with its deeply cherished ambition of entering politics. Sadly, most Indians failed to see the motive behind all the melodrama created by this team under the disguise of "movement" right from the day of its inception. The HUGE divide is emerging with the announcement of Anna's team entering politics. 

I don't nurse any personal grouse against Mr. Anna Hazare but have always questioned his methods. Fighting for corruption is great cause but that does not mean one holds entire nation ransom and stalls governance. With individual ambitions becoming more prominent in Anna's team and number of supporters deserting him it remains to be seen how Mr. Anna Hazare's team and his "movement" fares. I am done with his circus long back!

Resurgence of Violence in Assam 

Past few days, country has witnessed violence in Assam that has claimed many innocent lives and looking at the heart wrenching pictures one wonders if there would ever be end to these mindless killings. Would the government ever pay attention to North Eastern states and resolve its issues?

Inhumanly cruel parents 

In one of the most shocking news, heinous acts of cruelty by parents towards their own child were brought to light! I just can't comprehend such unforgivable crime caused by "educated" parent. Reading details about torture on Shaurya, I felt NUMB. What are we becoming as society?

Ray of hope

Only great news last week that brought smile was the medals that were won at the Olympics at London. I hope those victories encourage our cricket obsessed nation to consider other sports and respect them equally. 

A lot can happen over coffee!

Sometimes, things just don't go as planned, transpiring some unforeseen events. Last week provided one such occasion when I got to witness something very interesting! 

It was one of my regular sojourns to art exhibitions at Kala Ghoda, where I usually spend entire day visiting every possible art gallery in the vicinity. It looked as if it was going to drizzle but despite having umbrella, I was caught unprepared by heavy rains drenching me completely. The down-pour made it difficult to continue walking towards the gallery amidst the chaos of traffic and loud noises. I rushed to the nearby coffee shop hoping to get some warmth in its cozy environs. Fortunately, I had entered the coffee shop just in time as soon, it started to get crowded.

Being little shy when it comes to going alone to coffee shops and restaurants, I bury my head in a book that helps me divert my mind. Once I am in comfort zone, it is fun observing life around me. So, there I was, silently witnessing scenes that unfolded around me.

A teenage girl at the adjoining table was busy over phone arguing about something and not a single sentence was complete without swear words. She had such lovely eyes that looked honest. 

A lady in her fifties was with a young girl, vehemently trying to persuade her against getting into any relationship. There was something about her energy that conveyed she had experienced some bitterness in life.

At the far end corner was a very old Parsi couple, enjoying coffee and being engrossed in conversation. They were so completely lost in each other and their beautiful aura was a proof of a life lived very well. Looking at their divine bond of companionship, I reminded myself "that is how I would like to age with hubby."

On other table, a handsome man with salt and pepper head, wearing classy white linen and jeans (what a heady concoction! D) was busy with a formal meeting. He looked very serious and I was so tempted to approach him and say "it is okay to smile!"

There entered a couple holding hands and cooing softly. Once they were seated, their public display of affection started attracting some attention and laughter. The woman received a call but she had problem with the network so she left the table and got busy over phone. The man quickly made a call and said, “I miss you too baby! You know how crazy my work is. I promise, I will make it up to you next time we meet. Love you sweetheart.“

On the table next to mine, an obese woman with two kids tugging along had landed triumphantly. Her hands were full with lot shopping bags, cell phone and a bulky bag. There was something very sweet about her face. Interestingly, the moment she received her coffee and snacks she transformed into completely different person. Her two kids seized to exist for her and so did the entire universe. Once she was done with her food, she looked around and called her boys and asked, "We are getting late. What do you want to eat?"

Wherever there are people, there are stories! Each person has a tale to tell. A few moments can sometimes open up myriad tales. Some stories have interesting beginning middle and end while some stories have lost the main plot. Some stories are in fragments, some are utterly happy from beginning to end and some completely hopeless. Stories full of love, laughter, pain, banality of daily grind, pressures of survival and endless human emotions unfold around us all the time in very interesting manners. It nice to see people, read them (WITHOUT intruding their personal space) watch them and sometimes see our own reflection in them! The experiences are strange, painful and yet so beautiful. No matter how temporary the encounters may last, they leave me overwhelmed.

Sometimes, stumbling upon a fragment of a completely unknown person can be eye opener. Albeit, there is a thin divide between assumptions and reality and the truth is evident only when one has known all the facets of the story. Nevertheless, such interludes at various places like airport, coffee shops, hotels, offices have always helped me understand life with different perspectives. No wonder, I am not much familiar with boredom!