For a girl, born to middle class working parents, the mid
90's wasn't the ideal time for entering the teens. Not at least in my part of geography;
the semi-urban modest township of Arah.
It was a time when dreams were in plenty, the wish-list
never ending and thanks to the beginning of the EMI era of then supposedly
shining India, the pocket money ever so scant. It always boiled down to, “you
are a big girl now and should take up the responsibilities”. And then it all
began.
With a humble earthen piggy-bank, that mother bought me to
encourage that golden middle-class value; a paisa saved is a paisa earnt. And save I did! Every penny I could squeeze
out of my pocket money, every ten rupee note given by those angelic relatives
who visited us on vacation, every five rupee note entitled to on Dushera and
Deewali, it all went in that ever hungry Piggy bank.
One day my younger brother
broke that piggy-bank trying to imitate Tendulkar’s lofted drive with his new
bat. And lo behold! It poured out five hundred
and ninety four rupees and fifty paise. A fortune so beautiful that my eyes
couldn't believe and a happiness so huge my heart just ached. “So what do you
want to do with it?” inquired my very much moved Dad. Buy me a camera, will
you? Please?
And that is how I got my first point and shoot. A KODAK. Real fancy stuff, for that time.
Chasing your dream all the while, craving it, fantasizing it
and living in daydreams is one thing and achieving it for real is entirely
different. Ok, you bought a camera but now what? It never occurred to me that it
will need films as well. And films didn't come that cheap. My Dad, the best
& most generous Dad I can imagine of; walked that extra mile, against all
pleadings and posturing of my Mom, and bought me two set of films. I was happy,
happier than ever before. And I clicked.
Click .. click.. trees, flowers, bee ,butterfly, crow, a
puppy ,a pumpkin, friends and even my
dad shaving and granny snoozing.
I couldn't sleep the whole night when my dad said tomorrow
the neighborhood studio will be giving the developed photos. I was the most
happening child in the colony entire Sunday morning when all the kids around
were waiting to see how my photos had turned up. Well, it turned out to be a
disaster!
It was on the 34th
click perhaps that I realized there is something called a cap that covers the lens
at the front and you remove it or not the peephole shows you what’s ahead and
the camera clicks, harmlessly without registering anything on the films. There
wasn't anything on the films except for my dad’s face half covered in shaving
foam and my granny taking her afternoon nap with her mouth wide open.
I was torn with anguish and grief and yet again the best dad
in the world came as the saving grace. He got the two photos printed and more
for salvaging my spirits then for their aesthetic appeal proudly displayed them
above the TV cabinet, the prime spot in our tiny living room.
It brings a smile to my face every time I think of it ,well
that was how it began,Arpna Photography .
http://www.arpna.photography/
http://www.arpna.photography/
