Malhar Machi The Adventures of an Amateur Photographer
Now it can be told!
Needless to say, so far it was our untold story! When I retired six years ago, I struck a deal with my DW.
DW? You did not get it? Darling Wife. Oh, distraction, distraction. Coming back to the main story, I struck a deal with my DW.
The deal, a kinda magna carta if you like to call it so, was to give her three short holidays and one long holiday every year. Four in a year! Contemptuously called ‘quarterly honeymoon’ by those for whom the grapes are very sour! Never mind.
A dutiful husband will always keep his side of the bargain, and needless to say, I did. Yes, there was that unforeseen level of expenditure, a huge drain on resources, with money leaving my wallet faster than bullets leave a machine gun, which a retired man can only ill afford it, but there is something about honouring one’s word. It tells you so much about the person. Character I mean. And his class.
Readers of this blog are aware that this solemn commitment took me to many places. It took me to Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, Simla, Coorg, Kovalam, Kodaikanal to name a few.
‘Everything has a flip side’ as this man whose-name-is-on-the-tip-of-my-tongue has said, and I have realised that it is true. Compensating for loss of precious funds, was the opportunity to practise photography. I was quick to realise this and had always kept my camera handy.
So when DW declared that we will head for Malhar Machi, a resort near Mulshi in Pune District, I noted with pleasure that the opportunity had surfaced again.
Here are some snaps.
Do you see a face in the rocks? Do you think some adivasis tried their hands at this and inspired Borglum to do Mount Rushmore National Memorial in US? Anything is possible!
And I trained my camera on the birds. They were very restless. It’s very difficult to take their photographs. These restless birds must be spending time in corporate gardens of Pune before coming to relax in Malhar Machi.
There are some coincidences. When I go out to capture birds on my camera, I invariably seem to meet a reptile. I don’t want to, but I do. I met one here. Chameleon was sitting on a board. Waiting to be photographed. Just as Water Monitor and Water Dragon did. You will remember Water Monitor which I saw in Sri Lanka.
You will recall how I met another at Cairns in Australia. It wasn’t Water monitor there, it was Water Dragon!
And now came to meet me was a regular chameleon. The kind you see so often in your garden. But the coincidence is that all belong to class Reptilia and order Squamata!
There is something to synchronicity, right? Why do those reptiles come to meet me when I take DW out on a ‘quarterly holiday?’ Hmmm….
Didn’t get it?
Simple. It took me just a minute to solve this puzzle. Didn’t I tell you that it-was-this-man who said ‘Everything has a flip side?’ Reptiles did not come to see me. Why would they?
They must have come there to see my DW! Elementary, my dear Watson!!
Why? Why would the reptiles come to meet her?
Well there are theories and theroies, but the only possible and plausible theory is that my DW must be a ‘Nag-kanya!’
Like Sridevi in Nagina! What say you?
I hope she knows where the Nag-Mani is hidden. Well that will be another story!
Vivek
Wow!Your wife has a dutiful husband!! My mother's friend used to say "pichale janam me moti daan kiye the…..
Good to know that there is so much fun and adventure in retirement….
Nice photos Vivek, keep the blog and pictures coming
Nice.