What I Feel When I Photo-Walk

There are too many power stations in my life. I lived in the Tata Power Company’s Colony for almost three decades and have seen all their power stations. And now here I am in London where they have converted Tate Power Station into a museum. Readers of this blog would have read my posts on Tate Museum.

When we decided to go to Battersea Power Station, I wondered why England was converting all their power stations into museums or malls.

This is what the Battersea Power Station says, ‘a place for locals, tourists and residents to enjoy a unique blend of over 150 shops, bars, restaurants, leisure and entertainment venues, parks and historical spaces. A place to shop, eat, drink, live, work and play; here life doesn’t feel ordinary, it feels extraordinary.’

It is not an overstatement. Noticed the Chimney which is kept intact? They have kept the structure and built the mall within it. There is a ‘chimney lift’ which can take you to the top and give a panoramic view of London.

And you must love your city to create structures like Battersea Mall and Tate Museum. In Mumbai we lost great opportunity when Textile Mills were pulled down by greedy developers aided by political leaders. A well carved out space – from an industry – within ‘Aamchi Mumbai’ is unthinkable.

Jaane do! We have our things to be proud of. One of them is temples. I visited the Sri Mahalakshmi Temple at East Ham, London. Here you can find Lord Shiva and Lord Venkateswara both under the same roof! This is a bit unthinkable in the southern part of India. Lot of things change when you leave the shores of your Matrubhumi!

There are restaurants serving good South Indian food. The photograph above tells us the unmistakable impact of India at East Ham, London.

I went to see my cousin who is fond of her grandchildren. Like her, I am fond of my grandchildren. This sign on her door declared her intentions and love. I liked it, so I clicked it.

When I go out for my long walk, I keep my mobile phone ready to click and capture interesting moments. Mostly it is street photography, I have often mentioned street photography in my blogs.

I was walking down the road when I saw a young man waiting to cross the road. And presumably a lady at the other end wanted to cross the road too, but in opposite direction. The situation amused me.

Who will cross the road first to meet the other person? This is a dilemma we face when we experience a conflict. Both wish to resolve a conflict but ‘speaking’ first does not come easily. Certainly not to me, I confess.

This is one of the photographs I like. I clicked it hurriedly, I was afraid that the pigeons would fly away. A young woman is clicking photos, and the two pigeons are watching!

At Kalyan where I stayed for 17 years, there was a school very close to my home. I would watch young mothers bring their children to the school. This situation presents variations. A mother and child duo can be seen chatting which is the most pleasant sight to watch, sometimes they walk silently, each in his or her own world. And occasionally a child is crying with mothers ignoring it.

I saw this mother and child – note the soft toy in the hand – chatting all the way. They were happy. And me too, clicking a snap.

Diwali Festival is over, and it is time to return to Mumbai. Places will change and each new place will boost my passion for photography.

Vivek S Patwardhan

What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others/ All work copyrighted.