Moments In My Life, Happy and Otherwise

Here is the second edition of my photographic journal. My eyes have been searching for a photo opportunity for making of this journal.

The month began with a big event. About 150 managers from Asian Paints met at MCA Club. Some had worked for a short duration, others for a long duration, and the bonds which we developed while working remained strong. ‘Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days,’ said Doug Larson. How true!

I have been writing about those who lost their jobs some time ago and also about their trials and tribulations after the job loss till date. That subject has stayed in my mind, and I keep collecting stories.

When I saw a kite which had got stuck on a tree, it provided an image to the story! I stared for long at the scene – a kite stuck on a tree. Some kites have a brush with a branch of a tree but manage to untangle themselves and break free. Some get stuck there forever, that is their nemesis.

And how we project our thoughts and feelings on what we see! Amazing!!

Speaking of kites reminds me of my childhood and then of children whose childhood is snatched away by poverty. Children get pushed in to slavery – bonded labour.

And the man who rescued more than 2000 (yes, more than two thousand, no typo here) children out of slavery is Mr Shailendra Pol. He recently retired as the Additional Labour Commissioner. We had breakfast together. Long discussion on several topics ensued. It is a pleasure to interact with Mr Pol. His sensitivity to social issues brings out the best views on what needs to be done.

Mumbai Central is my favourite spot for quick clicks. Here is one where the porter was sitting on a pile of boxes. He was ‘on top of his work’! The work of lifting and shifting cargo is arduous, and the man must have earned his well-deserved rest.

And I noticed a porter pushing two handcarts. Both handcarts were empty, but he was pushing one and pulling the other. A rare sight. I hurriedly clicked. You do not get enough time to zoom in because the subject keeps moving. Nevertheless, it is not a bad effort, I submit.

And some photographs from my Nashik visit today.

I have always wanted to click a photograph of this little tunnel, the road under which goes to Mokhada and Jawhar. But if you take the first right turn you climb a mini-ghat and reach Ghatandevi mandir. There was an accident on the highway, so the traffic police asked us to take the Ghatandevi road. I clicked this as my car approached the tunnel.

The Godavari Ghat or Panchavati Ghat is where people come to take a dip in the river water to cleanse the sins. Some also perform the last rites of their dead relatives. People bathing in the river is a common though painful sight.

And I noticed a dog sitting at the entrance of the temple of Saturn (Shani). People cautiously entered the temple without disturbing the dog!

Life is like that! The most feared planet in the horoscope is Saturn. His seven and a half years of influence is about to begin for my Rashi. This will be my last ‘sadesati,’ or the last period of seven and a half years of influence. (He will again arrive twenty-two and a half years later but there is no chance that I will survive till then.) And there is a belief that Saturn parts with a gift in the last sadesati. I hope he gives me a latest mirrorless camera. Any suggestions?

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.