There are times when one gets tired of his or her favourite spots to click photos, but there are some spots which provide an endless stream of opportunities. For me it is the International Airport of Mumbai. The design, use of space, geometry of structures – everything is superlative.

Here are two I clicked there. This was near the Berger King shop.

In retrospect, I should have moved slightly to my right and gone on knees to get a better picture. All my afterthoughts. I get carried away when I recognize the opportunity to click a good picture. A good photographer must check his or her impulse.

I moved just twenty steps away and saw this in front of me. A long row of trolleys under the canopy of the airport. A bird on the trolley would have made a memorable shot, but there was no point in waiting for a bird to take its position.

And this group of street urchins was holding a conference under a bright streetlamp. That too at 8.30 pm. They cycled away soon. What did they discuss? We will never know. I envied them because at their age I was instructed to be at home before 7 pm. Our (meaning people of my generation) parents were born in 1901-1927 and they are called ‘World War II Generation.’ Not without reason that the spirit of discipline deeply influenced them. And we were easy targets. I envy the street urchins who can cycle with friends at 8.30 pm on a busy Mumbai street.

Speaking of discipline, I would like to present this photograph to you. A kid was excited to enter the gaming zone. Neon signs, flashy lights, loud music, everything that attracts a young little fellow. His parents had a tough time taking him away from the gaming zone.

Korum Mall is a well-designed mall, and I saw this view from the third floor. I was stunned by the symmetry. And stung by the regret that in the last ten years I have visited this mall frequently; I never noticed it.

I was standing near Shehnai Hall at Thane which is close to the erstwhile Chief Minister’s residence when this play of light and shadow caught my eye. I knew that political leaders see many shades of grey when they wish to and guess that they drew inspiration from nature.

I saw this man lugging a steel pillar which must have weighed over a ton or two. They carry it in an unsafe way, but their employers do not care. My heart weeps for such handcart pullers. Mumbai still has hundreds of them.

I was at a cocktail party where the empty glasses caught my attention, and I clicked this immediately. The bartender watched with curiosity. And asked, ‘Black and White?’

‘Yesssss’, I said, noticing his interest in Black and White photography.

He drew a bottle of Black and White whiskey and poured a drink for me.

Well, I did not mind. One must accept life as it comes. What say you?

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 matter copyrighted.