(#118: A chance encounter. Written for Sunday Scribblings)
I have a special penchant for photographs.The way they are.Without a past .Without a future.But only a present.Trapped in its frames in all shameful nakedness.A couple of days back i came across such a couple of shots by a photographer by the name, Soham Gupta.Brave shots of faith and hope.of Life .of Death.
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The one shot that really touched me was of this hungry poor man on his bed with a strange expression on his face.Perhaps awaiting death.i will never be able to take those pair of eyes off my mind. the color same as of a dirty , mossy pond.Green.Deep.Disturbing.looking straight into my eyes..with arrogance.seeking answers to disturbing questions.
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i could sense Life moving away from him like the receding landscape in your car's rear glass.if Death could have a Face,it would have been this...with no lust for life.for living.his incisive look as if doubting Life itself.flickering to close,like the last page of that huge novel.the vast ocean of his eyes inked by the cold green of hopelessness.two camera lights twinkling in the midst of his eyes like lost boats in a mighty storm.far from everything. I thought to myself , this man was once a boy,wasnt he? he had his childhood, he might have been a sturdy young man,he might have been proud,he might have gone for walks by the Victoria Memorial and thought about Communism, he might have loved rosogollas,he might have played football on muddy Kolkata parks, he might have once wished to live forever. Alas,today, he is a mere photograph in his daughter's cupboard, another article on my blogpiece, or alas, an award winning merchandise on Flickr albums with 3487 views.
I began to understand, Life down there, is just an illusion!
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9 comments:
Hey nice post about photographs.....even I have a stron liking for it......but I definitely dont agree with the comment you made (no offence mate :)) "Without a future.But only a present..."
It has .....in all it essence the very representation of life....let your imagination run free....and you will see how the poor hungry old man will die by the curb while the maid stows the leftover from the other night's party in the trash can......and it has a future......think after a week how we all did nothing (maybe write a couple of lines about it) and it has a past......and the present...well.....the very fact that those hungry greasy eyes does compel us to comment upon them....
Ain't life grand?????
And hey......thanks for takin a peek into my blog.......while you represent the subtle romances in things around you......I do tend to bend more on the other cynical sarcastic way of life as it is.......
cheers......keep blogging!!!
@prudence,thanks firstly. and ya, not convinced buddy! a photograph in itself is just a click frozen in one second of the present. the ruminations to it, gives it a past, and imaginations lend it a future... per se, its a mere moment in the frozen present!
Well written piece. Touching on the right points with the sensitivity that we all seem to be devoid of lately.
I agree with prudence. Every photo has a past, a present and a future.
If, say, you took my picture today it will be worth a million bucks 10 years down the line when i get really really famous. or infamous. either way.
Hehe Che:)
Amazing Stuff. description of the person's face was as good as any good novel. Loved it.
The most painful moment being when you are coming out of any coffee shop or a lounge with your friends all in high spirits and the next moment you see old beggars fighting for a morsel, you cannot help but observe the contrasting natures of the world with one spending huge bucks for a cup of coffee and style statement and another not even able to get a glass of clean water. keep up the work
BTW the new vineyard pic is gud.
hey that's an amazing picture and the article does complete justice to it. it sends a chill down your spine the moment you look at it and can't look for more than 2 seconds in one go...truly if death had a face this would be it...the article's profound...great job done!!!
@ Surya....hey its me Prudence.......well....scientifically speaking....a photograph in itself is indeed just a click frozen in one second of the present.......however....despite being an engineer myself....I do tend to think it otherwise.....
@Che......hey dude .....'awesomely' put.......guess I would peek into your blog sometime!!! :)
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