Few favourite portraits.
Dec. 1st, 2005 01:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sajithThe moment I met Bhatkande, the retired army man, at the Youth Hostels national trek, I absolutely positively knew I wanted to have a portrait like this. He came with the big Mumbai gang, and even at the age of sixty-five, put the youngsters to shame while rappelling and sliding through the snow with the agility of a teenager, not to talk of the nonchalance of a veteran.
As we were rounding up to depart together from the Seobagh base camp, I was playing with Sujo's Kodak 6490 digital camera, taking pictures of the smiling and oblivious faces. I gladly found that the telephoto end of this camera dupes as a very fine portrait lens. Talk about serendipity! (One problem with the camera is its clumsy dial based control on its back, but that is not relevant here.) I excitedly clicked through.
Hitesh, the walking encyclopedia, know every nook and corner of almost all of India. Not to talk of its History, or world History for that matter. Or maybe literature, or any random subject. He and Prachi kept pulling my leg for keeping the cleanest lunch box and coffee mug, and for my obsession with the camera. I am yet to meet a more modest man. And I would like to take a Manali-Ladakh lonely hike someday, the way he took.
Tarun, also known as the Maharajah of Jaisalmere, kept close company throughout the trek, and was the favourite, happy-to-oblige subject. I sometimes miss him and the "hey Sajith Bhaiyya" talk, in the shorter nature trails here. Good luck with the Defense Academy entrance test preperations, Tarun. I do plan turn up at Jaisalmere someday.
Pattu Uncle was rather silent other than for few friendly smiles, but went off tangent and switched himself to verbose mode after a couple of drinks at a small bar in Kullu. The oldest member of our group, but I hear that he always blushed at the mention of the elderly lady doctor from Mumbai, who was with another group.
Milind the "cowboy" was the most jovial of the lot. But I didn't have much of a chance to know him closer, being the loner silent doofus I am.
Raghu was chosen the leader of the group. I still hold a grudge against him for not allowing me to take a picture of the signboard at Malana. The signboard placed by the village council at a simple cornerstone warned those who touch it of a fine of 1000 rupees. Raghu, of course, meant well.
Raju Uncle's soulful rendition of old Kishore and Rafi songs were one of the highlights of the journey. I think it is worthwhile to turn up in Mumbai just to listen to that rendition once again. (What says you,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
catchshyam?)
Subbanna's sole method of (occasionally) communicating with me was through big hearty smiles, other than the one occasion when he called up for saying "thank you" for the pictures I sent to him.
In yesterday's newspaper I read about this devotee who is going to Sabarimala, major pilgrim center in south India, for the 350th time. That immediately reminded me of Masterji - this is his 25th Himalaya trek, and even after all of us are gone home, he went to partake in the other two treks which the Youth Hostels Association was conducting. I guess that is the thing about being a sociology lecturer - you get to go on a two months holiday, every year.
***
Now you know why these are favourite portraits. The journey was not just about the mountains and forests and snow and bone-biting cold. The people you meet, they never fail to leave an impact or to take over that special place in your heart. In fact, no journey can be just about nature and the landscapes and architecture and monuments, they will always be incomplete with such rendezvous.
As we were rounding up to depart together from the Seobagh base camp, I was playing with Sujo's Kodak 6490 digital camera, taking pictures of the smiling and oblivious faces. I gladly found that the telephoto end of this camera dupes as a very fine portrait lens. Talk about serendipity! (One problem with the camera is its clumsy dial based control on its back, but that is not relevant here.) I excitedly clicked through.
Hitesh, the walking encyclopedia, know every nook and corner of almost all of India. Not to talk of its History, or world History for that matter. Or maybe literature, or any random subject. He and Prachi kept pulling my leg for keeping the cleanest lunch box and coffee mug, and for my obsession with the camera. I am yet to meet a more modest man. And I would like to take a Manali-Ladakh lonely hike someday, the way he took.
Tarun, also known as the Maharajah of Jaisalmere, kept close company throughout the trek, and was the favourite, happy-to-oblige subject. I sometimes miss him and the "hey Sajith Bhaiyya" talk, in the shorter nature trails here. Good luck with the Defense Academy entrance test preperations, Tarun. I do plan turn up at Jaisalmere someday.
Pattu Uncle was rather silent other than for few friendly smiles, but went off tangent and switched himself to verbose mode after a couple of drinks at a small bar in Kullu. The oldest member of our group, but I hear that he always blushed at the mention of the elderly lady doctor from Mumbai, who was with another group.
Milind the "cowboy" was the most jovial of the lot. But I didn't have much of a chance to know him closer, being the loner silent doofus I am.
Raghu was chosen the leader of the group. I still hold a grudge against him for not allowing me to take a picture of the signboard at Malana. The signboard placed by the village council at a simple cornerstone warned those who touch it of a fine of 1000 rupees. Raghu, of course, meant well.
Raju Uncle's soulful rendition of old Kishore and Rafi songs were one of the highlights of the journey. I think it is worthwhile to turn up in Mumbai just to listen to that rendition once again. (What says you,
catchshyam?)Subbanna's sole method of (occasionally) communicating with me was through big hearty smiles, other than the one occasion when he called up for saying "thank you" for the pictures I sent to him.
In yesterday's newspaper I read about this devotee who is going to Sabarimala, major pilgrim center in south India, for the 350th time. That immediately reminded me of Masterji - this is his 25th Himalaya trek, and even after all of us are gone home, he went to partake in the other two treks which the Youth Hostels Association was conducting. I guess that is the thing about being a sociology lecturer - you get to go on a two months holiday, every year.
***
Now you know why these are favourite portraits. The journey was not just about the mountains and forests and snow and bone-biting cold. The people you meet, they never fail to leave an impact or to take over that special place in your heart. In fact, no journey can be just about nature and the landscapes and architecture and monuments, they will always be incomplete with such rendezvous.
