The supernatural! (Tale?!)

December 32d 2009. Indeed a special day which I will always remember. This day made me wonder, surprised, happy, shocked and what not! All in just a single day and yet so much to sink in...

Cut!

Whenever I want to write something, it always happens to me that I build a structure in my mind and till it transcends to a document, there will be least time and sometime I just end up writing parts of bits of what I intended to write.


Here is one such bit!

I was traveling to Delhi for the first time and with Sir (Prof NHR). I always like to spend time with him. I had never gone beyond Northern Andhra Pradesh (now may be Telangana?!) Although it’s a different thing that I had been to northern parts of Northern hemisphere a couple of times! It was never as emotional for me as to visit places in India. One might say it’s an archaic feeling in the contemporary thinking to get more attached to places close to our origin, I can definitely say in every heart at least in some corner everybody will agree to this. Janani janma bhoomishcha swargaadapi gariyasi. And further being born in the oldest and the most flourished civilizations [I feel and am sure most will agree] it’s an intense feeling.

It was a two hour flight. I was sitting between Sir and another senior colleague. So I was at my best decency! Had to work on the presentation that I finished quickly. Had a look at the magazines and here comes my favourite rice with rajma (a representation of South and North India I would say!). Had tea and I was pretty relaxed. Scanned through few TV channels and finally found the live camera of the flight more interesting. In any case I was, for the first time flying across India.

It’s a fantastic experience to see something similar to a live Google earth! The lifelines - rivers, the hilly ranges, the villages and the forests. I could see croplands with a central settlement as almost a common phenomenon. And most importantly there were no boundaries! I could see the ecosystems as they are linked – without boundaries. It was like scanning the toposheets minus boundaries! Most surprising was the central Indian range of forests. I was quite surprised and happy to learn that it is still intact [at least it looked so from the top!]
I was tired. Before I could doze the flight was about to land. Here I am in Delhi airport.



Another surprise was waiting for me, in fact two!

One of my friends came to receive me at the airport! Again a first time! I am a little less talker rather a wired person to talk with! So before we could have a few words, we were hunting for the correct taxi. Imagine a filmy situation now. There was a verbal battle between taxi walas for who should take the customer first! In a filmy style my friend said “Yeh hai dilli”. As if this was not enough, I was a little numb. I don’t know the reason. May be because I was tired. I could sense the dense traffic and the dusty atmosphere. My friend said, don’t you find Delhi green? I haven’t seen Delhi enough but could feel it’s very dusty and dull than what I expected. May be because its winter and there was a recent smog there.
We reached the place where our accommodation was arranged and walked towards the gtz office which was close by. We had to prepare for the next day workshop. I couldn’t sense, but the day was passing. The minor things like the presentation and the summary report was ready and Sir was kind enough to set me free as he had a conference call to attend which might take time. Did a little walk around in Sarojini nagar market. I don’t know how significant this place is but the main point was it was nearby.



I could now feel the dusk falling with its chilling cold.

Returned back to the guesthouse and relaxed for a while. The building was colder than outside. Thanks to my UK experience, the first thing I did was to locate the room heater and set it on.

Started scanning the TV channels.

Now you call it, exaggeration, filmy, fiction or whatever. It was an unbelievable shock for me.

A report on a news channel just informed me that today exactly 25 year back, the Bhopal tragedy happened. During the flight, the time I spent looking through the live camera was almost across BhopoI . a live map helped me recognize places. I was busy before that and after that I almost slept. Now the question as to why I was looking at the live camera when I was flying across Bhopal is something I can never answer.

Conversation with god

At times I feel I pick up topics which draw attention. This is partly true. But when I analyze the evolution of thoughts, the dramatic experiences and the reality in them, I feel they are as normal as they are! Yet unique.
This was any common day when I reach the office. A place where I spend most of my time. It gives a pleasant revival everyday to enter the campus which is lush green and serene. Scope and place for mind to unwind and give a little work to the camera on the way. Thanks to my bike which is very silent, I can hear the whistling wind and the fragrances of bare soil, the flowers and of course the aroma of filter coffee occasionally!

Now where did god find time to meet me, greet me and wish me for the day? Yes. It happened. To describe god, probably I am quite immature in spite of being lucky to be born on this land of divinity and purity, India. Just a layman’s description would be like this: he was probably a little above one and half feet, weighing a couple of kilos! With silky soft golden hairs, few millimeters just as much to cover the scalp. Cheeks as soft as nothing could be compared to. And with two innocent eyes speaking tonnes. Not in any language but enough to communicate to the whole world. As innocent as it could be. Yes. It was a small kid wrapped in warm white woolen walking on the way to my office holding his father’s finger. It would have happened to any of us.

You will ask me, all of us do happen to feel that. What’s so special? It was indeed special for the state of mind I was in. Completely blocked with work and it was the time when I was working on a crucial report. I had lost the circadian rhythm. Sleeping very minimal and working during odd hours. Although was putting up a normal appearance mask for the outer world, I was quite tired. To top it up, daily doses of unexpected and unavoidable circumstances, which are beyond your control.

The look of that white wool wrapped god was cleansing enough. As if my energies were restored and I stepped into office with a good mood. I couldn’t resist going back and have a feel of that god’s cheek and ask him some sense less question. Senseless because, with god, we never know what we are asking for is what we deserve and what we get, if at all we did. It was a similar situation but with a positive note. Talk to this god in any language and it will strike a communication and if you are lucky enough you will get back a beautiful innocent expression. I gave a due smile to the lucky father and started my day.

Conversation with nature

It was like any of those crazy evenings when I set out to capture some golden shade-light effects rendered by nature, in the IISc campus jungles. I am sure a lot of camera maniacs will agree with me for the kind of subject the campus offers.

I was more particular about the high contrast shots of which I had unknowingly developed an interest about. 4pm onwards was the time and it was a perfect day. There was drizzle during the day and it receded to give occasional sunshine. The drizzle had cleansed the entire area and the light gave out some dramatic compositions. A cameraman is bound to capture the beauty of it in one flat layer but beauty was really three dimensional. May be a video or best is being there can give the actual feel of it.

I tried capturing a petiole of Broussonetia, a tree which is all over the campus. The tangential light and the darkness gave out an amazing highlight for the epidermal hairs.

The pale yellow light was as if playing hide and seeks. Compelling to capture the shot and once you aim and focus, the light is gone. As if it was some child’s prank. This lead me to capture something which i didn’t think i could capture and sometimes disappointed me as I couldn’t capture one I wanted.

Couple of spiders with their mysterious webs called for some interesting shots. The receding light was a real fun to play with and it was a game which sometimes i won and sometimes the child, the nature.

Unknowingly i was lead to some shots which shocked me for a moment. Did i capture this?

It was during the final moments which i suddenly realized; nature is playing a small child’s game with me. Making me run from here to there trying to capture something and till I reach there, the light is gone. And there i discover another which is much lucrative and ended up capturing them.

May be I can call them a child’s play but it was only when I saw the final outputs on my PC. Some really shocking shots. It was not a game but call it anything, I was directed to get those shots as if somebody dragged me to do it. Now I really think have interacted with Mother Nature.

Each time, unknowingly nature will lead you to something better than what can be done. As always, it is nature which is treasure of everything. It’s just our destiny to flow in the current.

It’s school time...

It was a calm evening at the Indian Institute of Science। I was busy with my only and favourite pastime photography. The evening was perfect for its golden lighting and rich vivid flowers all over the campus. I was almost blank that day and was unwinding.
I got a call from my teacher. A ‘teacher’ in true sense. He was Shri Ranganathaiah. We share a very special bond, affection and I believe [he never agrees] that what my personality is heavily influenced and shaped during my five years at Desheeya Vidyaa Shaala (DVS) at Shivamogga, where he taught me more than my curricula.
For one whose energy and zeal diminishes at times, its only when I get to meet my teachers or get a call from them, I realize how much of energy I draw from them and my zeal and goals get reinforced.
I live those five years every time I use my skills, my thoughts and my ideas. I have been built to what I am, in my thoughts, will power and my zeal at DVS. To me the word DVS not just represents a school where I studied, but a precious treasure of diverse teachers. I was completely zero in sports and I was not a special or outstanding student. Not special as our DVS is still the first place of choice for bright students who have ‘an edge’ over others. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the DVS gurukula [I almost feel it is one except for the fact that we did not stay back there at the end of the day]. I call DVS a gurukula because the teachers there were more than just teachers for me and along with the subjects, they taught us values of life. I should say, our batch got the best of the teachers and their experiences. I remember all my teachers, from HS Nagamani, GS Venkatesh, Asha K, BS Ananthrao, K Ragnavendra Rao and HS Shankaranarayana Bhat. Words fail short and I tend to feel nervous even till date when I think of my teachers. We had a mix of teachers, from very systematic science and arts teachers such as HSN, GSV and AK to seasoned veteran such as BSA who is very meticulous, neat and should say, a perfectionist mathematics teacher and HSS, our samskrutha shikshakaru (can’t really call them teachers, he is one of the rarest, and to me the only teacher of morality and specially Indian culture).
We also got a cream of some special teachers who shaped my creative/aesthetic skills. CSG and HPS are like synonyms to ‘art’ to me. With the initial foundation of my mother, my strong skill sets in drawing-painting came from their training. Although it was formally for three years, I have been learning from them till date. I feel even recent experiments (and whatever little success) in photography is entirely their training. I remember all those composition lessons during school days which helped me to take a significant leap and familiarity with the camera. SR. A perfectionist. Not a popular teacher at all. But his pulse and zeal for teaching, for basic science instincts, support to students in his own way. They are just unmatchable. He is a perfect administrator and he will be my choice for heading any such challenging initiative. I get to learn from him even till date.



I somehow feel there is god only for this reason [not that I do not believe strongly or I do] that I was fortunate enough to get a set of invaluable teachers who shaped me. My recent interactions with them [I feel] was 1% less than what it was. My teachers are proud of me doing my research at IISc. They feel it is something I have achieved by my virtue. Yes, by the virtue of what I learnt from DVS in those golden years. I do not feel it is any great achievement at this point of time. But it gives a sense of satisfaction of being able to make my teachers proud. I am sure I will reach to the next level where my teachers can be proud of me. And ‘I am sure’ because I am being blessed constantly, with their noble hearts, goodwill and seasoned thoughts. I feel this is where the strength of real India is. I may be very expressive and vocal in writing this. But I feel this gives a lot of strength to me and to a lot of students who are less fortunate to be not able to learn from these veterans. I am sure the next generation of teachers are potent enough to tower to their level. But yes, to me there can be no another BSA/HSS/SR. I am fortunate to get them and have them in my life.
I actually wanted to write some of the points which I discussed with SR at Nesara [a restaurant inside IISc campus], but ended up writing this nostalgic note on my teachers. Of course every true student will have ‘a special teacher’ who will always act as the energy source throughout their life. Still, I feel I really was lucky to have so many of them during right time of the development of my personality. I will continue writing about my specific teachers and I will try not making it just an admiration note, but a depiction of those ‘special’ occasions, teachings, thoughts and discussions which have influenced me. I feel that’s my gratitude to the teacher fraternity.