A little bit of context before you begin reading this book review. I have recently enrolled for an MA in Philosophy at the University of Mumbai. Philosophy is something I have been getting interested in, over the past few years, as those of you who have been reading my blogs and Instagram posts would know. During the pandemic, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do next, and this is what I eventually came up with. It has been a challenge, getting back into academics as a student at this age, especially in a subject I have no academic background in. However, it has also been very exciting, especially thanks to my wonderful classmates (who, surprisingly, are of all age-groups, including some quite near my own) and my teachers, who have been very supportive and understanding. How well I will do is something that remains to be seen, but so far, I am enjoying this new journey and look forward to where it leads. Now that you know the background , you probably get an idea of how
We were at Shegaon, offering our prayers at the samadhi of Shri Gajanan Maharaj, visiting the places related to his life....It is said that the saint first appeared near a Banyan tree, as a young man. It was under the very same banyan tree that I came across these children.
They were playing around, and when I brought out my camera, eagerly crowded around me, shouting, 'Photu! Photu!" They were making such a lot of noise that I told them that I would click them, if they quietened down, and they did, even if for just a while. And then, while they were up to their antics, posing for the camera, this little girl came up and began looking at us curiously. The boys tried to scare her away, and she hid at once, obviously used to being sidelined by the boys. When I stopped clicking and asked the girl to come forward, they seemed to get the message and calmed down a bit, and the girl finally gathered enough courage to stand at arm's length from the boys.
When I showed them the photos I had clicked, they asked me if the photo could come out of the camera. When I replied in the negative, they had even more questions - was such a camera very expensive? Just how much did one cost? Why didn't I have a camera which could bring the photo out at once? By then, Samhith was getting restive, and we had to leave. So, I told them that if they wanted a copy of their photo, they could give me their address and I would send them one, but they weren't that interested. But by the time the conversation was over, the girl had disappeared.
This photo was clicked in a small town in interior Maharashtra, but it could well have been clicked in any part of India - the story would have been almost the same. The boisterous boys, the shy and quiet girls. After all, that is what they are taught and trained to be... girls should be neither be seen nor be heard... and as to boys, well, as they say, if a boy isn't naughty and boisterous, who else will be? It is this thought which is responsible for most of the problems we face in society these days. Wonder when, if ever, that will change!
Nice photograph! These days I get delighted when children see a camera i'm holding and want a photograph. They just keep smiling till you've taken the picture and then (as you said) just disappear!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kiran! It does feel rather nice, clicking kids who want their photo taken!
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