"Photo, Sir, Photo"

"Photo, Sir, Photo", a photo by Nitesh Bhatia (navapalavalabhatia) on Flickr.

A construction worker, sitting on a boundary wall of a man made lake (under construction) at Bopal village of Gujarat.

Evening 5, I was roaming around the lake with my camera to get some shots and he was sitting on the wall, taking his food, probably noticing me. He called me, left his rotis aside (see left side) and said "Photo, sir, photo."

Look at the kind of satisfaction and completeness he is having on his face which I see rarely.

Gamna...

Gamna, a raddiwallah (scrap dealer) that I met at Bopal village, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad in Gujarat.

I shot his picture around 7 in the evening. Excited as he was, he asked, "Meri photu akhbaar mein chapegi?" (Will my picture appear in the newspapers?)

As his eyes sparkled in anticipation, the contrast struck me: how important a newspaper could be, for somebody who could not even read it. All that newspapers meant for him was waste. Waste, that would earn him his living.

This post also appears in PagalGuy.com news channels: http://www.pagalguy.com/news/gamna-a-17291407/ 

Conversations: भिन्न भिन्न (Fractions and Life)

वो बोला

तुझे चार चोथाई  ज़िन्दगी दी...

एक चोथाई उसे समझने में निकल दी...
एक चोथाई उसे सोचने में निकल दी...
एक चोथाई उसे खोने के डर में निकल दी...
एक चोथाई रोने में निकल दी...
क्या गलती क्या हुई मुझसे ऐ मानव...
जो मैंने तुझे ये ज़िन्दगी दे डाली ?

में बोला
ऐ शेन्शाह-ए-रुस्तम...
खुद को दोष न दे...
यह कमाल तेरी चार चोथाई ज़िन्दगी का नहीं..
मेरे तीन तिहाई मस्तक का है...
एक तिहाई जो कल को समझ लेता है...
एक तिहाई जो आज को सोच लेता है...
और एक तिहाई जो कल को खोने के डर से रो लेता है...

वो बोला
ऐ कम्बक्थ मानव...
मस्तक में तेरी ज़िन्दगी नई...
ज़िन्दगी में तेरा मस्तक है...
जो कल था वो आज नहीं है...
जो आज है वो कल खो जायेगा...
तू धरा का धरा येह सोचता रह जायेगा
की ज़िन्दगी क्या है मेरे मालिक...
ज़िन्दगी खोना है...
की पाना है...

में बोला...
ज़िन्दग देना आसान है ऐ रुस्तम...
पर उसको पा के खोना...
और खो के पाना तू तब समझ पायेगा...
जब तू एक बार चार चोथाई ज़िन्दगी...
और तीन तिहाई मस्तक लेके इस ज़मीन पर आयेगा....

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Beauty, is it ?!

When you plant a flower, say a rose. Initially you are excited thinking of what would be the color, the smell, etc, etc. Gently rose comes and you are attracted to it. Suddenly as day passes, you realize fear of losing that pretty flower. You keep it inside your book, safely, in well preserved manner. Sometimes you open the book and enjoy its beauty. But you never think about it again. You find yourself one with the flower as if its inside you.

Similarly when you get to know someone, initially it starts with an excitement, then an attraction followed by fear of losing it. Gradually, as time passes, all their physical characteristics begin to disappear. The mental blocks simply go away. Slowly you start to connect. A state of togetherness appears. You begin to dwell in their energy, recognize the scent of their skin. You see only the essence of the person, not the shell. You don't need your eyes, nose or your body to feel it but only a heart inside. A state of singularity it is! That's the inside, when you really connect with a person, any physical imperfections disappear, become irrelevant. You can clearly see what is inside. And feel the beauty. Because all lies inside is the beauty. And you achieve a state of oneness with beauty.

You become the beauty!








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