Connecting the dots

OLD or second-hand books are a window into the lives of their previous owners. Their pages are not only soiled with time but with the touch of unknown hands. The brittle, yellowing pages speak of adventurous journeys. There could be tidbits scribbled all over – names, odd numbers, dates and addresses – in ink or in pencil. Turning the pages, you may chance upon a scrap of paper, a dry flower, a book mark or even a photo!

Many years ago on a train in India I found a brown packet. Giving in to curiosity I opened it. I found inside a dog-eared copy of Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge and several greeting cards full of mushy verses written in a flowing handwriting by a woman. In one card, a quotation from The Great Gatsby said: “It is Gatsby who endows her [Daisy] with a meaning that she could in no way embody.” The cards seemed addressed to a boy, possibly the owner of the packet.

There were some photographs taken with friends and family. I wondered which one of them had forgotten behind a bit of their life. I wondered about the kind of person the owner would be and the life he led. I imagined meeting him and handing him back his treasure. The thought of writing on the address printed neatly on the envelopes of the cards often crossed my mind later. Sadly, fantasies die a quick death. I never got around to writing the letter. The cards and photos were misplaced over the years but I still have the book.

You may be wondering why am I telling you all this. A few days ago, I came across a website that carries photos “lost, forgotten or thrown away”. There were black and white, sepia and coloured photographs taken as early as the twenties. Without names and connections the life stories of the people in the photos have been lost forever. All one can do is imagine the lives they led. The pictures brought back the memory of the packet I discovered years ago on the train.

Often a well written book, a touching poem or an interesting picture makes us want to know more details connected to them. But what if you come across a photo that has nothing to enable you to know more about the people in it? There are no dots to connect. All you have are your thoughts to weave a tale around the nameless faces.

Lumos!

I feel no less scared and in awe than Harry Potter did when he got on that train to Hogwarts. My Ollivander helped me to choose my wand and now begins the long and exhausting journey to forge a friendship and mastery of my new weapon – my camera. Together we will conquer and capture the world. Wizards are not made but born; if I have an eye for pictures and photography, I will make magic some day. Here is to an exciting and beautiful journey!

New and old

I have no resolutions for this year except to be happy and do my best to take on the challenges hurled at me. Last year was one of the best years of my life. The way I connected with myself, learnt to accept my limitations and that others can be better than me, helped me to be less severe on myself and see and accept others for what they are.

I am still far away from being a saint but that is a path I was not meant to tread. Hope I do not have to chew my words because who knows what saint would mean to me in another decade or even a year.

The future is always tantalising and at the moment I am all charged up to lend as much drama and verve to my ordinary life as possible. I spent the last few moments of last year roaming on the streets. Watching the revelry and stupor, I felt glad that no matter how insignificant the change in day or a number on the calendar is people refuse to be burdened by its knowledge and continue to live their big fat or not so fat lives.

Remember to be humble despite what you have and be happy about what you have in spite of what you lost.