A recent report in the newspaper put a
new spin to the idiom ‘photo finish.’ Rather than being notable for being used
metaphorically, this word drew attention simply for its literal (actual)
meaning!
‘Tourist drowns off Aguada’ sang the
papers. The report was about not one but three tourists who drowned. Two had
fallen into the sea after taking in the picturesque views and one had tipped
off the rocks at Baga-Arpora. What were they doing? Taking pictures. Clicking
photos they ended their lives. Photo finish.
All these lads were young. Jitendra and
Rajat were both 23 years of age and Sunil was 42. They were posing on slippery rocks when they
lost their balance and fell into the water to be carried away by strong
currents into the foaming sea. Perhaps they had also had a whisky ‘on the
rocks’ prior to their misadventure. It served to become an epitaph for their
lives.
I’ve seen youth dangle themselves
precariously out of running trains simply to take a selfie. This needless
endangering of one’s life is quite silly. The misplaced bravado of tourists who
flock to Goa suggests they think they are rendered immortal for the period of
their sojourn.
I have often wondered about taking photos.
I was a great camera aficionado but after mum passed on, I simply lost
interest. I felt the photos were traitors as they were now too painful to look
at. All the photos (with negatives) of
my travels across India lie bereft in the cardboard box under the bed. A nifty
digital Canon 4x zoom brought new meaning into my life birthing furtive
attempts to capture my 2 year old for posterity. (But catch me prancing on the rocks for that!)
The transition from negatives to digital was not without travail. Agonizing
over making the investment, I pestered the man at the camera shop whether it
would be a good idea to shift to digital. He looked at me and said, ‘Think of a
cycle and a motorbike. That’s the difference.’ I needed no further persuasion!
When a person’s life is finished the
photo used for the funeral announcement is often of a far younger version of
the deceased. Some are even in their wedding outfits. Of course their loved ones want them to be
remembered at their most lovable, but is it honest? Many are well past their
prime when they kick the bucket but the snaps are joyous in the bloom of youth.
Great grandfather Raymond Gabriel Alvares (1928-2014) beams at you from the cherubic
face of a 30-year-old in his death
announcement in a recent local daily on 5 August. Shouldn’t we give thanks that
he lived all of 86 years – rather than mislead the public that he was taken
away early?! The nearest of Mai Luiza
(1932-2014) preferred to give her photo as the loving grandma she was when she
died on 3 August.
When you are finished what would you
want your photo to be?
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Published in Gomantak Times Weekender St. Inez, Goa on Sunday, 24 August 2014. Pix courtesy F. a Tanin. 19 August is World Photography Day.
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