A Conspiration...

Today I had my photos exhibited for the first time and I am on top of the world! I’ve always been crazy about photography and so when a friend of mine told me about this exhibition being organized by the Bachelor of Mass Media Dept (BMM) in my college, I jumped at the opportunity and submitted twelve of my favourite snaps two weeks ago. She called me back last Thursday and told me she needed the high resolution images so they could print them before Saturday (today). The dept. selected six!Anyway, it was short-notice and due to technical difficulties they couldn’t seem to download the high resolution photos that I had Jo send them by email (thank you!). I got a call at 3pm last afternoon while my friends and I were at the theatre for Shah Rukh Khan’s new movie from one of the BMM students telling me, “we can’t download your photos, anyway can you get them printed yourself?” So I rushed back to Andheri as soon as the movie was over at 5:30 and pleaded with the guy at the photo shop to give me 8 by 12 inch copies of my photos in matt print by that night. Luckily, I’ve become a frequent visitor at his shop in the last week (another photography competition and making Christmas cards) so he agreed with a smile, wrote “very urgent” on my slip and told me to come and collect them at 8pm.

Sure enough they were ready at 8pm and I went to help set up the exhibition this morning in college. It’s such a great feeling! There were three other students whose photos were also exhibited and they had amazing stuff! I actually felt a little overshadowed by their work but then again they are actually photography students and have better cameras and getting selected at all is big enough an achievement for me for now. It’s a start.

None of this would have been possible without Joyee who let’s me indulge with her beautiful Sony Cybershot camera. And Sonu, Gauri, Antu, Vini and Sharan for always encouraging and helping me.

Dadu - my dad's dad. He was also a keen photographer in his day; he used to develop them himself and there are hundreds of them. I often open up the drawers and take out the musty photos to admire. If there is a gene for photography, I think I got it from him. I wish I could have met him…

And God, who "conspires to overcome apparent problems and connects us to the right source at the appropriate time." (Thanks Papa)

This was our reward after helping out in a Scavenger Hunt called 'Khoj' organised by the NSS (national service scheme) cell in college...

Left to right: Antu, Joyee, Gauri, Sonu