A good part of traveling in India is, you get to meet many locals. The ones you would not meet in hotel lobbies, or in coffee shops. Hard working laborers with a few days off to visit temples. Their kids care less for the soulful art, and are scrambling around and pulling pranks on each other. These were the people I looked forward to meeting. And so many I met on this trip to Karnataka. All despite being poor, were rich of heart, of kindness and grace. Their eyes brimmed with joy. Through them life seems to keep reminding me – there is a way to live! Through them I heard – what have your done with your life? for what? And in the kindness of such folks, I find my happiest moments. Not in the bars, not in the posh coffee shops on Colaba Causeway, not with my iPod. My camera incidentally appears to be the vehicle for reaching out – rather, for them to reach out to me.
It's usually the poorest of the poor who will strike a conversation with us. Perhaps they have nothing to fear. Most are kids – certainly fearless! When they see I have a big camera, they come up and ask to take their pic. The common phrase was, “Anna (elder brother) photo!” pointing to themselves. For me this was always a thrill. I gladly shoot multiple pics and they scramble away, jumping up and down. With my big camera, they prolly feel like stars in a movie production. And I treat them like stars. Some stay back to ask where I am from. If they hang around long enough, I show them the pics on the LCD screen – then their amazement sees no end. Interestingly, most never ask for copies of the prints. They are simply content, they posed.
While I derive a lot of joy from this encounter, what's in it for them? Perhaps I hope, in approaching and dealing with me, their confidence is boosted. They may hesitate less, the next time they have to stand-up for something. Perhaps. Here I have assembled a few pics from our recent trip to Badami, Pattadakal and Hampi. Other than the actual sites, these interactions I craved the most. Let me know of your experiences.
Accompanying pic: As we parked near the Cave temples of Badami, these two came up and he confidently asked me to take their pic. They appeared to be siblings – look at their beautifully intertwined fingers.
At the MahaKuta Temple complex, some miles from Badami: The kid selling Goli Soda darted by as I tried to get his attention. The other two realized my intent and ran after the kid and brought him back to pose with them. The kid was prolly 8-10 years old, trying to make a living selling Goli Soda. The one in the center scares me!
Busily shooting at the Hazara Raam Temple in Hampi, the girl in the center asked to first take a pic of their largish family. Then she wanted a pic only with a couple of her friends. Girls, I'd have thought, would be more shy and not approach strangers, and particularly, not ask to take their picture.
These boys hanging around did not want to be left out. They came over and asked for their pics too.
These girls certainly felt left out. Either because they were tending the baby, or they just did not summon the courage to ask. I sensed, and asked if I could take their pic, and their eyes gleamed in affirmation.
At the Vithala temple in Hampi, the young girl Gouthami asked me to take a pic of her family. This girl of about 10, directed her mother and all older relatives to pose and smile. Then she wanted one with her mother (above). While I was surprised at her english, I was speechless when her mother spoke in flawless english and explained details about their trip. They were from a village in AndhraPradesh and were coincidentally also leaving for Tirupati on the night train. Gouthami wanted more pics (see below) and most unusually, wanted me to mail the pics to them. So the mother wrote out her name and address. Of the so many kids pics I have taken on this trip, this was the only time anyone asked me to mail the pics. I still need to do so.
I saved the best for last. We were visiting the Tungabhadra Dam and the adjacent gardens had a light and water show. We found a bench in front of the fountains, which was to 'dance' to the music. This group of kids were hovering along the fence at the perimeter of the fountain. They kept staring at us. To break the ice, I tried to take a pic. They being shy, ran away. This happened a few times and finally one of the boys, boldly stood in front of me and posed a body-builder's pose. I shot his pic and showed it to him on the LCD. He and his friends stared in amazement, and then they all wanted pics. Finally I got this pic of the 12 boys and girls in the group. By now they were very comfortable with me and all over our bench, squeezing themselves between M and me, and even standing behind us on the bench. I found some packs of Wrigleys chewing gum and offered it to them. They were overjoyed! They spoke Telugu and I only knew a spattering of Kannada. I did understand “uuru” in one of their queries and, “Mumbai,” I replied. You could feel the sighs of approval spreading through the group. They asked many more questions, but I could not understand what they were saying. But they just kept talking, and we listened intently and nodded. There was an older gentlemen with them, and he too only spoke Telugu. We could not figure out if the kids were from one family, or neighborhood kids out for a picnic. As the show ended, our driver came to fetch us, and I asked him to inquire with the older gentlemen. We found that these kids were from an Orphanage in Raichur (?) and were on a picnic to see the Dam and the gardens!!! My heart sank like a rock!
As we walked back to the car in stunned silence, the kids waved bye. Here were kids with literally nothing in this world, not even family, and they seemed so content to be merry. M & I talked about how we had been quibbling earlier in the evening – we who have so much; and the kids, with nary a penny to their name were happily enjoying the moment. That was for me an important evening, and I hope it changes our lives forever. Even today, whenever M and I have a disagreement, we think of those orphans we met at the Dam, see how happy they were with what little they had! Certainly, we have much more.
As part of our annual charitable givings, I hope to identify an orphanage in rural karnataka and make a huge donation to them. We have also decided not to take any more gifts to our relatives in India, but to instead continue and increase our contributions to the schools and other deserving opportunities. I encourage you to do the same.
Konkani Kesari 