Aadi Kolkata

Hi,

This time Mr. P was stuck with the idea "why always grandure... why not the little things.!!??" and as usual, Mr. P ruined a saturday afternoon of mine.! We went out with my camera, this time to the Northern part of Kolkata, the old and the real Kolkata. I being a South Kolkata lad also believe so.!

There we have Kumartuli, the hub of Durga idol makers in Kolkata, in India or rather in the whole world.! The month was August and it was about to end.. Puja was at the end of September only.. No time could be better than this to go and see the artists at Kumartuli in full swing.!

I managed to get the help of my friend Soumalya to reach there. Thanks dude.! You and your bike made it possible.!

Here is what me and Mr. P got.!

The face has got an extra clarity over the rest of teh picture... the light is there the most and it looks brilliant. Mr. P called it THE ONLY LIGHT.

Not very convincing name... but he just couldn't exercise his poor vocab for a name for this divine one.!

His next one was through a narrow door. He almost would have missed it had he been a little bit more absent minded.!

Anyway, Mr. P managed again to get and capture the glimpse he had got. He calls it ENLIGHTENED DARK ONE.

Me, Mr. P and of course Soumalya came out of Kumartuli after a few more snaps. Then Mr. P was in the hunt of his "little things" (I told him... Sir, you have a camera which is not even one year old.. you dont even know what is its aperture opening... (whatever it is) ... you just are excited about taking pictures. So, Please sir, stop being so philosophical.!)

But I kind of have a funny belief in him and I followed him... after he completely ignored my short speech.

The boy in this picture made three jumps for Mr. P. No...No... dont take me wrong...!! Neither me, nor Mr. P and not even Soumalya told him to do so...!!! He was just having fun... jumping and getting photographed at the same time.!!!!

Mr. P calls this picture LIFE.

The next picture is something I could feel like is of type which goes to photo exibitions and places like that.! I dont know why.!

But after Mr. P took the picture, he didnt feel like complaining, but apperantly didnt find any reason also for these pictures to go to the photo exhibitions... for some reason, they just go.! Anyway, looking at it Mr. P could find no other feeling than sympathy and called it TENSE PAST.

When I was coming back, Mr. P just happened to turn back from the bikes rear seat and saw something. He told Soumalya to stop.

When Mr. P came back with a picture no name could suit this very narrow old Kolkata lane other than ALLEY SEPIA. These empty alleyways take you back to the Kolkata of the 70's, the bloody decade of Bengals political turn... or may be even in the 40's when these gullies had witnessed the freedom fighters taking bullets on their chests.! (this is not Mr. P writing... its me. I am feeling the same shiver in me which I always feel when I think of the old Kolkata even in this very second when I am writing about it.!)

I and Mr. P thanked Soumalya for his such a help... He went back home and so did I with Mr. P to post these pictures here.!

Hope you have liked them... Please do post your comments... to keep more of Mr. P coming.!!!

Cheers.! :)