Mr.P and before: A year

Hi,

I had thought of no more posting in this year and so did Mr.P had decided to observe some more stuffs around before jumping on to his next snapping mission. But even this momentary retirement was proving itself unbearable (after all retirements are for those overworking cricketers, not creatures like Mr.P). Moreover Mr.P was getting to realize that he is turning one gradually and considering me as a person who jumps from one thing to other so often (in short, impatient) he wanted a little "something" to remember. So, this post.

This post has got a few pictures from different times in this one year and also a few even before Mr.P knew he was born. Here they are. Hope you would like them.

It was 2008 and Durga Puja in Kolkata (yes... Kolkata yet again.!!). I was out with Soumalya, my friend (the one with the bike in the post: Aadi Kolkata below), on that Saptami. Please note that Mr.P was unaware that he had started to work then.

This was one of the dozen artworks in the entrance of a pandal in south (Kolkata). I could not help myself from appreciating the person who planned the lights and colours there. This picture I simply call RED AND LIGHT.

The next one is one of my favorite pictures that I (as Mr.P was still working without his own knowledge) had taken in Puja 2008.

The purohit (priest) here is in just the correct place with just the correct gestures and objects. The fumes have filled the entire pandal creating just the correct haze with just the correct colours around. Its as if the Goddess herself is decorating the studio for my snap. It was SIMPLY DIVINE.

That was Saptami. On Navami I went out with my bro, Bishan, for just a morning long pandal hopping. As I said, I was a hopping, most of the pictures are not that good (as Mr.P was still not working consciously). But from whatever I could grab, here is a better chunk of it.

In this puja of Kumartuli, apart from the Durga idol, this Shiva sculpture was worth an admiring look. No limit of the count of arms he can have, neither of the purity nor strength he possesses. He is an INFINITE MAN, yet so calm. (Again a loud round of applause for the pandal artists.)

Oh! Before the Navami, I had a day long hopping on Ashtami with Bishan (we call him Biki) only. Though I don't think a vast majority of the pictures are worth posting, but this one I could not resist.

It was a little jhaarbaati (chandelier) hanging from the ceiling of Sen Baari (Sen's residence), at Behala (Sourav Ganguly's home locality at Kolkata to be precise!)where their own Durga Puja was going on. We two went inside the residence. No body stopped us. Took a few pictures of the idol. But this STILL BLUE souvenir was unavoidable to return with.

On the Navami night, we cousins went out to see the Salt Lake pujas. I don't remember the name of the place exactly, but there was a good open space where that puja was being held. Some cultural programs were also being held in a little stage there.

Frankly speaking, I am one of the worst dancers alive but I, at times, do find myself appreciating this form of art. After looking for some time at this performance, I could guess the story in it. I just waited for the moment when the boy will ask the girl "WILL YOU?" (the kneeling down of him was bonus.!)

Puja 2008 was gone with the yells (and sms) of aschhe bochhor abaar hobe (next year it will be there again) all around. Now it was almost this time of the year last year and a "someone" called Mr.P woke up to its own knowledge one afternoon. As soon as it did, it went out.

This church has featured in this blog even before (in the post Bitten by the Clickbug) but not in this mood. Gives me a vintage look when taken away from its true colours into plain black and white. An OLD CATHEDRAL holding a belief much older than itself.

About Digha also I have told before. But in this "revisit" type of post, I could not leave it out completely. The picture below is one of those which I wanted to but didn't publish in "Mr.P is out again" post but told about.

The reason being that its no different from what already was there. Yes, you got it right. Its YET ANOTHER SUNSET on the beach. Have my fingers crossed if you would like it.

2008 was over. My elder sister got married in January '09. I witnessed the preparations, the pressures and above all the fun of the ceremony. I did take all the family pictures but there also the highly thougthful Mr.P was looking for his "subject of interest". (c'mon man.! I was there to enjoy, not to waste time in whatever Mr.P calls his "subject").

But when I saw this lovely artwork, I shutted my big mouth and let Mr. P work. The fair hands with the scarlet MAHENDI, surely makes a wedding party looks so complete.

In April, I went to Mayapur, the headquarter of ISKCON with two of my friends. It sure was a hectic day but the company made it worth.

It was yet another sunny day of the hottest summer in the last decade. But the faith that one of my friends was holding in her then, made us carry on even in that UNBEARABLE heat. That belief was of the peace when you sit near the foot Krishna. After all ISKCON stands for International Society for Krishna Consciousness.!

Now there was a big gap for Mr.P. January to July went by. In the middle there was a rainy season. On some weekend evening at that time, after a quick but refreshing shower, I went to my terrace.

While checking different modes of taking pictures in my camera, Mr.P was randomly shooting whatever he could find nearby (or far away, in case of zoom tests). Basically, I myself am very less interested in gardening but to breath in a CLEANSED evening air is itself a very satisfying sensation.

After roughly a week I guess, Mr.P was again testing my camera. Again in the same terrace but this time with no rain. I don't know what came to him, he shot the frame below.

Thanks to the camera settings, only the outline of the 'earthly' objects of the snap came with a dark filling. Other than them, I could see that not only the birds (and other earthly beings) but the sun was also going to be NESTED.

Before my holidays in October, Mr. P was desperate to take a few snaps of the Ganga at Howrah (and he did that too... check out the post "5am on a Sunday... Thats not me"). In that little walkathon (word contributed by one of Rashmila's comments), Mr.P got this snap below.

Although its not a very old construction but this NEXT BRIDGE is as nostalgic to me as the first one (yes the Howrah bridge itself)... considering the fact that I have spent the majority of my childhood outside the Kollolini (a bengali adjective used by many for Kolkata)

Rules of Photography says that if somebody wishes to publish a picture of someone, the publisher needs to have the permission of that person (even if she is family). This rule made me call up the person below today.

Didi was not at all willing to get it published, but later on she said,"Okay go ahead if you like it so much." Well, I didn't know what to call this picture but the smile, the gaze, the comfort and the shade somehow gives me a nice feel of WARMTH. (It has been taken in my mobile on the way to Kerala, in a moving train, so please excuse the clarity.)

If you go right below this blog page (across all the photo posts), you will find what I used to do (when I did nothing.!). Scribbling, doodling etc on the pages left out of my old notebooks.

Well, nothing of a high magnitude was ever done by me but I can say that I have been more that what I had been (yes, Mr.P is assisting me a hell lot). And the best part is it has been a wild party of enjoyment (oh God.! I am talking as if I am dead.!). Anyway, the picture above is of ONE OTHER P.

Frankly speaking, these pictures I could not fit anywhere and were like leftovers (I know, some better word should have been used). But I thought, seeing them, they deserve a little better treatment. So, this post.

Anyway, if you liked them, please do let me know through your comments.

Till then,

Cheers :)