The true underlying spirit of the festival is that it elevates the mood. The singularity of purpose of large human collection, i.e. of being happy for a day at least, moves as a contagion and sweeps everyone off in a flood of happy moods, as if all life problems are only perceptions and with turn of mood they simply evaporate. Perhaps festivals are culture’s way of telling its members, “ here is a perception that weaves magic in to reality and makes world an enchanting place, take it, wear it for a day, and take a break from living”. And with upsurge in the mood world changes its colour from dull grey to scarlet, to magenta, to aquamarine, to any colour that human spirit wants to drape in when it feels beautiful and ready for happiness.
Today, a day after of being taken, these pictures seem gaudy and people in them little less real- for if you compare them with their every day; but on the day, when these pictures were taken, they were nothing less- these people. In fact still camera freezes only one particular moment in time, which, also, may not be their peak. And, more than peak it is the build up to that peak, the rise of a person from ‘dull ordinary’ to ‘uninhabited oozing with joy of life’ soul, that tells the magic of the mood of the day on individuals, which still camera largely fails to capture. Allowance should also be made for the fact that the man behind the camera is at best a charlatan claiming to be a photographer; though in his defence I would like to say that his actions as pretend photographer were perfectly in line with the spirit of the day- freedom to live your fantasy; and thus, audacious but pardonable.
It is amazing to note though how, under the influence of mood of the moment, people are transformed. It’s like an explosion. A hidden fire cracker wrapped everyday in faded blue and depressing grey, or in any outcast colour (expelled from the spectrum for having weakest of hues), barely noticed in the sea of official homogeneity, showing the glorious colours of its true spirit in the backdrop of festive air. It leaves you awestruck and wondering about a blindness induced by monotony of daily routine-how it makes whole garden remain hidden in the plain sight, and how a wonderful view from the window turns in to a wall paper.
With eye behind the view finder photographer’s job is quite mechanical on such public occasion. While shooting in an uncontrolled environment one tries to hedge the risk of suboptimal output by shooting relentlessly, taking as many pictures of a moment as possible, hoping that at least in few of them he will be able to find beauty of symmetry, structure, and most importantly, expressions-which, in terms of photography, is called composition. Hope for this discovery of beauty is what keeps him going with pressing the finger and straining the eye looking at a constrained and distant view through one square inch of glass; of course, apart from the fact, that it was the craving for attention (even if notional) which made us pick up the camera in first place. Though, speaking primarily for self, some of us can tolerate so many eyes looking in our direction only from behind the safety of a view finder.
And discovery of beauty comes from most unexpected quarters; as if there are things- even from very subjective perspective- that only camera ( a machine!) can see first hand, human eye has to borrow the picture from it to notice them. Or, is it that we never pay attention to those things (people as well!) distracted by our biases, but camera- at least in the direction it is pointed- soaks in the unbiased view. In the pictures below I came across many such revealing moments where beauty of an unassuming smile, the gracefulness of holding a posture, the shear appeal of an attitude, the colour of a dress, taunted my artistic sense (presupposition that I have some) for being oblivious to their presence though they are there so close to me. A nose ring, a pair of ear rings, a bracelet, an embroidered jacket, all of them a universe of beauty waiting for the discerning eye. With discovery of these I feel generously rewarded for my effort.
-Pulastya
