(Scribbled on a piece of paper with pencil, sitting on rocks
of Pondy at midnight on 5th Nov. 2006)
As I sit on the shores of Pondy watching the tides clashing
against the rocks, a proverb comes to my mind: Time and Tide
waits for none. But after a leisurely afternoon, 3 full RC
and a shot of Tequila, not to mention the 4 cigarettes I had
consumed in between, I felt that I have come so advanced in
time that I might need to reverse the very proverb that
struck me earlier – *I* don’t wait for Time and Tide.
When I started off for the trip, the main aim was to slow
down life. But what, in practice and in theory, does it mean
by the phrase slowing down life ? I am not sure how to put
that in words, but in essence, it is equivalent to:
o Adding a 1000x magnifying power to your lab microscope so
that you can see the sub-cellular structures
o Having a particle accelerator so that you can see the
trails of the sub atomic particles, after they collide with
each other and discover the internal patterns.
Its all about awareness – being aware of the minutest details
of the ambiance around you.
There is a lag in my speech. There is a lag in my thoughts.
There is a lag in my steps. But somehow, my senses have
become sharper. My ears have become so sensitive that I can
appreciate each of the droplets of the waves clashing against
the rocks. I can distinguish each of the streak of light
emanating from the moon onto the sea.
Slowing down life means the ability to detach myself from the
axis of time and watch life as an independent observer,
somewhere from another independent universe.
Slowing down life means the ability to concentrate on this
piece that I am writing and get rid of all the umzillion
thoughts that otherwise bombard my mind unhindered.
Slowing down life mean filtering out all the external impulses
and influences that affect my line of thought, leaving as a
residue my own individuality.
For a moment I was depressed at the loss of my camera. I
realized that I am helplessly dependent on a piece of device
for bringing out the creativity within. However, that realization
soon turns into an enlightening moment, when I get myself out
of the materialistic dimension of thinking and explore more
into the metaphysical aspect of it. The answer to my happiness
lied in my realization itself !
My eye is my camera, and as long as I am content from within
as to what I see , and as long as I am happy with my own
projection of imagination augmenting that, there is actually
no need to *bring out* my creativity. It well appreciated
from within, by me. Bringing out my creativity so as to get
appreciated by others by looking at my photographs sounds so
materialistic now, so mortal. I am the artist, and I am the
sole critic.
I am happy.
anand saha
c
PS: My comments on the last para shouldn’t be taken as thought
I am against photography. Its more of a way of thinking that
I *can* be happy even without my camera.
–
November 5th, 2006 at 8:14 pm
Oh…good the scribblings on paper got transfered to the internet, or we would have missed this very deep musing of yours:) The slowing down of time you describe sounds something (to me) like being high on grass. Which I am sure would be a wonderful way to feel.
Hope you find our camera, or atleast get a better one on a great discount.
Report this comment
November 5th, 2006 at 8:19 pm
Correction: As I sit and DRINK on the shores of Pondy
Report this comment
November 5th, 2006 at 9:17 pm
yeah, i know but the ‘lag in speech and thoughts’, the attention to minute detail etc. Just my impression!!
Well writ anywhichway
Report this comment
November 6th, 2006 at 12:00 am
What he’s trying to say is that he needs to find the purpose of his life
Report this comment