Return of the bicycles (BY S.SALIMKUMAR)

 cycle...cycle 

 PAINTING BY MATT TALBERT

Bicycles to capture the world again .  So the chances of another classic film is round the corner, The Bicycle Thief . People all over the world now seriously thinking about bicycles, as the oil and gas prices  are  rocketing.  But alas!  cycles are now the instruments of terrorist outfits to facilitate their blasts.  Cycles are cheap, can enter any crowded area and need no paperworks to purchase.  There was a time when  licence  was compulsory to  own a cycle.   Again it is  thinking  time for authorities to  apply the same, so that the government can grab a   revenue and database of cycle owners.  But the doubt is that a bicycle thief can stole a cycle and can use it for his  blasting purposes, the owner of the bicycle will be arrested, trialled and jailed. Never will the world  can exist without bicycles.   It is the wonderful vehicle ever invented which run on balance only .  No other vehicle can claim such a wonderful ride than the cycle. Cycle represent the ordinary people. The speed  is created  and controlled by physical capacity. Cycling is the best known exercise for the health of the body (and mind).While you do cycling, you see the world differently.  You can see it everywhere in the world as the  vehicle of common people. Postmen and  other people engaged in delivering   things  still use cycle.   In the seventies, somebody  invented a motor for cycle, which is run by petrol and the mileage was about 100 km per litre.  But it came and gone the motor for ordinary cycle.  One who are enthusiastic to ride cycle  still need the pedalling as it costs nothing  than the obesity and bad health.   Gains are many such as good health and relaxation of mind, if not done over ride.

Once I  used to ride cycle all over my village and surroundings as a newspaperboy.  It was a great experience, I  am among   the rare people of our the village  because I was riding a cycle.  At that only five or six cycles were at our village having a polpulation of about 1500. and that cycle was not min, that was of the news paper agent, for whom i had worked. Once I was returning from my job of circulating newspapers. In the bend of the road,  uncle of my father, stopped me and told, give me your cycle, I want to go to the village shop to buy some cattle feed.  I was surprised as that man was of about 90 years old. I  have given him the cycle not only because he is the brother of my grandgfather, but  I appreciated his enthusiasm to ride the cycle.  That is the magic of cycle, that if once you learn to ride cycle, you can never escape from the  temptation of cycle riding.

Now also the postmen, newspaper hawkers and factory workers use bicycles as their vehicle. Children are the other class of cycle users.  But they transfer to motor vehicles when they grow and throw the cycle permanently.  Even if they want to ride the cycle during their age after twenties, their social status and ego not allow them to ride the poor cycle.  As the major population of the world are poor and not accessible to oil powered vehicles, they choose cycle as their friend.  India and China are the major producers of cycles, but in India use of cycles are declining, as the middle class is attracted to the loan facilities for buying motor cycles. They are trapped by the manufacturers and financiers. And cycle is not a status symbol no more for the people. But the ego less  people   want to ride the cycle.  One who    started   riding motorbikes and cars are not expected to return to cycles, till their retirement, as in retirement money to buy oil or gas is a hurdle. So the old people and poor fellows of third world will ride the cycle.  By that only they can control their health and money  problems. But the threat is from terrorists, as they love bicycles as their pet instrument to carry explosives unnoticed.Now the investigating agencies  have a doubtful eye on every cyclists   at any part of the street. But so much of strength is not with the forces to keep eye on each and every cyclists.  intellegence agencies are not so intellegent as it seems from the happenings of blasts at Jaipur, Bangalore and Ahmedabad. 

Terrorists' love to cycles will cost dearly to the ordinary people of India. Many of them cannot use cycles, especially in cities as they will come under the scanner of security agencies. Return of the cycles to the new age has its own hectic problems.  The oil  sellers can keep the cyclists at bay to force them to use other two wheelers  like motor bikes, which is only a dream to the majority of cyclists in India.

Camera Iyer 

The man married to camera

 He says “Don’t write the name, just put the sacred thread to the  camera  and anybody can read it as Camera Iyer “ .

Camera Iyer, the nomadic chronic bachelor who is married to the  camera only.  Bangaloreans know Camera Iyer since decades.  His real name (which nobody knows is P.V.Gopala Krishnan. Born on 2.5.1935 at  Puthukkod Kizhakkegramam  of Palkkad district of Kerala to Vaidyanatha Iyer and Rajalakshmi, he came to Bangalore in 1970 from Madras.

  

At the age of 10 his father expired. When he was fifteen, he went to Bhavani at Erode.  He was then working in a hotel run by a relative.  As the relative of the shop owner  the employees considered him specially. He got plenty of Mysore Pak and Jilebi to eat  and did just supervision of the shop.

Every day he used to visit Sangameshwar the famous pilgrim centre of Bhavani.  He worked there 3 years .  One of his uncles has   told him, only your body is growing not the mind ,  so leave this place and come with me.    Gopalakrishnan went with that uncle to Ootty.

 

Gopala Krishnan worked in the textile shop of his uncle who presented him a Camera, an Agfa Isolette.  That was a basic camera. Iyer  took photographs of whatever he saw and gave it to a studio owned by an Englishman  for developing.   8 annas were the developing charge.  Film charge is 4 annas.   The Englishman  displayed Iyer’s photos in the studio showcase.

One day a man enquired about these photos and he purchased  some   and paid Rs 10 for the little photographer. Which was a huge amount for him. And for the surprise of Gopalakrishnan, those photos appeared in a      Tamil  news paper named “Nam Cheithi.” (Our News). The person who purchased the photos was owner of  that paper. He encouraged the little photographer by buying more photographs.

At that time one news paper named  “Nava India “  was started from Coimbatore by a congressman.  Editor of Nam Cheithi joined as the sub-editor of Nav India.  He  recommended to his boss that one boy is at Ootty who can take good photographs.

Iyer was summoned to Coimbatore and made photographer in Nav India.  They provided him with a Rollyflex Camera.  But the problem was that film rolls   were not available.   Another Iyer the Chief Correspondent of Nava  India  took him to Roxy Studio  and arranged for some film rolls.  Thus the shortage of film was solved.

Everyday 3 ot 4 photographs  taken by Iyer appeared in  Nava India which were appreciated by the readers and other papers.  At that time Swadesha Mitran was the only news paper which publish news photos. People started to purchase Nav India only to see the photographs related to the news in their locality.

Once Jawaharlal Nehru visited Coimbatore.  Iyer captured some action pictures  of Nehru and published .  He got fame with that photos, as action pictures were not published in other papers.  He was appointed as the official photographer of Nav India with a salary of Rs 150 which was  enough for purchasing acres of land at that time. 14 months he worked for Nava India.  This young photographer was a hero of  newspaper  readers of  Coimbatore and surroundings .He worked with Nava India for 14 months.

Iyer had two sisters, one elder and other younger.  His elder sister was 5 years older than him.  Her marriage was fixed and Iyer went to his native place.  During that period he was suffering with  continuous head ache.  He had no courage to go anywhere and affected with some fear factors. He left the job and went to his village.

After  elder sister’s marriage, he stayed with  his mother and younger sister.  He had to look after them.  He decided to start a source of income.  He purchased some old typewriters and started a typewriting institute at Alathur, Palakkad.  One government employee was the tutor.  After three years Iyer hated that  life of  repeating routine  and decided to take Sanyasam.

He told  everybody that in search of job he is going to Chennai  but he went to the  Himalayas.  3 months he wandered at Himalayas, in Kedarnath, Badarinath and the entire Ganga basin.  After   nomadic life of some months he returned to the native place.

Iyer did a lot of sundry jobs,   and finally bought  another camera, this time a Canon Canonet.  Wherever he go the camera was with him.  But income from photography was not sufficient for the expenses.

He went to  Madras and joined at Binny Mills as a clerk in their steamer department.  After leaving there he worked as a storekeeper with ECC , a construction company.  Again he left the job and conducted a canteen at  Thambaram railway station. Always he was married to photography and  number of photos in his collection was increasing day by day.

Gradually he started to cover every type of function from which he can survivor well.  In 1977 he joined with Kaveri Water Project.  In 1981 his contract with them matured and he left.  After that he didn’t join for any job.

When cameras  were not working , he himself  tried to repair.   Then sold it.  Again purchase cameras and so on his friendship with camera continued.  He became an expert in everything related to lense and  camera. He can repair the oldest box camera to the most modern  digital camera. Thus he became an authority of camera.  Friends , relatives and customers called him   Camera Iyer.

He is the family photographer of  many rich  and aristocratic people of Bangalore.  And work for some companies, and Government Institutions such as reserve Bank of India etc.

He is well versed in all the branches of photography.  He begins his day with two idlis and one coffee and proceeds for the destinations known or unknown.  Nan oru thanimaram. Thanimaram thoappaavillai ( I am a single tree.  Single  tree cannot be a garden).

Iyer says.Don’t be a  burden to others. Work hard and save.  Yaathum Oore,  Yaavarin Keleer ( All places are ours, all are our relatives).

Iyer had sold numerous photographs to many individuals, publications and agencies. He has covered almost all the wild life sanctuaries of south India. Many times Iyer and friends got into trouble while facing the beasts.  Iyer has taken thousands of photographs of elephants.

He was lucky to associate with world famous wild life photographers like E.Hanumantha Rao.  Iyer visited various wild life sanctuaries with Rao more than twenty times. It  can  was an experience  that never be forgotten.

 Now also  he use to visit Bandipur, Muthumala,   Thekkadi, Ranganathitta, Kokkarabellur etc  during the seasons and non seasons.  He visited  almost all the famous temples of   North India and have a good collection of photos of that monuments. .

His first cameras were of 120mm.  After that he changed to 35mm.  Now he uses a modern digital camera.  If a new model comes to the market this camera wizard pick it up that and uses till the new model comes. 

After digital photography came, his profession is not so much charming because now a days the photographs are more technical than creative. Everybody knows to take photographs and the technology corrects each and every error.

Iyer is  omnipresent at the hub of the city MG Road.  He is available in and around the coffee house when he is free.  But he don’t have any time table, as he is the enemy of timetables. But he believe in time, the omnipotent.

“As per   astrology I have sanyasayoga  my  planetary position  is   Rahu at 8th house, which means no rebirth and thus  I have to suffer everything in this lifetime.” Iyer says and vanished in the crowd, as he got an assignment in the phone.  

 Contact     Camera Iyer @ Mobile # 09448014892

 Posted by  

S.SALIM KUMAR

The typing experience (STORY BY S.SALIM KUMAR)

The typing experience

Rajesh was sitting idle as nobody came for typing the documents.  Other    typists were doing well as they got some complicated account sheets to do.  It was a typing centre  where  Rajesh   joined one week ago. 

Rajesh was watching the mob moving on the road.  Somebody with colourful turbans, ladies in  the veil, young people with their fashions.   Cycle  rickshaws were moving everywhere. The camel carts carry everything from sand to computers. Three wheeled tempos ruled the roads with dark smoke and irritating  sound  and they  are packed with passengers . 

Sometimes the wind blow and deposited dust everywhere.  He was thinking about his village, just before a week he left, after his marriage.   .  This is the first time he is doing the job typing.  He don’t know Hindi to speak. But he spoke little English which enough to communicate with the owner of the typing centre and other staff. 

Rajesh took the Hindi news paper from the owner's table and started reading..  Front page was filled with news from Punjab, the burning villages, invasion  of terrorists.  He scanned all the news and again started reading, now the advertisements.  His friends Murali and Bhagavan Das were busy in typing the account sheets from a Chartered Accountant.

Then came two people, both were Sardarjis.  One was in his thirties with   thick and black beards, decently tied turban, and having the bangle of steel and a small Kripan chained to his belt.  Black Pants and a coffee colour shirt inserted. The other Sardarji was at his twenties, and  having shade of newly emerging face hairs here and there.   Owner of the typing centre instructed Rajesh to attend them and he did so.

The duo wanted to type a list from a file which they brought with them.  Name of a  Farmers  co-operative Society was written on the file cover and they took two sheets of papers.   They want one plus three copies of the list.  Rajesh set four white papers on the typewriter and searched for carbons.  But the elder person told him that he will provide carbon papers and  insisted Rajesh to use those only.

 The list was of farmers who are members of that co-operative society which was functioning in Gurdaspur district of Punjab.  The list included name and addresses of farmers from Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran districts of Punjab. 

While typing the list, Rajesh surprised that what are these Sardarjis doing with a list of farmers from the districts which are fiercely  affected by terrorism.  Are they trying to rehabilitate the farmers who  lost their wealth and relatives during the operations by the extremists  or by police actions ? Why these people brought their own carbon ?  what ever may be the reasons, he was not bothered about  those things.  He will get the half   the amount whatever the owner charged from the customers. 

Rajesh completed the list within minutes and gave the copies to the Sardarjis, and he thought that they will drop the carbon papers there.  But they wanted back the carbon papers and took them.  They paid the money and went away.  But Rajesh was thinking what they are doing with a list of farmers of the  terror affected districts ?  He was thinking the same till the next customer came.

After some days while Rajesh was reading the Hindi Newspaper Punjab Kesari he had seen some names of the victims of terrorism in Tarn Taran district.  He saw two names similar to the names he typed in the list which  he typed   for the Sardarjis.  Some places were also similar.  But he had lot of work to do, as a writer from the city brought a 200 page work to type.  He was fully engaged in that work, as that  was   the  author’s memories of  the  last fifty years in the Pink City. Rajesh typed it with full enthusiasm, and he got no time to think other things, as the work was interesting and influencing him.

After seven years of that small event, Rajesh was working with an office.  It was   summer and the Pink City was  hot. News about  extremism in Punjab  was equal to nothing as the ruling forces combed out   terrorism from the land of wheat and milk.

One day immediately the Pink city was discussing about Terrorists of Punjab, as a business magnet dealing with diamonds was kidnapped by some Punjabi terrorists.  People surprised.  When everybody even the Punjabis had forgotten about terrorists  what is happening in Rajasthan    The terrorists want to release  some of their  associates who are in jail.  

The kidnapped  business magnet was the son of a national level politician from Rajasthan.  Ruling party and opposition started their own versions of  allegations each other  on law and order issues   and the political arena became hot.

Rajesh was keenly observing the news items, and sometimes he remembered the   sardarjis, who came to type a list of some farmers.

For one week people were discussing and fearing   new events of terrorism in the city.  The crisis was so complicated, as the Rajasthan Police never faced a situation like this.  But the police was fortunate, that one morning they got a telephone call from a milkman in the model town area of Jaipur sub-urban.  The milkman informed that when he was supplying milk to one person in a particular house of that area, he saw a machine gun inside the long shirt of that man, and he is suspected to be a man of Punjabi origin.

Police with their commandoes fenced the area and ordered the man to surrender. He and his friends responded with fire. After hours of firing the  person along with one associate  were shot dead by the police.  The kidnapped business man was released from the same house.

Next  morning the news papers hit the stands with a bang.  The businessman was successfully released and the terrorist shot dead.  Photos of the dreaded terrorist shot dead was appeared in all the papers. 

Rajesh took the paper only to be shocked, and immediately he was thinking  about the list typed by him for the sardarjis, seven years back.  It was the same elder Sardarji, who made typed the list of farmers under the name of a co-operative society.  He was the terrorist rocked the city for a week, and seven years ago he used Rajesh to type hit list.  Rajesh was thinking about those farmers who were killed as per the list typed by him.

Question by the great grandfather (translations by s.salim kumar)

Bhavilal Lamichane is a famous Nepali poet.  Here I am trying to translate some of his poems from Hindi (Originally written in Nepali, and translated by Khadak Raj Giri to Hindi.

(1)

Question by the great grandfather
You came with the Gun, I have given my child.
You came with the spear, I have given the foetus.
You came with the fire.I have given my home and  garden.
You came with the wind,  I have given my youth.
I have given my past and present,
without keeping anything for the future.
Now I am standing on the dead bodies
of my grandsons and their sons
Me , the ninety year old man.
You came again.
Again I will give you
The love and belief hiddden inside my heart.
Shoot me  dear enemy.
When I fell to your  bullet which   will drill my heart
You tell me one thing:
Now whom will you shoot ?

(2)

Unveiling

They , the creators of history  
Are hidden behind the history.
Living blend of art, culture, and History- Tajmahal
Memorial for Mumthaz, a tomb
The visitors tell :
This wonder is made by Shah Jahan.
People praise it for centuries
They  who built it, lost their hands cut
And they are known as slaves in the history.
They are hidden behind the history,
The creators of the history.

(3)
Condition
I will give you power. But one condition!
what is that ?
You should become deaf, dumb and blind.
Then what will you give me ?
Poverty.

(4)
Flow
The tree will not tell the story of the man who hanged himself in its branch.
The  street will not tell the sorrow of the  numerous legs which smash its chest.
The city is burning like a cigerette
But no fire, only smoke.
Canons spill fire.
The crowd dies silently
And the people flow with the wind.

Cinema, Politics and the real face (by S.SALIMKUMAR)

Cinema, Politics and the real face

How the stars of our cinema and politics are really looking like ?  Nobody knows.Even the stars and politicians themselves don't know what their real face is!.  They  maintain  the image  through make up, dyeing, hair transpant and so on.   They are regular customers of dyes and cosmetics.They convince themselves as young. But the characters they present tell the truth that the actors cannot hide their age.  Acting means maintaining themselves as young ?   

During  live shows of parliament and assemblies we waych that 90% of the members of those constitutional bodies are customers of dyes.  Always they have black hair ,beard and moustache. 

When these actors of cinema and politics  will get the will  to face the people with their real face? 

 When   Gipsy has  completed the discussion about this with  the donkey, it ran away to the cosmetic shop and returned with a kit of make up materials.   It wanted to  fulfill the ever challenging wish  to become  a horse  to participate   the race.  After make up it ran away to the race course and the Gipsy walked in the race course to watch the donkey's fate.