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Finding The Extraordinary In The Ordinary...

6/30/2020

45 Comments

 
Picture
Yesterday was the World Camera Day and I travelled back in time to reflect on my tryst with cameras.

My first camera was a borrowed one which was lent to me by my cousin who went on to become one of the celebrated cinematographers in the country. That was during my undergraduate medical school years, when prudence in all matters was the overwhelming mantra. More so with photography since one had to save money to buy a 35mm roll and also spend more to print the images later. Each frame was thus precious.

I cycled on weekends hugging the camera close, exploring the landscape around JIPMER. Auroville was just being built and the place had a vibrant feel to it. Many unusual structures were coming up including a school with a flowing water body inside, which was aptly called the Last School. All of this provided fodder for my roving eyes. When I was not cycling around, I persuaded my classmates to pose for me in some unusual frames. A few of those photographs received awards in Inte-rmedical Photography Competitions.

Life after medical school was a very demanding period as the quest was to enroll in a post graduate course in a good college. I was passionate about psychiatry right from my college days and fortunately got admission in the prestigious National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences. Photography receded to the background as I became totally immersed in studies and honing my skills as a psychiatrist. It was only thereafter when I joined the faculty, I could afford a point and shoot camera. This came in handy during my treks with the students. But the lure of photography was kept in check with growing demands of the academic life.

I began saving money and bought my first digital camera. No more money spent on film rolls and printing! When the camera arrived, I opened the box like a child eagerly unwrapping a longed for gift! And there it was…a petite camera with a shiny, silvery tinge. I wanted to test it immediately, but the sky was overcast and chances of going outdoors were minimal.

I was casually looking around the room and a fork lying on the dining table caught my attention. I was struck by its reflection on the Formica covered table. As I looked closely at the fork and its reflection, it turned into something extraordinary. It wasn’t a simple fork anymore! In its reflection on the shiny, unexceptional surface, it had transformed itself to an object of beauty! I was enthralled to see the extraordinary in a mundane object of everyday life.

In that moment there was harmony between the object and its reflection. Henri Cartier-Bresson called it the “decisive moment”: pressing down the shutter button at the right time.

Images surround us every moment. We have to see them as if we have never seen them before. The world is full of such moments, if only we open ourselves to them and observe mindfully. There is always a difference between what we look at and what we see. Photography is often about embracing that moment…however fleeting it may be. All too often people spend far too much time preoccupying themselves with the equipment and its technicalities and not enough on just ‘seeing’.

If we use our cameras as poetic tools for seeing, and really notice the beauty all around us every day, we will find ourselves astonished by the seemingly ordinary things we might otherwise pass by in our busy, activity-filled lives.

The real camera is not in our hands but in the eyes behind the lens of the camera.

As I was looking at the fork on the table from a different angle, an entirely new perspective emerged. The fork and its reflection merged together to form a folded hand! It was a visual photo haiku!

​Photography is a meditative practice for me, providing me with a lens to view life around me. It inspires me to search for beauty in the moment, often right in front of me. At that moment, time slows down and the mind expands in a magical way… 
Picture
45 Comments
Bharathi Mani
6/30/2020 06:19:52 am

A lovely read.

"The real camera is not in our hands but in the eyes behind the lens of the camera."

Couldn't agree more

Reply
Dr Raguram
6/30/2020 06:44:30 am

Thank you...and the eye has to see and not look!

Reply
Dheeraj
6/30/2020 06:41:05 am

Thanks Dr. Ragu for sharing a bit of your life and passion. As you are indicating photography is all about being more aware of your surroundings, noticing things and capturing the moments. In simple terms being alive rather than just going through it.

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Dr Raguram
6/30/2020 06:46:23 am

Thanks Dheeraj. In the act of photography the distance between the observer and the observe meges...it is a creative unison. Camera is just a tool and a facilitator for that experience

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Tony
6/30/2020 07:12:48 am

" the world is full of such moments ".

Very true. Really enjoyed reading..

Reply
Dr Raguram
6/30/2020 07:29:01 am

And those are the moments that linger on Tony!

Reply
Dr. M. Chandrasekaran
6/30/2020 07:18:53 am

The most important thing is not the stethoscope but what is between the 👂 pieces 👏👏👏

Reply
Dr Raguram
6/30/2020 07:29:24 am

Quite true!

Reply
Jagdish
6/30/2020 08:00:58 am

A good read,as,expected .
i have a good collection of photographs taken by others.I did take a few snaps from a conventional camera when I did the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra about two decades back I will show it to you some day ,Insha Allah .

Reply
Dr Raguram
6/30/2020 07:30:14 pm

Thanks Jaggu!

Reply
Brunda amruthraj
6/30/2020 08:37:01 am

Beautifully penned. I never thought of photography in such a profound manner

Reply
Dr Raguram
6/30/2020 07:30:52 pm

Thanks Brunda...hope it was profoundly simple:-)

Reply
Lokesh babu
6/30/2020 08:43:36 am

Couldn't imagine such a wonderful story behind the fork...first memories of our passion accomplished is gold star achieved. Thanks for sharing sir.

Reply
Dr Raguram
6/30/2020 07:32:05 pm

Thanks Lokesh. As they say if you follow a fork (on the road!) you discover the unknown!

Reply
deepa
6/30/2020 08:58:01 am

unusual piece.. part of you revealed thru the eyes of the lens.. Lot of depth in a seemingly simple yet very fulfilling way to approach life. gonna try and weave some of this magic into my notes. loved this piece.

Reply
Dr Raguram
6/30/2020 07:55:55 pm

Thanks Deepa...such kind magic is infectious:-)

Reply
Shabbir Amanullah
6/30/2020 10:00:35 am

Very creative!!

Reply
Dr Raguram
6/30/2020 07:56:14 pm

Thanks Shabbir!

Reply
Rafia
6/30/2020 10:13:40 am

Beautifully written sir ..as usual..’The real camera is not in our hands but in the eyes behind the lens of the camera’.. A real eye opener for me..!

Reply
Dr Raguram
6/30/2020 07:57:08 pm

Thanks Rafia..it's always the person behind actions that makes a difference!

Reply
Kaberi
6/30/2020 02:20:26 pm

Enjoyed reading. You have penned it so beautifully

Reply
Dr Raguram
6/30/2020 07:58:12 pm

Thanks Kaberi!

Reply
Dr .c. anbudorai
6/30/2020 05:59:12 pm

Sir ,
Daffodils of a fork

Sound of single hand clapping ,resounds more than the thunderous applause of a standing ovation

U captured that image twice 【double entendre】once mirrored in the Formica then in your eye/camera complex

U distilled that visual like heady wine [😂not that I drink but bard et al - drink me with thine eyes etc etc😊] from a moment in the flow of time
U reminded me of that old song ~ if I could save time in a bottle ,its possible ,its possible to not only travel through the looking glass ,but even through a mundane dining table
When u witness things (as ding en sich )with °s of freedom b4 that fraction of a second when labelling occurs,when u r "pressing down"
Merlin questions Arthur ~
Have u observed the tree outside ?
Arthur puzzled ,y ,s o s ,so many times zillion times!
Merlin retorts ~no not once ,never ,if u did u would have fallen for its transforming wonderfully constantly

& Auroville that's Shangri-la
I must have pedalled down those lanes a few years latter ,but this moment u r taking me "doubles "

Mine கபாலம் boweth ,
Mine cup of happiness brimmeth
Mine hands transform to folded forks in my minds eye

Ah to have lived in those space times ~ heaven
But recapitulating -is 7 the heaven of delight

I wonder what nancy andreason would make of my writtig ,but I was always more a nancy drew fan


Reply
Dr Raguram
6/30/2020 08:08:03 pm

Thank you. There's a poet in you Anbu! BTW, Nancy Andreason wrote a lovely little book on creativity too!

Reply
Koshy Varghese
6/30/2020 10:59:44 pm

brilliant Doc..

Reply
Dr Raguram
7/1/2020 07:55:12 am

Thanks Koshy!

Reply
Shripathy Bhat
7/1/2020 06:51:14 am

The mails received from you so far are testimony to the facts written here.. simply wonderful.

Reply
Dr Raguram
7/1/2020 07:55:40 am

Thank you...and I will keep it coming:-)

Reply
Gautam Moorthy
7/1/2020 10:58:33 am

Very evocatively penned. The reflection of the image of the fork is simply sublime. Photography is indeed an art; the photographer, the artist. Kudos to you, Ragu for continuing to pursue your passion while at the same time continuing with your commitment to your profession.

Reply
Dr Raguram
7/1/2020 07:14:40 pm

Thanks Gautham...passion sustains the profession:-)

Reply
Lalitha
7/2/2020 02:17:30 am

Nice to read ur passion about photography other than birds and hundred other things . Good read 👌

Reply
Dr Raguram
7/8/2020 08:20:45 pm

Thanks! Passion is addictive!

Reply
Manasi
7/2/2020 11:01:34 am

What an interesting read and an eye-catching image with it!

Reply
Dr Raguram
7/8/2020 08:21:04 pm

Thanks Manasi!

Reply
Krithika
7/3/2020 07:03:36 pm

Reflecting on a reflection!
A photograph isn't merely what is seen ...so true....it is majical memory capsule. An old photograph can take you to the times travelled and the memories that go with it. The deadly combination of the excitement of clicking a picture and the charm of going through them in times to come is a sheer joy.

Reply
Dr Raguram
7/8/2020 08:21:39 pm

Quite true Krithika!

Reply
Manju
7/5/2020 04:03:11 pm

"If we use our cameras as poetic tools for seeing, and really notice the beauty all around us every day, we will find ourselves astonished by the seemingly ordinary things we might otherwise pass by in our busy, activity-filled lives. The real camera is not in our hands but in the eyes behind the lens of the camera."

Loved above section.

So elegantly captured as what seems simple is also profound if we allow ourselves patience, compassion, and magic to reach us.
So enjoyed reading this piece.

Reply
Dr Raguram
7/8/2020 08:23:28 pm

Thanks Manju...photography is also about finding the stillness within as you capture the stil life around

Reply
பாவண்ணன்
7/7/2020 07:38:21 am


வழக்கம்போல நல்ல கட்டுரை. பேச்சுமொழி, எழுத்துமொழி, கவிதை மொழி எல்லாமே ஒன்றோடு ஒன்று தொடர்புடையவை. அதே சமயத்தில் தனி அடையாளமும் கொண்டவை. கவிதைமொழியின் தோளோடு இணைந்து உருவாவது புகைப்பட மொழி. இரண்டுக்கும் இருக்கிற ஒற்றுமை கற்பனை. ஒன்றை இன்னொன்றாக மாற்றும் ரசவாதம் மிக உயர்ந்த கலையாக மாறுகிறது. புகைப்படக்கருவியைக் கையாளும் கலைஞன் பழகிப்பழகி அதை தன்னுடைய கண்ணாகவே தகவமைத்துக்கொள்கிறான். கருவி, அவன் பார்க்கும் வழியல்ல. அதுவே அவன் கண். கரண்டியைக் கைவிரல்களாகக் காணவைப்பதும் கொடியின் நிழலை நின்றிருக்கும் ஒரு நங்கையாக மாற்றுவதும் ஒரு மாயக்கணத்தில் நிகழ்ந்துவிடும் அற்புதம். அந்த அற்புதத்தருணத்தை உங்கள் கட்டுரை அழகாகச் சுட்டிக் காட்டுகிறது. மகிழ்ச்சி. வாழ்த்துகள்.

Reply
Dr Raguram
7/8/2020 08:24:10 pm

Mikka Nandri! You have beautifully expressed what I often struggle to put in words!

Reply
Meena sethuraman.
7/10/2020 10:22:47 am

As always wonderfully written and I’m glad you have passed it on to Rahul,I mean Your passion for photography.

Reply
Dr Raguram
7/14/2020 07:00:49 am

Thanks Meena...he's far more talented than me!

Reply
Senthil
7/10/2020 07:34:52 pm

The mere reflection of a fork is made beautiful through your camera and enhanced even more in your writing Sir!!! It is nice to see the PC Sriram in you!🌹

Reply
Dr Raguram
7/14/2020 07:01:47 am

Thanks Senthil! Perhaps PC sees a bit of myself in him too:-)

Reply
Senthil
7/11/2020 08:16:47 am

The mere reflection of a fork is made very beautiful through your camera and enhanced even more in your writing Sir!!! Very interesting read!!

Reply



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    Dr Raguram

    Someone who keeps exploring beyond the boundaries of everyday life to savor and share those unforgettable moments....

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