Click! Click!

The idea of putting fingers to keyboard - who puts pen to paper in this age? - on the subject ‘clicked’ to me during my recent trip to visit Taj Mahal in Agra. The moment I entered into the precinct of Taj Mahal, the sheer magnitude of tourists who had come to witness one of The Seven Wonders of the World hit me like a bullet. There was one more thing which was hard to miss – Camera. Almost every other tourist was equipped with a camera like a machine gun that would go click after every 10 seconds. Those who were not carrying any photographic equipment were flocked by tourist photographers who competed against one another to get prospective clients. The deal was simple. They would click you and provide you the hard copies reflecting your best face in exchange for some money. And, boy oh boy, the deal got lapped up and how!

Stand straight, chin up, look into the camera….wear your best smile….nice, ready?  – CLICK!

It amazes me no end that, barring a negligible lot, the entire population in urban cities is smitten with photography syndrome. They either are in love with being photographed all the time or are completely given to photographing every passing moment of their lives. And it baffles me in equal measure that, to some extent, I am one of them. (Yes, I admit guilty. Hang me now!)

But if we try to understand the psychology behind the syndrome, we should not really be as surprised. See there is a reason why we are obsessed with photography so much. Human beings, since time immemorial, have been in love with their 'images'. We love it when we see our reflection in mirror. And like it all the more when it smiles back assuredly. We look only at ourselves first in family videos and photo albums. The professional photographers at tourist spots know this human weakness and don’t shy away from exploiting it to their own advantage. They simply feed our ego and vanity by promising memorable portraits. And then we don’t even mind spending a few hundred bucks in exchange of getting something which is so rewarding and self-assuring. Yes, a good photograph gives THAT assurance better than anything else.  

In fact, the corporate world knows it too and markets their products accordingly. One gentle touch upon our weak nerves and we end up eating out of their hands. A few examples - mobile companies coming out with impressive front and back cameras in their handsets; fitness centres installing life-size mirrors for their members; and fashion designers dictating the latest fads and dismissing fashion faux pas!

Coming back to my Taj Mahal visit, after soaking in and admiring the beauty of the mausoleum for a while, I took a moment to observe the behavior of people around me. (It always interests me to notice how people carry themselves around a camera.)

To start with, I noticed one American tourist who went berserk taking photographs of Taj Mahal from every possible angle. The sound of his high-end SLR camera taking shots in series reminded me of a machine gun - Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click! Click!

I am sure he saw the beautiful structure only through the lenses that day. Poor guy, only if he knew how mesmerizing the monument looked if seen from naked eyes. 

Hundreds of school children were sitting in clusters on the lawns of Taj Mahal, chit-chatting with one another, doing harmless fun, monkeying around escaping the vigilant eyes of teachers who were managing them. Soon a firang couple noticed them. Don't what actually it was but I guess they must have liked the carefree, energetic and guile-free nature of the school kids or perhaps, their innocent countenances may have appealed to them. The couple started photographing them. Finding themselves to be the centre of attention all of a sudden, the little devils went into a roar and started posing before the camera like seasoned rockstars! The collective noise reached such crescendo that I am sure Mr Shah Jahan and his begum must have felt uncomfortable for a few moments in their graves and cursed back. But they would dare not think about coming up out in the open and complain because, I am sure, shutterbugs would not have spared them either.

Mrs & Mr Shah Jahan, stop cursing and look here...no no no...you have to dust off your fancy costumes first...and please put your jewelry pieces in order. Now stand straight, chin up, look into the camera….wear your best smile….nice, ready?  – CLICK!

A couple in the distance seemed to have a rough day. The girl was not happy for some reason and the guy was trying hard to cheer her up. Again, I don't know the background but it was not really the best of days to visit the symbol of love. For one, the precinct of Taj Mahal was crowded like hell and second, there was a long waiting line. As long as one can see through naked eyes. Standing and waiting in queue for long hours does take the fizz out of your romantic bubble. Failed at all attempts to bring smile to her face, the guy finally used the brahmmaastra (a deadly weapon in Hindu mythology that always brings the desired result) – an SLR Camera!
He started capturing his beloved randomly.

Girls are wired differently. Put them before a camera for a few seconds and they become a different person.

The next thing I knew the girl was in a cheerful mood and happily posing for the camera. Poor guy! He didn’t know what he was trading for in the quest for putting a smile on the girl’s face. Gauging the mood of the girl, I knew that Mr Photographer was in for a long day.

A couple from the northern belt had come to visit The Taj. It was almost impossible to miss them with the couple leading the trail of FIVE kids! It made an amusing sight. What a contrast between couples in urban cities who fuss over rearing the only kid in the family and their counterparts in tier-2 and 3 cities who don’t even start thinking before bringing at least half a dozen kids to the world. The men of such families, I have noticed, walk with a sense of pride as if producing so many kids with their women was the only reassurance they could have got about their virility. I overheard a brief conversation between the couple when the man asked his wife to pose for a photograph.

'Seedha khada rahiye naa, aur thoda muskuraiye toh!’

‘Jaiyye hamein naa chhedein, hamein nahi khichwani hai photo-shoto.’

‘1 minute ki hi toh baat hai, seedha khada rahiye, pallu sar par rakh lijiye aur muskuraiye.’

‘Hamein sharam aati hai.’

Oh. My. God. Isn't it a funny world? I can bet she would not have felt this embarrassed even when her husband was knocking her up every other year.  But here she is, coyness personified, when asked to pose merely for a photograph!
(Pardon me if I sound a little offensive here but it had to come out.)

The best of the lot were the elderly couples. They seemed to know how to enjoy themselves while they were there. I guess old age and wisdom do that to you. You become more observant, calmer and at peace with your surroundings. They were quietly observing the façade, the lawn, the towering minars, the naqqaashi (artistic patterns) and Urdu inscriptions on the walls and so on – as if absorbing every beautiful thing about the wonderful structure. Unlike the younger lot, they were taking pictures only occasionally. They seemed more interested in clicking the wonderful atmosphere through the lenses of their eyes and then storing the moment for keeps in the memory cards of their brains.

All said and done, the bottom line is that humans’ obsession and fascination with their own image will never cease to exist.  And for the same reason, their love for camera is only going to increase and touch new heights of madness. Now, some of us may choose to stand back and criticize others for being hopeless narcissists when the truth is that they themselves are no better than the object of their criticism. The only difference could be the degree of obsession. Rest is all the same. Wait a second....where are we going with this? And why are we even talking about it? Let’s not waste time any more, get ourselves together and pose for the camera instead!

Yes, you got me right. Now stand straight, chin up, look into the camera….wear your best smile….nice, ready?  – CLICK!