Simply Sowcarpet

On a breezy Saturday evening, I put my 1.5 kilo camera in a backpack and roamed through Parrys and Sowcarpet. It was a business day and the locality was crowded. I spotted a
one-year old in colourful pyjamas and wanted to take a photo of her. The background wasn't great, but there was a crate of drumsticks next to her. I made her sit in it. Like a typical infant, she greeted me in MGR's Naan Aanaiyittal / Statue of Liberty style and I managed to capture it. The other day, I was telling someone that I don't set up photos and I was reminded of my own comment, but I realised that I was bringing together elements that were already 'whole' by themselves and I was not integrating 'parts' to form a whole.

Now, back to the photowalk. I wove though the streets in search of Mansukhlal Mithaiwala.

I was planning to take photos along the way. I spotted a framing shop which had four large vertical mirrors at the entrance, which were perfect for my next mirror selfie. A guy sitting nearby asked me to take a photo of him. I captured his reflection along with mine. It was a very satisfying shot. 

Then, I roamed through three streets in search of the badam milk shop. On the way, I heard persistent honking from behind, but I stubbornly took the next few steps forward, because there was no room to move on either side. What else can you expect in Sowcarpet? Two women on a scooter came up to me and asked, "Kadhu kekalaya maa?" I boldly mouthed 'Podi,' in Naanum Rowdy Dhaan Vijay Sethupathi-style. She didn't know lip reading. Then I roamed some more. I stopped at Meena Mithai Mandir for some pizza sticks and lavash. These dry snacks are a great alternative to khakhras (if you're bored of them).

I returned to NSC Bose Road and spotted cycle rickshaw-walas. I thought, why not take a rickshaw back to where I parked my bike. The ride was the highlight of my day. Perched high on a Ponds Dreamflower dabba-pink seat, I enjoyed the summer evening breeze and tuned in to the cacophony of Sowcarpet. It suddenly occurred to me that I should take a video from the rickshaw wala's perspective and it turned out to be an awesome experience. A whirlwind of pedestrians, pushcarts and autos crowded the frame. It also helped that the rickshaw wala was pulling the rickshaw through a short 'No Entry' zone. When I finally had no choice but to get down at the parking spot, I asked the rickshaw wala how long he was riding it, hoping for an exciting interview. He said, '20 years.' Still not losing hope, I asked, 'What did you do before that?' He said, 'Velaikku ponen ma.' I thought, 'Ok, inikku ivlo experience pannadhey periya vishayam. Veetuku polam.' I took home magical memories.