MAY 27, 2007 -- It's funny how you can feel like you're in the midst of a completely "foreign" environment and then something happens to remind you that the world, indeed, is a small place. Case in point: While visiting Akbar's Tomb in Agra, I photographed a young boy. I thought that was the end of it, but when I started walking away, I suddenly found myself surrounded by the boy's relatives -- parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, neighbors, you name it! The kid had a bigger entourage than Mariah Cary. This is how it went down:Me with a sheepish grin: "Uh...hey y'all..."
Indian Entourage: [Insert multiple commands and questions in Hindi here.]
Me to the young boy: "What do they want?"
Young boy who speaks a bit of English: "They want the photo."
Indian Entourage: "Copy. [Insert lots of Hindi.] Copy."
Me a bit panicked to the boy: "Ummm... My camera isn't a Polaroid. But I can show you the image on the screen."
I pull up the image of the little boy and turn the screen toward the Entourage. Gratuitous head wobbling and more comments in Hindi ensues.
Me to the boy: "Now what are they saying?"
The boy, clearly frustrated: "They want a copy."
I look at the Entourage and weakly smile. "I can't. I mean, I want to, but ... It's not a Polaroid."
The Entourage frowns. Their disappointment pokes me in the chest. I crack under the pressure and toss out what seems a ridiculous question: "Does anyone have email??"
The Entourage perks up. "Email?"
One of the older boys steps forward, gesturing for a pen and paper. I gladly hand over my notepad and he scribbles something down. With a smile, he hands the pocket spiral back to me.
Manjeet Yahoos.
No comments:
Post a Comment