Xossip Ultimate Story Contest 2013

[Expert]

The camera

htans001

In the mid-nineties, on a foggy winter late morning we reached Amritsar to visit the Golden Temple. I was accompanied by my wife. I was on transfer from Srinagar. Before joining my next place of posting at Air force station, Bagdogra, we had decided to visit the Golden Temple. The Temple authorities, upon my request, allotted a free room in the Temple premises for my stay at Guru Ramdas Niwas, behind the temple. Temple Langar provided the food.

When we started to visit various parts of the Temple, we realized that we should have some photographs taken by a professional photographer. We could show those photos to our friends, relatives and we could keep in our album too. So, we went out of the temple premises to search for a photograph studio. We could locate a studio nearby where I happened to see the statistical billboard.

The billboard was displayed behind the seat of the photo shop owner which showed a figure 444-166-276-2. This was similar to the test cricket bowling statistics. A bowling figure is described in numbers with dashes in an order viz., “Number of over’s bowled” - “maiden over’s” – “runs conceded” – “number of wickets taken”. On a closer scrutiny I realized that this could not be a cricket match bowling figure!
Being a cricket buff, I knew that in the tests, the highest number over’s bowled by Ramadhin (98 over’s) of West Indies in Birmingham Test against MCC in 1957. However I immediately felt that my wife would not appreciate my infatuation for cricket now and at this juncture of the vacation, any impromptu vitriolic remark from her would certainly spoil my mood immediately. So I refrained from making any further enquiry on the displayed figure keeping my curiosity unquenched till the right opportunity arrives.

I asked for a photographer to shoot some photograph for us in the permitted areas of Golden Temple. The middle aged owner smiled and told me that he himself would have shoot photos for us but his assistant had gone to his village for a short visit and thus he was not able to help me. Then he looked at our disappointed faces and with a twinkle of smile visible in the corner of his lips and eyes, he said to my wife, “But there is one thing that we can do”.

I looked at him with anticipation. He then added, “I can give you a cheap hot shot camera on loan. You have to buy only a film roll. I am sure you would be visiting Attari border too? Once you visit Atari border, you could consume the roll and bring back the camera to me. I would remove the roll and take back the camera. You can get the photos leisurely at your place later. How does the idea sound”?

This was really a good solution. For a fraction of professional photo charge, I could now take a lot of photos. I immediately agreed. My wife gave a nod of approval and I proceeded to pay him Rs. 95 for the roll. He took the money and brought out a brand new Hot shot fixed focus camera from the show case, unpacked it, put on the film roll and handed me the camera. The price tag of the camera showed that it was priced at Rs.700.00. We happily left the shop with the camera.

That day we leisurely visited various parts of the temple and took photographs where photography was allowed. We visited Amrit Sarovar, Harmandir Saheb, Akal Takht and the museum. Our plan was to visit local places of interest in the next forenoon and Atari border in the afternoon. Throughout that day and the next day I felt an itch in my mind. There was something wrong, a feeling of some unfinished task kept on coming in my mind. However I was not able to pinpoint the discrepancy and ultimately I gave up.

The next day we visited Ram Tirath, Mata temple and Jallianwala bag and proceeded to Attari border in a shared taxi in the afternoon. After witnessing Attari border closing ceremony. When we were about to get down the taxi, I looked at the camera in my wife’s hand and suddenly the realization came!

The photograph studio owner had not taken any caution deposit against the camera! We could just leave Amritsar without visiting his shop and he could do nothing. I concluded that this man was not a good businessman, being stupid to have trusted an unknown couple and gave the camera. But I decided that I would certainly go back and return him the camera.

I told my wife that instead of going to our room we would first go to the studio and hand over the camera. She agreed and we started to walk to the studio. The shop was open and the fellow was sitting alone. It appeared that his assistant did not return form his village. I told him, “Sir, we have taken photographs. Now may I request you to kindly take back your camera and give us the film roll.’’

The man smiled at us and proceeded to remove the roll from the camera. Then I asked him, “Sir, the statistics in the billboard is surely not a test bowling figure, is not it? Ramadhin could bowl only 98 over’s and that record still stands as the maximum number of over’s by a bowler in a test match innings”.

By this time the man had removed the roll, spoke nothing but smiled. In a low voice I discussed with my wife if we could buy this camera. We had liked it and the price appeared to be within our budget. When my wife gave a consensual nod, I asked the owner, “How much the camera would cost”?

In a pleasant voice he replied, “I would charge you Rs.500”.

My wife consented and I proceeded to pay. Now, the shop owner took out a marker and modified the statistics as 445-166-277-2. I was dumbfounded and bluntly asked him to explain the statistics. He again smiled and started talking.

“This shop was opened in 1982 during Delhi Asian Games by my father. Till date we have lent 445 cameras to the visitors of the temple and sold a film roll each with these cameras. 166 persons duly returned the camera after using it. 277 people decided to buy the camera on conclusion of their visits and one number has just now been added to this tally upon your purchase of the camera”.

When he did not explain the last figure, I grew impatient and asked him, “What about the last figure 2”?

These two cameras were taken by two families during the first week of June of 1984. The cameras were never returned. Then he slowly took out two medium sized candles from his drawer and silently showed us the candle stand near the photograph of Guru Nanak and gestured us to light the candles.

I calmly went with my wife and we lighted the two candles. My perplexed wife asked me in a low voice, “What happened in the first week of June ’84”?

In a hushed tone I replied, “Operation Blue star”.

I took hold of my wife’s hand, returned the shop owner his match box, shook his hand and silently left the shop with our camera.