Camera Kailasam!

Let me tell you the story of a little boy, who grew up dreaming that he would become a big photographer someday. He wanted to become world 'phamous', take amazing photos, experiment with lens, filters and that sort of thing. He always came first in his class, then 4th in the state, went to a reputed Institute in India. Then like all good honest God-fearing citizens, he came to America following all his friends. He completed his Masters, got a good job and settled down in life. You might think he was leading a fulfilling life. But for some reason, our hero was not happy. At the back of his mind, his love of photography kept troubling him. He was restless. How could he abandon his passion? He had to do something. Once in a while, he would borrow his friend's digital camera, put it on his tripod stand and take close-up photos of bees and such. Why would he have a tripod stand if he did not even own a camera yet, you ask? What a stupid question! Don't you guys carry condoms in your wallets?

Anyways, on his 16th birthday, opps I'm sorry, on his 27th birthday, his dear dear friend presented him with a digital SLR. This was a dream-come-true moment for our hero. He felt that all those hours of standing our "mokka-pottufy" friend was worth it. That whole night, and most following nights, he scanned through the camera manual pages over and over again, including the fineprint, warranty etc. Once he knew the contents by-heart, he started tinkering with his camera and learnt everything there was to know about it.

After that, began our heros' true journey through life. He finally discovered what he was put on Earth for. Have you heard of the rhyme "Mary had a little lamb... and everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go..." ? If our hero was Mary, the camera was tha lamb. They were like Karnan and his kavasam, like Rachna and her assorted hair clips, like Afsheen and his cleenex, like Jayanth and his 'Suprabhadam' CD...

You have a party at your place, and you'll realize everyone is there except for your hero. You call him, and there won't be a reply. Finally, you'll step out of the house and find our man takinjg close-up shots of your neighbors' daffodils. Or you might go to Busse woods for a run and call your friend along. He might forget his running shoes, but not his camera. Or it might be a rainy evening, and he'll be out there on your balcony, braving the rain and the wind, to capture timeless shots of your backyard. Or you might be taking a walk around a lake and notice a flash in the distance. And you'll realize its none other than our hero capturing berries and associated leaves for posterity. In between, there are shots of various beer bottles, fire hydrants, his cell phone and everything else in between. Once could go on and on, but suffice it to say that the camera has become an extension of our hero's arm and mind.

So let's all give a warm applause to our hero for finally discovering his passion and hope he becomes a renowned photographer very soon. And let's give him his new name from henceforth - 'Camera Kailasam'...