PHOTOS AND BIKES

“You climbed a tree? What is wrong with you what if something happened to you?” a worried mr Kulkarni asks.

“Well, I was clicking a picture for City’s edition this week and you don’t need to worry about me. Thank you but I can manage. Where is the venue?”

What she is going to a meeting like a hooligan? Stupid woman! I can’t resist myself and say “you can’t be serious about coming to the meeting like this!”

“It shouldn’t matter to you and who told you would be coming with me?” she snarls.

“Of course he is going with you, he is the CEO. Even Neel is going with you because he will lead the creative team for the magazine. And Raghav is right you have to be more formal. Amulya, I know it will be hard but you have to.”

“I don’t have formal clothes, I didn’t get enough money to buy something now.” She says making circles with her feet.

“Are you serious? Not even a pair?” I ask genuinely curious.

Before she says anything her uncle hands her a card, her phone and says, “Take the card, the pin no is stored in your phone.” Then he looks at me and says,

“Raghav, you chose a dress for her.”

“What nonsense, why should he? I can choose my own.” She snorts again!

“I am sure you can kiddo, but he seems to have a good taste and he knows more about corporate things. There is a mall on the way take the car I came in.” he says.

“Neel how did you come here?” she asks.

Why does she want that? She wastes so much of time. “Can we just leave? I don’t want us to be a minute late.” I say.

DISCOVERY

“Have a look isn't it good?” he says still looking at her.

I look at it; the picture is just a regular scene… It was of a couple who were walking with a baby in the guy’s arms. A group of friends passing by laughing, two were pointing at each other and two others were giving hi fives. A girl who looked angry about something and was talking over phone and a vegetable vendor was pushing his cart and he was being followed by a dog.

“Yes, it is fine” I say.

“Fine? What is wrong with you? Look at the colours, the lighting and the life in it.”

Before I can respond she cuts in “what are you doing here?”

This stupid girl is asking me what I am doing here. “Why the hell don’t you have a phone? And why the hell aren’t you in the office?”

“Excuse me I am not answerable to you.” She snorts again.

“I am absolutely not sorry to tell you that you are crazy, irresponsible and extremely manner less and stop snorting you are not a pig.”

“I am not an employee who works in your father’s company, you have no rights to talk to me like that and get the hell out of this place and can very well get the hell out of the company.” She hisses.

“Hey guys can you please stop fighting?” he says.

“Stay out of this” she and I say together staring at him, we see a car enter. Mr Kulkarni gets down and walks towards us.

“Hello Raghav, you found her finally, good.” Mr Kulkarni says.

“Amulya please carry your cell phone around.” He tells her looking at her in a loving manner.

“Yes, that is a good advice Mr Kulkarni and I hope she follows it.” I say and I snort. This girl made me snort!

He looks at the hippie looking guy and asks him “and you are?”

“I am Neel, the new photographer for ‘City Lights’ it is an honour to meet you sir.” The photographer says.

“Oh yes, you are the new photographer great. Welcome to the media house.”  He smiles and looks again at her.

“Amulya, ‘City Light’ is our weekly magazine. Madhurya was proud of it.” He says.

“Of course, she is proud of the magazine, the channel and the publishing house everything except me.” She laughs. “Please can we not talk about her?” and half smiles.

What was the deal with this girl anyway? May be her mother, well she ruined her life like my mother’s. Only reason I pity this manner less girl but I must concentrate on the plan.

I am interrupted by her uncle.

“Amulya, okay as you wish, I came here to tell you that our French collaborators want to meet you. And There is a board meeting a well, the collaborators from Spain and Italy are not here today though I want you to go to the venue immediately so that you can get briefed about it” he says.                                

“Hold on, you are Amulya Deshpande? The one who owns the media house? And you climb trees to click pictures? Wow! The photographer chips in.

hold, zoom and click

I walk towards the school, still thinking about her. I see a small gate and I try to open it, it squeaks while opening which wakes up a sleepy guard. He asks

“Yen agbekittu sir?” (what is it that you want)

“Press, kulkarni madam idara?” I ask whether she is inside the school.

He looks puzzled yet he lets me inside the gate to an open ground which is huge, children scattered into groups. Some playing, some talking and laughing and some others were running across the field making the dust rise from the ground. The dust cleared its path to a glimpse of her. Her sight made me smile slightly but it ceased due to the shock I felt. This crazy girl had climbed a tree and was trying to click a picture!! Stupid woman, I hope she falls and breaks her neck for this reckless behavior.

She says “ nodu hige hidkondu zoom madi click madu.” (see, hold it like I am holding then zoom the lens and click.) And she flashes her smile. She gets down from the tree and pats the little girl’s shoulder, she was teaching.

Another flash, I try to locate its origin a guy, my height but more like a hippie, just like her! She looks at him. he walks towards her, so do I. Before I can utter a word, he starts with introductory pleasantries.

“I am Neel” the new photographer for Medias, so.. I hope you are another photographer, because you are doing my job. He smiles.

She smiles back and replies “oh yes, this is my last photo. I was told that I was going to be replaced by a better photographer. Nice to meet you.” She snorts and smiles again.

I feel like banging my head into the same tree she was earlier on. She is pranking him! And who snorts? This crazy girl is so damn manner less. He smiles back with a confused look and says.

“Oh, well the way you clicked that picture from the tree, I bet you know your angles and positions.” His smile widens.

Wonderful, just wonderful! He was Flirting and dirty talking with some stranger that too during work. What a start, I wonder what she would say.

She arcs her eye brow and snorts again and says “well I just hope your angles and positions as a photographer are good, otherwise you will end up just like me ‘job less’.” And she smiles.

“Hey, that is what I said, anyways can I see the picture you clicked?” he asks.

She fidgets with the camera and he clicks her picture again. She shrugs and gives him the camera. He looks and smiles.

“That is a nice picture, why did they hire me? I wonder.” Finally he notices my presence and hands me the camera. She sees me and freezes.