A no-camera moment
by Zephyr • November 18, 2011 • Kaleidoscope • 66 Comments
Holidays have become synonymous with photographs and going by the number of travel blogs and Face Book shares, it is also a very popular way of sharing memories, more than even words. But if you ask me, the images imprinted on one’s mind and memory are equally beautiful and much cherished, though they can’t be shared as the recorded ones.
For a long time we had a small camera, a simple point and shoot Canon Hotshot. We took many photos of the Brats when they were babies and then toddlers and kids. But somewhere along the way it went kaput and we never got another one for quite sometime. We shifted to Delhi and things were pretty hectic trying to get used to a new city and new everything. Then we went on a holiday.
This trip is memorable since it stands out in the collective memory of the entire family.
I think the older one was around 12 at that time. We decided to go to Jaipur. Back then we had no car and of course still no camera. It was the Christmas-New Year holiday. The L&M had got a week’s leave for a family vacation, I took leave and off we went, armed with huge bags and suitcases full of warm clothing, it being the last week of December and bitingly cold even in Delhi.
At Jaipur, we didn’t take any guided tour since it meant that we visited places as per the tour schedule and couldn’t dawdle or hurry or pick and choose the places we wanted to visit. The kids were fond of forts so it was first the Amer fort and then the Jaigarh fort. We spent a whole day in these two forts, with the boys posing with cannon and standing on the ramparts. We looked at them with pride – but couldn’t capture it on film. But I still remember the joy on their faces as they pretended to be soldiers and strutted around the grounds and the elephant back ride to the top of the Amer fort, the little one giggling at the huge droppings of his mount as it wended its way up to the top.
We had also planned to stop at Sariska for a couple of days. It was here that we missed having a camera, or did we?
We were perhaps the only guests at the Sariska Lodge who had come by public transport, having lugged out oversized bags from the highway where the bus from Jaipur had dropped us off, to the lodge. The reception clerk made us cool our heels when he asked if we had parked our car and we answered that we didn’t have one! Finally we got a room, but only for a day because it was the year end and they were booked for New Year, which was a day away. We took it after deciding because we wanted to start on the safari right away.
I recently read in several blogsposts, Deepak’s Magic Travels and Anu’s Wandering Mind among them, talking of not sighting a single tiger in Corbett. Sariska was worse and this was nearly two decades back! But the guides know how to keep your interest stoked and keep you breathless with anticipation at a sighting ‘any time now’!
The first time we went to Sariska we fell lock, stock and barrel to their tricks. The jeep would be moving when suddenly it would stop and the guide would place his finger on his lips, while pointing out to marks – paw marks – on the ground. We would sit with our hair on end waiting for the beast to show itself for something like nearly half an hour, pinching our noses not to sneeze, trying desperately not to cough….and then the jeep would move again, with the guide shaking his head ruefully. After a little distance, the vehicle would grind to a halt again with the guide whispering that the tiger was around somewhere near and point at the mangled flesh of some animal at a distance and the charade would continue.
But the next time we went there — this time with only the younger brat, since the older one was working by then — we had become the wiser and got to know how the guides did it. They made the paw marks (if you see them, they will be perfectly made, as if by some mould) and have the carcasses placed strategically to dupe the travelers. So where are the tigers? But that’s not the point of this post…
Coming back to the safari, we got to see other animals – neelgai, foxes, hyenas, deer – quite a few of them too. The first mentioned is a blue cow literally (neel (blue) + gai (cow)) At one place we stopped and felt eyes on us. Our searching eyes revealed a neelgai, its large soulful eyes looking at us from behind the bushes. It didn’t move and we stared at it in fascination. After twenty years and more, that neelgai still stands out in our memory. Ask anyone in the family about the first trip to Sariska and the neelgai would be the first to be mentioned, not even the hyena which had made my skin crawl.
If we had captured it in film we could have looked at the picture and reminisced about it and shared it on FB with our friends. But look at it this way: today we can recall that neelgai anywhere, anytime and all we need to do is to close our eyes and hark back to that winter day in the forest to see the beautifully large and limpid eyes of that neelgai.
There have been many holidays after that, when we went by our car (and didn’t have to cool our heels at the reception for the lack of it J) and taken hundreds of pictures – of the kids, of the entire family, of the mountains and rivers and waterfalls – all memorable and dear to all of us but all that pales into insignificance in comparison to that single memory of the neelgai back in the woods of Sariska….
Do you have any such no-camera moment? How about sharing them?
Image courtesy: indiapost.com
Quite agree . Moments cherished in the mind are better than moments cherished in camera .
Not to say that the ones on camera are any inferior.
OMG you and L&M are my parents soul mates…I swear my parents hate photography to its core…I hardly have any photos of them unless taken in sly..and they give the same logic…its better to close your eyes and remember those moments than those frozen in time…I dont photograph myself too often as well…just consicous…but their logic and your logic so match
you know during my wedding, they didnt want photography at all
but RD’s family insisted and then we agreed since my bro and mamas were also very enthu about it 
It is not that we are totally against it. But I feel sometimes that we are not giving enough exercise to our brains and memory by imprinting them in our minds, clicking away. This time when we went to Rishikesh Haridwar, the L&M took the pics and he was so kanjoos, as if he were wasting film, when all he was doing was recording on digital camera
There were so few pics from that trip! I hate getting photographed too, but the boys treat me like another kid and make me pose as they click. Sigh. What one has to do to please kids these days 
But not wanting photographs in a wedding? I must meet your folks!
Gadgets do help to preserve memories but feelings are always stored in heart. Those were good old days where memories were lived by discussing or telling it to friends. Now, a snapshot has taken its place.
Your posts made me nostalgic. I think I will recall all the good times I had with my family which has no camera moments…:)
You have put it so well Saru. A photo has no value till there is some feeling attached to it. I am glad my post made you nostalgic for your family and the memories associated with it.
We are a camera obsessed family as in my dad used to be the one armed with a camer when we go to kerala and take photos. Then I took over and I also loved and still love taking pictures of people unlike the current craze of nature. I like to see expressions later.
However there was this one trip I took to Managalore with office colleagues and it was the first time visit. Strangely everyone except me had forgotten to get a camera and this was not the time when all of us had camera phones. Mine was the old camera where a reel has to be put so just 36 snaps which got over pretty soon as Mangalore beaches are a treat and cant waste time taking pics so just enjoyed it. The best part about it is once we reached back we realized that the reel was spoilt so actually no pics at all from a great trip but then like you mentioned I still can remember each of the beaches as if saw it yesterday.
Oh, a no-camera trip that stayed with you? How wonderful! As I say, when we have no prints or recorded images to fall back on, we exercise our brains to remember the details. It is much like reading a book where we imagine the scenes and watching a film where everything is laid out before us.
At the risk of sounding ancient – i sometimes resent having a camera – You are looking at a gorgeous sunset and all kinds of “philosophical”/random/romantic thoughts are going through your head and someone says – pose pose !!! Several poses and camera settings later and that moment when u were one with nature is lost forever!
Man i sound like some nut case – dont i?
Oh no, you don’t. You just said something that I have omitted in my post. Of losing that one particular moment in the hurry to capture it for posterity.
Yup – appa had an old point and shoot camera, which would more often not-work than work
So many of our trips were photo and camera less. I think I was about 10 or so and anna about 13, when we first made our first trip to Delhi. Till then, most vacations were spent at uncle/aun’s houses in various parts of Tamil Nadu. So, we were (at least, I was) super excited.
Although I was just 10, I vividly remember the trip including getting completely drenched in Raj Ghat, (don’t ask me how, that is material for a separate post
), seeing & dipping in River Ganga for the first time, visiting Krisna janmasthan and many such more… Have made several trips to many places after that – with parents, with anna and with K – but nothing compares to this first trip and its excitement.
Btw, I have never heard of Neelgai, will have to look it up. A blue cow – what a unique sight it must have been!
There is something to say about imprinting memories in one’s mind than on film. But this is not to knock photography in any way. It is a wonderful thing to capture and then share and reminisce about the shots. But like you have experienced, that one trip stands out for you, right? For us, if anyone just mentioned Sariska, we would all chorus, ‘Remember that Neelgai?’ It was that memorable. btw, neelagai’s are not exactly blue as in BLUE, but have a tinge of blue probably due to the hide and it is a wild cow. But the eyes are so enormous and soulful.
Sorry ZM but I don’t agree with you on this one. I feel photography is just a way of sharing what you saw with everyone. Mind you not randomly clicked pics but pics where you put some thought in it and think of what you would like to capture and take away with you forever. Too many people today are spoilt by digital cameras that allow one to take about a million pics and then pick the 20 keepers! I on the other hand conciously avoid taking snaps haphazardly (unless its a action scene or the “in the moment” shot where one takes multiple pics to ensure that at least one of the shots would capture the moment perfectly).
Particularly why I stress on the sharing bit – well we as a family used to go on an annual vacation for a fortnight to some state in India. Then, about 15 years ago my grandfather’s health deteriorated making travel difficult after which both my grandparents stopped travelling on the annual trip. Papa had a film camera then (limited to 36 shots) so he actually would carefully count down the snaps he was taking and painstakingly write down in a notepad what the subject of the picture was so that we could return home and then show it to my grandparents. It was just a way for them to feel that they were there as well even when they couldn’t go with us. Oh and Papa always ensures that at least one of us is always in a picture so that it can never be mistaken for a picture postcard and instead has a personal touch to it.
Hey Sidhdharth, I never said photography is bad or that no-camera is the best way to enjoy a vacation or anything else, for that matter. Just that it is equally memorable to not have a camera to record everything. I have mentioned that photos are a great way to share the memories, haven’t I? The difference is the feeling factor that makes sharing of pics so nice. I can so understand the elderly people’s joy to see their children and grandchildren having a good time and thus vicariously join the trip, which they otherwise can’t. And it is indeed thoughtful of your father to personalise it too. But surely you must have some no-camera moments too?
To be honest, I can’t remember any right now though I’m sure there would be many.
I will wait
One has to have a passion for photography and sadly both of us lack the same.
We click pictures only when we are on a vacation…and with a grown up son who handles the camera we hardly click any pics.
I have not been to Sariska. A wildlife trip definitely deserves a good camera though.
Oh yes, but that trip we simply didn’t have one, but strangely, though we have gone on other trips since, that one remains etched in our memories. Children these days have great photographic sense, don’t they?
Zeph I recently went to Kanha ( from Jabalpur) -haven’t got round to writing abt it .The Tiger was too busy to see us and I too did not relish the idea of bumping around on an open jeep inhaling red dust at 6 am in the morning -especially with the kids.So after too unsuccessful safaris we just took it easy and enjoyed the jungle- getting up and finding a herd of cheetal staring at you in distance – persuading the ranger to allow us to accompany him on one of his paidal forays in safe -non core areas and seeing a peacock dancing , a hornbill in full flight . I think the best non camera moments are the ones that stay imprinted photograph like in your mind’s eye.
Thanks for this wonderful post.
Good for you that you didn’t go on a wild goose oops….tiger chase
I think that the tigers are either too few in number to be seen in such vast areas (they could be deep in the forest where no one can go) and the forest guides simply make us salivate in anticipation throwing all kinds of lures. You were wise to go on a foot safari even if you could only see some birds. Do the kids remember those? That;s what matters most.
I can so relate to you on this part because I cherish memories. As I say, memories are the only thing that stay with you. Although I like photography, there are times when you’re happy that there was no camera! A memory that’s ‘etched’ in my mind is when I saw thousands of fireflies light up the surroundings on one of my trips. The best part was, even though we did have a camera, the fireflies couldn’t be clicked because the lights were only enough for human eyes
That sure was one perfect no-camera moment! How wonderful it must have been to see the place light up with the fireflies! I am sure you must be talking about it and remembering that scene whenever you talk about the trip
My no cam moments are when I saw my children for the 1st time brought out of the operation theatre! Nothing tops that! The birth of new lives!
Another perfect no-camera moment! Nothing to equal that feeling of seeing your child for the first time with your own eyes and recording it for all times to come
Oh yes, all my childhood vacations were without camera. We just have a few pics of Kashmir, which were taken by a professional photographer. Most of the vacations are etched in our memories though I would have preferred to have some pictures with me to show to my husband and children. I am happy that I take a lot of photos now, as kids will remember a lot of things by the visuals when they grow up. Oh yes, I had the same experience at Corbett where the guide asked us to go slow etc. but wasn’t as dramatic as yours at Sariska and thank god for no fake paw marks
. I was also disappointed with the thorough lack of animals at Corbett as I had mentioned in my blog post.
I remember the professional photographers too. Why even family pictures and portraits had to be taken either in a studio or by a photogrpaher! in those days. Unlike today most middle-class families didn’t have cameras those days either. But sure, we do miss not having any photos to share from the trips and get-togethers. Travel blogging has brought a new dimension to the concept of memory sharing, hasn’t it? I myself enjoy the trips vicariously when I read the posts by these bloggers. I read about the paw marks in Anu’s post on Corbett and so mentioned our own experience. With children one needs to either keep refreshing their memories of a particular event or just give them visuals to jog their memories. Good thinking
Just last week I got a call from my class IX classmate (1963) that he has come to Bangalore to attend a marriage. I was delighted to go and meet this old pall after full 48 years, a nostalgic moment indeed. But, alas…I forgot to take my camera along to capture those happy moments to share!
These moments need to be captured in film! It must have been so disappointing for you to have left your camera behind and not able to capture such a priceless meeting. Recently the entire family had been together but we failed to get a single shot of all us together. That kind of rankles still.
I have been to sariska long back as a small kid and vividly remember spotting barasinghas, hyenas, neelgais, some birds and not spotting any tigers or lions
Even we dint have any camera then, and anyways I would have been quite young to handle it.
There have been so many moments when I dint have a camera and was quite happy about this fact too
… I enjoy taking it all alone sometimes, without the gadgets and savoring those moments… those small little things around… that get imprinted in the eye of the mind, so true they are cherished as much…always.. I do love my no cam moments as much as i love my cam moments 
I am so glad that you enjoy your camera moments as much as the no-camera ones, else where would we find the absolutely gorgeous shots of the Himalayas and the Ganga? But yes, some trips are meant to be enjoyed on a spiritual level, which means doing it in one’s heart and mind.
Much though i have a camera now and would not in my life go for holidays without it, much of my exciting life was without camera. I probably have no single memories, multitude of vague images in my head of picnics, treks, hikes in the forests one which probably stands out is this one trip to sikkim when after trying to see the kanchenjunga for 2 days, we woke up the 3rd morning to see this magnificent view from the hotel window. I don’t need a photograph to remember that view.. it was just so awesome a sight.
ps: sariska tales of how guides make you believe abound but I have to share that recently a friend of mine came back having seen a tiger there. Maybe you should visit again .
I somehow was convinced that we all have wonderful no-camera moments, which is what made me write this post. It must have been so wonderful to see the peak. I can imagine the excitement by well, just imagining
Maybe we should go again, but stories of no sighting are more than the lone sighting to inspire me
We had a similar experience at the Jim Corbet National Park – my white jeans turned an ash gray, we look intently at tiger droppings and ooh and ahhed at the lone owl perched on a tree.
And the mind’s camera is far more interesting that the digital contraptions we get – one can always colour it with our imagination.
LOL that happens when we don’t want to accept that we have been taken for a ride, literally. Why an owl, even a crow looks like some exotic bird
you have put it so nicely: we can colour the images with our imagination. Perfect!
The Neelgai and how innocent it looked will be forever etched in our minds; and no way we could ever erase it. One of the reasons why the vacation is so close to our hearts is because of the situations surrounding it. I would have been only 6 when we went for this; but I remember a lot from that holiday! How we all snuggled up at night at sleep to fight the harsh cold. Remember the key chains which had the wooden insects inside and they wiggled their legs when you held them in your hands! How many of those we bought and we tripped on them for years!
It had been terribly cold hadn’t it? And the day we came back from Jaipur and the bus had broken down, we were roaming the fields and wondering why we couldn’t bear the cold — it turned out that it was -1 C that day in that area, remember? And I remember the wooden insects — how many people did you freak out with those
very true…. images captured in our minds and hearts are everlasting, and much better than that any camera can take…. while i do still keep clicking photos, of late, have been slowly growing more aware of how my perspective has changed thanks to the camera… i feel i see only angles and lights and frames now! which is why i have postponed the idea of buying a dslr! imagine, if this is the way i am with a simple digicam, what will happen if i have to think of which lens to use and what aperture!! and with a kid in tow too!!!
I never realised that a photographer has to take into account all these things. We just point and shoot and if we are lucky, get a good shot
I can imagine what it will be like with a more advanced camera (psst…I don’t know what a dslr is!) But do take all those pics and post them so that those like me who can’t travel so much can enjoy the trips through your blogs 
not just all that… my son says all i think about on a trip or while going anywhere, is – what to write on the blog!!! photos and articles seem to be taking over our life!!!
LOL the poor thing! But you do so many things with him that he must be just saying it good naturedly, and not as a complaint of ignoring him. He is such a sweet boy!
Zephyr, I have a rather expensive collection of photographic equipment for someone with rather low financial might. You may or may not find my photographs appealing but I kind of subscribe to the school of thought who believe in shooting only when it’s worth it. Believe me, there have been countless occasions when I have returned without even twirling the zippers of my camera bag and still cherish those memories with my family and friends.
I remember you telling me about your passion for good photography. I can understand your reluctance therefore to take pictures that didn’t excite your imagination. But I am right aren’t I, when I say that some memories are indelible even without a record of it in film?
Of course, they are! Historically, cameras have existed for nearly a century and a half or so but does that mean people didn’t have memories etched on their hearts before that?
There is one thing though, while it is not essential to record places and things, it is infinitely better to be able to capture people, moods and feelings. How many times have we heard older people lament that had there been photography in earlier days they could have shown so-and-so as a kid or some such thing?
So True!
I went to Leh recently, and took a couple of photographs. Unfortunately, the magnificence of the mountains, the lakes, and the deep blue skies couldn’t be captured by my camera. It surely wasn’t my camera which messed up the pics, it was so “terribly” beautiful(if i may), that my memories are more beautiful than the pictures.
You went to Leh? Lucky you! That is one of the places I would love to visit some day, health permitting. Leave alone Leh, I have not even visited Kulu Manali. And yes, I can understand how it must have been to be dwarfed by the magnificence of nature especially the majestic snow-clad peaks and crystal clear waters which were ‘terribly’ beautiful
Such memories are truly overwhelming.
I developed an interest in photography only 3-4 years back after I was gifted with a camera. So till then, I have had many no-camera moments. But one that comes to my mind now is my time in Bhuj in 1992 for field work as part of my M.Sc. Geology disseration. I did have a film camera but that was only for photographing rock formations and rock specimens. It didn’t occur to me then that I could photograph non-study stuff as well.
I have many vivid and stark memories from that trip: sunrises and sunsets, standing atop Kala Dongar and seeing the landscape around me, a small temple on the Bhuj Mandvi Road as the only signs of habitation I saw from atop a small hill, and the surprisingly comforting stillness. I was probably the only one was miles around and yet I did’nt feel scared or threatened. I still remember every non-geological (and geological) moment of the trip. Those not captured on camera and those captured on camera.
This is an very interesting post and I like the comments and debate generated here. In my opinion and experience, no matter how many photographs I take, those that are imprinted in my mind are always stronger.
So cute of you to be so conscientious and only photograph the specimens
I would love to be in such a place where you feel so one with nature. You never feel scared in such a setting. It is so comforting that it is as if you are part of a primeval whole. You know, I had not posted any picture of the ghat where I sat and watched the Ganga on our trip for this reason. There were none and I didn’t want to take any because it was too personal. The L&M too didn’t click me there, perhaps sensing my need to be alone with her. Thank you for liking the post. I knew people do have such moments, but honestly didn’t expect them to say so and share too, what with cameras ruling our lives today 
I feel youngsters nowadays do not observe anything intently because it is easy to click it and then go over it in leisure….
Yeah. Isn’t it sad that we miss the original for an image of it? But that seems to be the trend.
I liked your insights about the forest guides. I can’t believe that I have been fooled by them so many times! I really feel stupid now.
The only time I used the camera was when my kid broke it and I blogged about it
. It was a good thing because the post got quiet a few FB shares! But the tragic twist in the tale was my wife upgraded to DSLR. So now I am keeping the camera in a safe place. I can’t afford another upgrade. We don’t even take it out to snap pics. 
Don’t feel bad. They are so expert at it that anyone can be taken in. We too got the wiser only the second time around. What is the use of having a camera when you can’t use it? The best way is to keep the kiddo at a safe distance from it, if you ask me. Depending upon his age, you can use suitable excuses to stop him from touching it. Psst. kids can be easily fooled no matter how clever they are. The trick is to know their weakness and go for it.
I had a similar discussion with a friend a few weeks ago. The sudden influx of low cost digital cameras and camera mobiles have made photography available to everyone.
And many in their rush to capture the moment forget to live the moment. There is a difference. I consider myself a decent photographer, but sometimes you have to let go of the instinct to click. Stop looking at the world through a viewfinder and thinking in light, shutter speed and aperture opening. Sometimes, you just need to use your 5 senses to capture it.
This is the first comment from a photographer acknowledging that we tend to miss the moment in our quest to capture it for posterity.
God has indeed given us the best camera with digital memory to store images for our lifetime, hasn’t He?
That’s why we blog right? To preserve those no-camera moments?!
Right you are! Blogging about such moments is like reading a book vis-a-vis watching a movie. the reader is left to imagine the scene
Wonderful post….
Before i start i would say there are some people who click pictures just to share them on fb…posing like wannabes….but that is not the essence of this post
There have been many precious moments which we didn’t capture on camera and they are imprinted like it happened last moment…. i so get lost in the lap of nature that i often forget to take pictures….on my recent cycling expedition i took just a few pictures and that too whenever i saw some flora or rock formation which was rare in our world….enjoying the moment is the main motto.
We really forget to enjoy the moment in our quest to capture it for posterity, little realising that looking at something in print or film is not the same thing as enjoying the scene. I don’t like pictures of me in front of monuments and sights either. Is it to just say that I was there? Would love to share your experiences of the cycling trip. Have you recorded them somewhere? Give me the link if you have, please?
I have written a few experiences about the cycling trip, not the whole account. You can read them here..
http://sangeeta-homealone.blogspot.com/2011/09/for-those-who-want-to-know.html
and here…http://sangeeta-homealone.blogspot.com/2011/09/himalayas-conspired.html
Varsha of “Wholesome options” has posted an interview too…http://wholesomeoptions.blogspot.com/2011/11/wow-woman-sangeeta-khanna.html
I know. I had commented on it too! And I didn’t know that you had two blogs till now! I will read and comment. Thanks for the links
Thanks for your encouraging comment at wholesome option
and many more interests 
And i have four blogs
Loved reading many of your posts yesterday..
Wow and double wow! I will have a look at all of them; I am already subscribed to your desividesi khana blog.
We need to have interests so that we may live independent and happy. I am glad you liked my posts. Do visit again…and again 
Always wondered why a camera cant capture the beauty what an eye can see. Dad used to teach me how to use camera from a single digit age, never understood the concept of focus. If we can see it why cant i take a pic that looks so.
As i grew up had few concepts how we can replicate the way we look into pictures. ( as you still see i dont have patent and not a millionaire so obviously it didnt work
) But after working enough with lenses did realize I can make it look prettier in a diff way which eyes cant even imagine to see.
Well i guess its after all, all abt perspective
agreed about the different perspectives but when you miss seeing the glory of the moment for technical reasons, you miss it forever, don’t you?
i find it really funny when ppl pretend to have come to un-wind and all they do is click photos left right and center so they can show other ppl what they saw. the best images are the one’s your camera cant capture
But like Siddharth had pointed out in his comment, sometimes we need to click to share with our loved ones who are missing the trip. But otherwise, our brains store the memories better than any hard disk