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I set out to Hemakuta Paravatha on one of the evenings in Hampi with my camera, tripod and other photography paraphernalia. I walked beyond Viroopaksha temple and climbed up the hill and found a good location to start shooting. In a few minutes, I had my equipment setup, camera mounted on the tripod and started off. Must have been two-three pictures that I had shot, and was wandering around the hill when someone called me.

A man sitting on one of the boulders - he looked like a government babu - indicated to me that some one is calling me from below. And there was a man with the uniform of a security person who was waving at me and coming towards me. I wondered once if I had stolen something or behaved badly somewhere, but obviously neither of it; there must be something else. So I decided to bring out a curious look on my face and wait for the man to come to me. He came up and said - “you can’t shoot with a tripod here”. That was a surprise I wasn’t ready for; I know ASI doesn’t allow use of tripods within their premise to prevent any damages, but I was standing on an open hill, built and cherished by mother earth, not by our ancient kings and architects. Whatzupwiththesefolks, I wondered. Actually, was a bit infuriated but pretended wonder instead.

Viroopaksha temple and the boulder covered country

Unable to contain my curiosity to myself, I politely asked him if there is a problem with using a tripod, and was there any reason for this. He pondered on the question a bit. From the looks of his face, he did not seem to know an answer but felt obliged to justify his action. He was only doing his duty as commanded by the brilliant folks to whom he reported, and I would have been happy to move on if he had said just that. Instead, he decided to use his brain and come with an answer that would help him dominate me. After much thinking he finally created an answer -

“If you shoot with the tripod, your pictures will come out perfect. There won’t be any fault in it. If it is a handheld shot at least there will be some shake or some imperfections in the picture. So you can’t shoot with the tripod”.

I gawked. A perfection reaction would have been to gasp with my mouth wide open and faint immediately, unable to contain the surprise. But I let sanity prevail and managed a gentle smile, but unable to speak yet after listening to the brilliant response. When all this happened, the babu who had initially called me had walked towards us, and realizing the situation and probably worrying that I might indeed faint, interrupted. He said - “he is only doing his duty; we have been told not to allow tripod the hill, which he is trying to do. How would he know the reason behind it, we should really ask his bosses”. I smiled and nodded, and I think babu felt encouraged to go on with my response. He continued and now switched to government lingo, saying that if I would still want to shoot with a tripod, must go to Bangalore and bring a ‘permission letter’ from so-and-so officer, etc. At this point I cut in and said “thank you”, which he clearly understood to mean ’stop now’, and obliged.

I decided to withdraw, for neither did I have the wish to argue with the messengers nor did I have the energy to go and bring ‘permission letter’. But I would not go away simply either. So I got those people to help me unfold the tripod, made them hold my camera and wait for me till I packed it all inside, just to give them some minor trouble and satisfy my ego! And after all that, the colors of the setting sun had started to appear on the west and I moved on, immediately forgetting all the drama that happened.

Sunset from Hemakoota

And I am still wondering why I haven’t got those perfect pictures he talked about, though I have been shooting with a tripod for many many years now!

Continued at: Badami

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