Steeped in Love!

We fell in love in the 1990s! We were naive, silly and hugely influenced by Bollywood movies we saw. As lovers, we tried to do everything they did. Imagine ourselves singing and promising lifelong togetherness. We wanted pictures steeped in love.

Alas! The camera we had could accomplish not much! We had to put the ancient thing on self-timer and run in those ten blinking seconds to pose with the beloved. In those blasted few seconds, the spontaneity of embrace or love would tumble off, at times bringing in awkward pics and the smiles rarely reached the eyes!

We sighed sheepish, hid those photographs and got on with life. Our deeply held hugs, romantic moments only captured in our hearts, never on print.

Cut to today’s technological selfie revolution, so much is changing at miraculous proportions!

Today’s youth have it at the tip of their button to freeze moments at every juncture and in the coolest environs.

When we look back, awkward memories of behind-the-tree visits to Aarey Milk Colony,  on-the-rocks visit to Bandra Reclamation and Marine Drive peeks in. We sat there on the edge being harassed by eunuchs asking the truant naive couples for money or the Police holding us ransom and threatening to call our parents. The mini heart attack at having to part with the last hundred. Mortified and moronic memories.

We married, birthed two dudes and witnessed a revolution of sorts. A phone confined to our living rooms had transformed itself into a tiny device in our hand, capable of sending text, mails, capturing pictures! The Selfie Revolution that allows one to capture any and every moment. The techno evolution keeps getting better. We are, and were, learning the ropes! The works! 

One such day, two years back, we visited Churchgate with our two sons. One 15, another 9. We took them to Marine drive and began narrating the nostalgic moments of their parents' life.

They refused to believe.

Yes, being harassed by eunuchs or police is an alien concept to today’s youth that saunters in for cool dates in Malls, Starbucks, Cafe Coffee Day or McDonald’s!

Sipping their elite stuff, texting several in one go, updating pics on social media, they have no clue how a generation before, getting a cozy corner or message across was so tough! Pigeons were our ideas of love messengers! Getting the right romantic pose was an exercise and art. 

Really??? So laughed our dudes. Their squeals of delight curdled our toes in mortification and embarrassment. They teased us galore and we gave in and shared our fracas of those times. 

Suddenly, I realised that we were at Marine Drive. We had our kids presence and license to sit there. Neither the Police nor anyone else was likely to fleece us. We didn’t have to be awkward. We had truly kept all the promises we made to each other and made it this far.

It was a jocund moment of Gay abandon.

I had borrowed the hat from my son to tame my flowing tresses.  His hair in perfect ruffle as ever that made me fall for him years back! We both were colour co-ordinated in different shades of blue! We had the perfect backdrop of a clear blue sky. We were on the parapet we were twenty years ago. We were still in love as deep as ever. We still retained the mischief we had in us two decades back. In an impulsive moment, I hugged my hubby and smiled. God bless the smart phone in his hand, he without hesitation took a click!

The expanse of the sky- all embracing and  endorsing our moment. A captured freeze of pure rapture. A camaraderie well shared.

The only wish that can enhance  this perfect pic could be the Mobiistar Front Dual 120 degree angle camera that would have also taken in the resplendent sky and a white birdie that lurked sponsoring our hug and cheer. For no thought was given at that moment to frame the picture, only a quick, on-the-spot click to capture the exploding emotion.

Blessed be the ever-evolving technology that allows seemingly miraculous developments in picture-taking possible. Such as we never envisaged when we foolishly tried to pose as lovers immersed in each other. We emerged totally stupid.

Today, the stupid moments are neatly picked up by these devices to magically transport them to romantically translucent levels.

If there are magical realms possible smart phones like Mobiistar would be the ones to bring them to Manifestation.

For now I am happy with this rapturous moment completely steeped in love of years of yearning for this perfect moment! A treasure I keep going back to reminisce and rejuvenate, a love that is and always will be. 

-SONNAL PARDIWALA