Saibaba made me remember the days I love Photography & Filmmaking and got me a new Camera

Sairam friends,

I had been to Madurai this weekend and reached home safe. I was little concerned as I took my car for the first time over a long drive and it was cool. I touched 130 speed which is normal in highway and enjoyed it. Konjam bayama irundhuchu..Scared at few moments when I did cuts to overtake vehicles but I wanna come soon as my parents can’t sit too long in car. Oh ya..Reasons!! Am I the one who wrote articles on driving slow and made a site which I almost forgot – SaiSafeDriving.Com

Chalega Sai. I am depressed. I need Music, Speed and all that makes me go crazy!

(Not advisable. Please be careful when you drive. Even I take atmost care when I drive when ever I see any one in Two wheelers. Indian roads are too dangerous for two wheeler journey. I keep praying Sai to take care of people who travel with small kids in their bike)

What else I am crazy about?

I realized the only way to get out of my confusion which happened in the past 3 month is to get back to Photography!

And I am crazy about “Art of Light”

I shall take you on a flashback…

Several years before, I used to like ace Cinematographer P.C.Sriram and his works which was one of the reason I wanna be a Cinematographer myself. Later, my interest went on to every element of Filmmaking. I learned how to write Screenplay the way they do it in Hollywood movies by reading some books. I picked some skills from the days I spent with a National award winning film editor. Somehow, I had to leave a career which was my passion as I wasn’t able to earn my living there. I gradually moved on to be a freelancer. I would never forget the days I used to get a cheque from Google every month. He he..I had few sites which was paying me while I was busy coming around holy Dhuni in Saibaba temple. Later, I moved to Mumbai and worked as a faculty in a filmschool. Finally, The past 5 plus years I accepted a job that initially had nothing to do with what I love to do.

Fortunately, These days, even to sell Enterprise IT products or solutions, people make videos and hence I was able to do some editing once in a while. I wanted to shoot a Corporate film and kept speaking about it which never happened. I thought that I must take effort and hence decided to buy the Camera myself. Even some of my very close friends said that no one will spend so much to buy a Digital Camera for the sake of the organization they work. I told them that its also for my personal use as I am remembering my love for photography. I almost lost my passion for an art which had always been with me.

I am not a good photographer but I enjoy doing it. I was worried that my dream to buy a new DSLR Camera would never come true.I had little money and could not afford it.

A dream which made me remember how much I was passionate about being a Filmmaker

On my Birthday, I made a video for Saibaba based on a dream I had.

Read this link – Get rid of depression. Start Something Fresh!

Actually, in the dream, I was holding a slip book which was in my office along with a Red Rose. The next day, I went to work and analyzed the slip book’s cover photo. There was a photograph of Mahabalipuram Architecture. As soon as I saw it, It took me back to the days I was crazy about Cinematography of P.C.Sriram.

There’s this song called “En Mel Vizhundha Malai Thuliye, Ithanai Naalaai engirundhaai?

Could be roughly translated as “Oh drop of rain which fell on me…Where were you all these days?”

I used to love the composition of below shot in that song. Oh God..What kind of framing is that? A steady shot which took my heart for a ride into an Art called “Photography”.

Welcome to another peculiar dream

My previous digital camera is outdated and can’t even use it creatively. The past couple of month, I kept telling some of my friends that I am going to buy a New Camera but they only started saying “Will you really get one?”. I even went alone to mall and enquired for the price. I hate EMI and hence kept wondering what to do about it? I was telling this to one of my friend whom I knew just for couple of month. He offered to use his credit card for me to buy so that I can pay him later. Nothing moved on and I kept thinking if Saibaba will get me a new camera or not?

I don’t know what you people think when I say that Saibaba has been guiding me through some songs the past 2-3 month. I have no reasons to say something that really did not happen. It’s surprising for me also because Sai can choose to communicate with me in any other way. May be, he’s happy that I am trying to discover the days I love Filmmaking and Photography once again.

On Friday morning ( 18th November 2016), I heared a Tamil song in my dream. It was just one line after which I suddenly woke up.

Here’s the song..

Azhagana Ratchashiyae, Adinenjil kudhikkiRiyae ….from the film Mudhalvan

K.V.Anand comes from P.C.Sriram school of Cinematography and hence I admire him most. Look at this shot from the above song! Amazing haan?

When ever I get dream early in the morning, I keep repeating it and say to myself “I got this dream..It was like this”..He he..I do this to make sure I don’t forget the dream. In this case, I kept thinking why did Saibaba showed me this song in dream? So far this has been 5th song in the series of Song dreams Baba showed me in the past 3 month. he he.. I woke up few minutes later and saw this song. It made me get more and more eager to finally buy my New Digital Camera.

I went to work and simply asked the sales man in Photo shop if the Camera I asked for is available. He told me that he has 2 coming and its already booked. I discussed with my friend about it. I spent all the money I got as this month’s salary and my friend transferred the rest as I wanted a super cool lens. I have to pay him next month but it was so kind of him to make me happy by getting the camera when its available.

I could have asked my Sister to get me a new camera or asked some money from my Father but I preferred not to do it.

If you want something in life, it must come the hard way. Only then, it will stay with you for lifetime.

I did not even imagine on Friday morning that I would buy a New Camera. It happened as if its a dream.

Had the dream not come, certainly, I would have said the sales man that I will try to buy next month. I give so much importance to any dreams Saibaba shows me that when he showed me this song, I believed Sai wants me to buy a Camera and fall in love with my second wife – Photography.

I went with my friends to mall on Friday night. Got the Camera..Had dinner in Saibaba colony with my friends and by the time I reached Saibaba temple, it was closed. So I kept the Camera near gate and worshipped Saibaba. I reached home and started to Madurai the next day. I just reached home today and wish to show you some photography I did with the new camera!

We stopped our Car under a tree shade to have breakfast on way to Madurai. I did some photography of near by plants. In India, You have habit of writing names on huge trees and walls. Don’t ask me what name was written on this tree. Imagine a 200 KMS stretch from Coimbatore to Madurai and I stopped the car in some odd place to have food. There must be thousands of trees on the highway. The theory of probability worked again. Why on Earth was this name written on the tree where I stopped my car? It means nothing to me any more Baba. I am bored and am out of it.

You want me to do something more good to this girl? What more than reading holy Sai Satcharita? Is that not enough? Now, let me get out of it. I just took a photo of it which I can’t post here.

I like the smile in this man and I always consider Cows as auspicious. My Mom used to say that she had Cows in her home and hence I took this photo.

I went to Madurai to see my Uncle who met with an accident and now going through his second surgery. I found this from the window of the Hospital and could not control myself from taking out the camera and shooting this. A Nurse was staring at me! India is not a friendly place for Photographers who does candid work.

I love these colorful flowers in my Aunts home

Have you see these plants in the road side in highway? When wind blows over it, they bend so gracefully. A feeling of this is how one must be completely egoless.

Finally, a gift for all my Sai friends.

I reached home only at 7.40 on Sunday night. I could not go to Saibaba temple as I was too tired. So decided to stay home and do some photography with my Saibaba. Few days back, I got this Statue from temple which I wanted to give to someone. It never happened. So I wanted to do photography with it. It was night and I had no chance to offer flowers. So all I had was Saibaba, my Moms Saree over which he sits and 4 lamps.

I love Dwarakamai so much..This photo makes you feel as if Saibaba is expecting your arrival in his Dwarakamai

Light two lamps for Shirdi Saibaba in your heart and let that be known as “Shradha and Saburi”

Hope you liked it friends.

Photography is like my second wife and she came home on Friday like Lakshmi whom I love most!

I wonder if there’s a First wife in my life after all these experiences. I am totally fedup, confused and depressed. I will focus on doing some creative work in the days to come. It might fill my days with some peace of mind.

The other day, I suddenly got a feeling like “What is life?” Is this is story of some kind? Everything seems to be like a dream to me. I don’t know what I have in mind and what Saibaba has in his mind for me. I just believe that the best is yet to come!

The best Sai has for me is yet to come!

Hey! A Surprise.

My Father took me to the village of his Grand Father. We visited a home where they had kept a family Goddess. We did not see her as the temple is under renovation but we worshipped the place she resides. There’s no statue. It’s only a Saree and Vel of Lord Murugan. Seems she was family deity of my Great Grand Father. My Dad said its like “Mother and Son – Parvati and Lord Murugan” in the form of Saree and Vel.

We did pooja and while back to Coimbatore, I missed the site I lauched exclusively to list Sarees. I even wrote an article to encourage people to give Sarees to poor women to be blessed. I have done it in past and I keep doing it. I love Sarees and the way its designed.

Om Sai Ram

Venkat