Circa 2007/8: Krishanu takes a liking to photography. Cut to September 2018, Krishanu opens up his work, albeit a limited selection, to one and all. He actually says we are free to share, so sharing I am.
Please visit http://krishanunagar.com.
And therein lies a story that needs to tell itself.
Apologies baba (that’s what I call him), I wanted to share this beautiful piece of work, but not just share, I wanted to do it properly.
Therefore this post, telling the back story.
Of course the bio on your website is beautifully written, explaining the why, the emotions, the sentiments. But I’m Bhai, and I can’t help but tell the back story.
Now then, the back story.
I’m based in London around that Circa, and have made a flying visit to Bombay. Krishanu is studying at Uni. One night sometime around dinner time he says, Bhai, can we go out and get a coffee after dinner?
I go like, sure we can do that. I’ve be there, done that, and when a college going son, says let’s go grab coffee in a certain kind of tone, it triggers, sets off certain alarm bells. Hmmm, you’re dying to ask, so what do you want to talk about. But you don’t, you act all cool and casual, not revealing that deep down there is this certain sense of dread, God, what’s on the cards.
Some of you parents out there, will be going. Ditto. I know what this chappie is saying.
This reminds me of of the time when Bhavna and Shruti casually invite me to lunch, and at the lunch table, without any prompting or previous knowledge I ask them, so who’s the guy? Alluding to the guy my sister had taken a liking to and needed my nod, therefore the lunch set up between sisters in law against the brother and husband. But that’s another story, and I think I’ve told it a few times, though maybe not here. I always have this inkling and can read what’s headed my way.
Back to The Krishanu and said coffee grabbing.
We are done with dinner and amble down the road to my fav coffee place, Gloria Jeans, a cafe of many memories and nostalgia.
Coffee is ordered, we are sitting on the ledge outside coffee shop, and after a brief silence, The Krishanu goes like this….
Bhai, I don’t want to continue Uni, my mind’s just not in it. Just like that!
Now if you know anything about anything, and some of you may know something about something, you will fully understand what crossed through my mind. And if you’re an Indian parent, then take the thoughts that would cross any parents mind and multiply those thoughts by a few more factors.
The fact that he wanted to quit studying bothered me none at all. What was foremost in my mind is the aftermath this announcement would unleash amongst a lot of quarters. The first being the lads mother, Bhavna. The other bring the lads paternal grandmother, called lovingly as The Mother, or The Higher Authority. My father. And not to forget the maternal grandparents.
And guess who would be navigating this minefield? Yours truly. I swear, that’s the only thought that was in my mind.
I can say with my hand on my heart, that I was, have been, do and will always support Krishanu’s decision and his courage to make that decision. And that’s what I told everyone. That we should admire his courage to go off the oft trodden path and take up something that he wanted to do.
But I also had to play dad, and dad I did play. Have you thought it through? What makes you think you’re cut out for this? What makes you think you will make it? It’s not an easy line. In India such professions don’t always pay off. Maybe you should finish school and do this in parallel. Merely holding a DSLR does not a photographer make. You get my drift?
He was steadfast, no school, mind not in school, can’t hack it, only Photography. Result? I’m left fielding the aftermath.
And so it begins. Conversation after conversation. His Mother, my Mother, My Father, his maternal grandparents. It wasn’t pretty, but I prevailed. The most supportive of them all being my dad. My dear departed dad.
There have been many a time when I’ve questioned my decision to support Krishanu. Did I do the right thing? Did I do him a disservice by not being firm and forcing him to finish Uni, a point or view strongly held by Bhavna back then.
Over the years he’s done so many courses, done a few gigs, taken some beautiful pictures. And I’ve been asking him for years, to publish, to open up his work to the world. He wouldn’t do it. I even created a blogsite for him years ago, he never put anything on it. He wasn’t ready.
A few months ago he says he’s building a website and I’m going like right. Let’s see when that sees the light of day.
Guess what, it has seen light of day. It’s up, it’s in the public domain. I’m proud. I’m proud because I think the bug bit him when he was with me in the UK to spend his 18th birthday with me.
And that’s the back story behind http://krishanunagar.com.
Well done baba, well done. I just wish you’d put a lot more of your fantastic work up there real soon. Keep the site current, update frequently, publish updates often. Aggressively promote your beautiful work.