The Bards of the Blogosphere- Week 2 Chapter 4- Trigger Happy

Read the previous part of the story here.

Jenny surveyed the crowd that had come to listen to the minister speak, with a photographer’s eye. She mentally composed shots, cropping stragglers neatly out of the frame. Although she was there to cover the event for a publication, she always had a weather eye out for that award winning shot.

She idly played with her butterfly earring as she cocked her head, trying to figure out which shot she should take first. Her large Nikon camera ensured people automatically posed for her, in this era of selfies.

She preferred clicking weather beaten faces, of old men and women, the ones who had lived full lives. Children were easy to shoot. Full of innocence, even an amateur could get good shots if she focused on them.

The noise was deafening. There must be a thousand persons here, she thought. The crowd moved forward, jostling for space and taking her with them. The smell of the great unwashed assaulted her nostrils. Couldn’t be helped. That was part of the job too.

Unbidden, a stray memory floated in her consciousness. Of a girl in her colony. The prettiest one by far, with full lips, flashing eyes and milky, smooth skin. She knew it too. She had dreams of becoming a Bollywood star.

So she was easy prey for that smooth talking man who promised to take her to Mumbai and put her in touch with filmmakers. She had run away from home, taking a little money. Of course, there were no meetings with filmmakers. The man and his friends had sold her to a brothel.

Jenny shuddered, scattered conversations bringing her back to where she was. Two plump aunties were gossiping about the atrocious prices of vegetables. “I sure hope this man can bring down the prices to earth,” said one to the other, who nodded solemnly. Jenny took a photo, startling the ladies, who smiled reflexively.

As she moved forward, taking care to keep to the sides, where there were less people, she kept taking photos. You never knew when you could end up with a great shot.

A baby a man was cradling reached out for her camera, grinning toothlessly. When Jenny took a photo, he squealed and hid his face on his father’s shoulder.

Just then, Jenny spotted a familiar face. She couldn’t remember the girl’s name, but knew they had met recently. She smiled vaguely and took a photo of Roohi, who was a blur in motion as she raced around, playing with the other children present.

Jenny looked around for her parents, who were keeping a watchful eye on their child. She managed to get a candid shot without them being aware of the camera.

The crowd was getting impatient. Where was the minister? Just as its mutterings threatened to become angry ones, the man appeared. Jenny took a photo of the crowd, as it craned its collective neck forward, for a better glimpse.

The minister was a showman, who took the stage as if it were his rightful domain. He raised his hand to acknowledge the crowd’s applause and also calm it. Jenny knew this trademark gesture and was ready to press the button. Click.

Read the next part of the story here.

“Me and my team are participating in ‘Game Of Blogs’ at BlogAdda.com. #CelebrateBlogging with us.”

The team Bards of the Blogosphere comprises of Divyakshi, Priyanka Roy, Priyanka Victor, Arpita, Datta, Neeraj, Nupur, Sulekha, Maria and Roshan.