Jhatpat

Guy was there invariably with Box camera balancing on tripod and tin trunk sitting on wooden stool which made up the ‘Film developing lab’, used chemical bottles strewn carelessely on the road, the location was in front of temple near 'Ghosi gali' almost bordering the 'Khusiram library' and across the Road ‘Himalayan Arms’ with its picture of Mountain shikari holding the rifle tagging along the dog again bordered with clinic of Late Dr Omparkash who with his slow mannerism and slower speech made things difficult for naive “..Kya khaya tha…Tatti..kaisi hui” he was old school doctor who believed in starving the viral fever to death and for us few unfortunates it always meant weeklong weakness brought about by Moongdal(Green gram) eaten twice a day.

In this age of Digital photo development it all seems laughable and for that matter ‘Jhatpat’ photograph was laughing matter those days as well but commerce was so less that passport sized photographs done by professional photograpers took more than week to be delivered and ‘Jhatpat’ guy was a real succour to hundreds who decended everyday across hills needing the pictures for some legal matters or for licence or for college admission, it was highly affordable and it was instant.. no matter the ultimate outcome on cheap paper was more likelihood of sketches these days prepared by Police of Bomb blast suspects, he gave you so many copies for that much amount..it could have fulfilled lifetime requirement.

I think 20 years might have gone when last of these breed went extinct but that’s life for you , things change and generally they change for better.