Sometimes you have to do what you have to (Blog marathon post 11)

The alertness, agility and the speed with which this little fellow moved enthralled me completely. I had to capture him on film. I squatted on the dirty ground, which had a lot of ants and flies because of the rubbish strewn around. To get a good picture I had to be almost at ground level, eye to eye with this little squirrel.

This was just outside the Taj Mahal, in Agra , India. I squatted down a sharp pain shooting up my legs because of the unusual position. I was sitting almost motionless, as the slightest jerk would frighten the squirrel.
"Maaa--get up, What are you doing? You can't sit by the side of the road like that," hissed my son.
"Get up, people are beginning to stare," urged my husband.
"Mummy, what are you doing?" asked my daughter.

Of course I did not get up till I was satisfied with my shot.


How can I explain the magic of a good picture? How can I explain the joy it brings me to observe nature, no matter where I see it, in what surroundings and whatever circumstances? How can I explain the challenge of getting a perfect shot, especially with little things like squirrels?

Sometimes you have to do what you have to do--no matter who says what, no matter who is watching, no matter even if nobody else is doing it.

And I am not just talking about pictures.