I've always been interested in photography since discovering it at school. My Dad bought me my first camera and darkroom equipment when I was fifteen. Having trays of chemicals and a darkroom enlarger, all precariously laid out on a piece of hardboard on top of my bed, was not the best of ideas when I needed to go to sleep! When Anne left home, I was able to turn my bedroom into a permanent darkroom and get to have my big sister's bedroom at the same time!
Anyway, when I used to photograph weddings in the 80s & 90's, I used film cameras that produced square images. When they were printed, they would be cropped to a rectangular format... portrait or landscape. Square format film cameras would also have been common when Mum & Dad were taking photos in the 40s - 60s, probably using a Box Brownie in the early years, I think I have a picture of Dad holding a Box Brownie camera.
The rectangular portrait photo of me, Anne, Mum, Pat & Ronnie which is in Anne's post, A Day in Ooty Park, was taken with a square format camera. I know this because I've found another print of this same photograph. It is the uncropped version and shows a bit more of the background... a tree and a park bench.
I decided to search the internet to see if I could find some pictures of Ooty Park and in particular, an Ooty Park bench! It didn’t take long before I found one. A photographer, Amit Basu, had just the photo I wanted. Being a photographer myself, I didn’t want to use his photo without asking, so I contacted Amit and he kindly agreed to me using his picture on my blog. ‘My’ park bench is undoubtedly the same kind as Amit’s bench and they are both certainly Ooty Park benches! Amit told me that Ooty Park is now called Ooty Botanical Gardens. He says about his photograph: “There was this rather lonely looking park bench in Ooty Botanical Garden, Ooty, India. Very colourful and very forlorn. Someone really needed to sit on it soon. I did.”
I can’t imagine being without the internet... you wouldn’t be reading this blog if we didn’t have it, and I wouldn’t have found that park bench so easily, if at all. But what’s really great about all this is my sister’s memory. I was only five years old when that photo was taken, and I have no real memory of standing in front of that bench or running around the park. It’s not that I’ve forgotten, it just that the memory wasn’t ever there, I didn’t register it at the time, I was too busy trying to use up my endless energy. Playing in Ooty Park seems like a lifetime ago for me. Can you remember being two years old or three or four or five? Some of us can, but for me, I think I can only really remember things from about the age seven or so. So I’m very lucky to have my sister’s memory to tap into when I want. Anne was eleven when that photo was taken. Until I had sent Anne that photo, I didn’t know where it was taken, other than India, and as soon as Anne saw it she new straight away it was Ooty.
In some ways, I feel as though I’m missing out on the memory of being in Ooty Park that day, but that’s what this blog is all about, I can now talk confidently about that photograph and tell a story about it too. It was a long time ago, and I can’t remember it, but my Mum did and my sister does, and that’s enough for me. I wonder if my park bench, like Amit’s, was green & yellow? I’ll have to ask my sister!
Isn’t the internet great. And aren’t memories great too.
Now, if only I could remember my password for my internet bank account!
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Dave, Mum, Anne, Uncle Pat & Cousin Ronnie
Ooty Park Bench!
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Lonely Park Bench, Ooty Botanical Garden
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Well that certainly brings that photo to life even more for me now. That'll be Mum's bag of goodies adorning that particular bench, which I don't think was painted! How wonderful to almost have an update on Ooty park...I'm not surprised at all that it is now classed as botanical. At the age of 11 I didn't particularly take in the parks's details, but I do remember it being similar to the dell but considerably bigger! There were many, many trees all different in height, width and shades of green, some were probably in bloom. The park was landscaped beautifully with many hills for us to run up and down, and endless hiding places. But the vast open space of grassed areas where always dotted with people sunbathing, or families having picnics. It was always 'busy' with people yet never felt over crowded. The typical 'picnic' scene you'd see in an olden day film! Sad to say that it isn't a scene pictured here regularly throughout summer. I guess the weather is mainly responsible.
ReplyDeleteBut thank you Amid Basu for a little extra insight into our family history, and through this blog you're bench will no longer be alone but hopefully 'visited' by many, even virtually sat upon!
As you say Dave, where would we be without the internet nowadays! And where would this blog be without you!!...thank you, I simply love it, the memories, and re-living them and even remembering more than I realized previously.
But don't rely on my memory too much!! This is where I hope family, cousins and friends all contribute and between us all, the gaps are filled and the family history will 'live on'!
The first post on this blog, St Antony's Church Coonoor, was only four weeks ago, so I’m pleased with how well it is going in such a short time. I certainly enjoy it as much as you do Anne. I’m sure, it time, more folk will contribute stories about Mum & Dad. You told me about Rob & Sue wanting to send me some old photos, so I look forward to getting those.
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting to think of The Dell as being a mini Ooty Park! For those who don’t know about The Dell here are a couple of links.
The Dell
The Dell Bridge
As a child, about 8 or 9, I remember going to church (St John’s New Ferry not Christ Church Port Sunlight) and having to go to confession! Well every time it was the same thing, as I wouldn’t confess to the things I really felt sorry about would I, and that was rolling in the daffodils on the slopes of The Dell!! I was always forgiven, every time, so I would just go and do it again! My partner in crime would have been Leslie Ebbrell, I’m sure he joined the police?