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| Copyright: K. Sampath |
After the cyclone Thane which ravaged the area, on 31th december 2011, at 7am, i start to walk on Marina Beach. I walk and i try to know how to tell in tamil " Would you please take me in your arms?" Difficult to find an answer. So i start to walk, deleting all advices that friends gave me: " Be carefull. In Chennai, police is very strong. ", " Chennai is very closed. Never they will accept or understand you", " Chennai is too traditionnal to follow you, to understand you ",... But Chennai is the first city where i puted my feet some years ago when i discovered India. So it,s out of question for me to cancel this.
On the beach, i can listen to children and birds and waves.
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| Copyright: K. Sampath | | |
On the beach, on this 31th december, some families and couples are walking. And accept or refuse spontaneaously my request; Without any question.
From the beach....
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| Copyright: K.Sampath/ B.Didier |
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| Copyright: K.Sampath/ B.Didier |
To the sea....
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| Copyright: K.Sampath/ B.Didier |
On the way, a bird passes above my head...
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| Copyright: K.Sampath/ B.Didier |
and reminds me again this sentence of Pessoa : " Cross bird, cross and teach me to cross...."
And like this i go in my own way, with this question: " Would you please take me in your arms?" " Would you please give me a hug?"
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| Copyright: K.Sampath/ B.Didier |
And even if the fisherman doesn't understand english, he finally accepts and asks for some fotos
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| Copyright: K.Sampath/B.Didier |
And on the way to leave Marina Beach, at the bus stop, i don't forget the arms of this woman. The sweetness of her arms....
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| Copyright: K.Sampath/B.Didier |
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At the Avenue Express, at 10 am, like in a city mall in Kolkata two years ago, i feel people more distant. Is it because of the place? Is it because of the class of people? Most of women looked at their husband who give them their authorization to hug me... Most of sellers looked around to see if it should be a problem for the camera, the customers of colleagues....
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| Copyright: K.Sampath/ B.Didier |
Or maybe the reason is that in this kind of places, people doesn't have time for any question or request?
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| Copyright: K.Sampath/ B.Didier |
Life is in streets, in parks, on beaches, in markets but not in these commercial centers which start to invade the country and destroy the city life, like everywhere.
Thanks to Karthick Sampath fo shooting and to Rajesh Rajagopal for accompanying
