Chapter 5

Nathan was clicking some pictures with his single reflex camera, a Nikon FM-10, which he had acquired from Delhi. At the time he got the camera he knew almost nothing about photography, which explained his choice of a very basic model. But ever since then he had stuck to this model. He could produce pictures with it which many a photographer could not with an advanced model. This morning while shooting from his camera, through the foggy glass of the jeep, gave his pictures an artistic touch.

It was noon and the sun at its zenith. It was not warm but having tea in a sunny spot would do. “Should we stop here, Saab?” Dhiru asked Nathan. He had spotted a roadside kiosk facing the valley. “Sure” replied Nathan “It has been three hours since we started, we could stretch our legs…”

Nathan put his camera in his camera bag and sealed it. Dhiru stopped the jeep and Nathan got down. Dhiru then carefully maneuvered the vehicle and expertly parked it in front of the kiosk.

The kiosk owners did not like it when the customers brought their own food. They sat down on a bench inside the small kiosk and faced the window. The little sunshine that came through it was a pleasant feeling in the biting cold.

Dhiru poured the tea from the thermos flask into two cups and told the boy in the kiosk to wash it and fill it up with fresh tea. They finished their meal and before leaving bought a packet of potato chips and some biscuits for the journey. Eating small snacks during long tiring journeys lessened the monotony.

They continued their journey and would now stop only at Kimpri. It was a quarter to one by Nathan’s watch.