The little boy in Suit by Koudelka
I don't like to deal with nostalgia, I hate it, I am scared of it but when conversations lead you to memory lanes and you are bound to conjure up your past, I think of this image.
A child in suit gallopping through the roads with a bag in his hand, what stands out is the haziness of this image, the little boy is flying along with the gust of wind.
Why is he wearing a suit like a mature adult? Why is he carrying the briefcase?
Or is he an adult man who ran apposite to the flow of time! He became a child again but could not get rid of his clothes and that briefcase ?
I am just making things up. He could be a school boy running back home to his mother.
But I can't imagine children attending schools dressed like businessmen, we used to have very dull uniforms. Solid pants, white shirt, black shoes. It took me a long time to reach highschool and put a brown tie on my collar.
I don't hate nostalgia but yes I am scared of it, because the most magical phase of my life was my childhood and now it's gone- it's present somewhere deep inside not like a fog, but more like a vibrant film; A marvellous cinema. It’s a trap.
But when I press the play button in my mind, incoherent images pop up and in its entirety the past feels hazy but the images of my childhood are crystal clear.
The boy in the photograph is the only character that is running towards our eyes with all the energy in his bones. The crowd is visible in the background, walking away from us.
We are looking at this light frozen in time because one of the greatest photographers Joseph Koudelka was wandering on the scene with his camera
One more look at this Image-
Away from the boy, blurred people are walking with umbrellas in opposite direction, the road looks wet, may be it’s drizzling a little.
Our little hero has found a small pocket of time to run across the square, to his home.
To his mother who must be waiting for him.
They will eat the lunch together while the little boy describes his school adventures without any pause and the mother will listen to every detail intently, with warm sparks in her beautiful eyes.