Category: Dadagrapher

The pictures, postcards, poems and letters, from Dadagrapher to Ruh

About dreams, good and bad

Dear Ruh,

Looks like you had a bad dream. Don’t you cry.

Bad dreams come and go just like seasons. You were born when it was summer. And now we are welcoming the monsoons.

So, it is not always a bad dream. There are good dreams too.

And you should try to focus on those good dreams when they come to you. There is a legend which says that if you put all your energies into your thoughts and dreams, then they manifest some day. A lot of people swear by it so much that they have written books about it.

Maybe, it is true. Because your mum and I had a dream. And we kept thinking about it and eventually it came true. That good dream is nothing but you, my Ruh.

Love,
#dadagrapher

Mumbai.
May, 2015.

The birthday gift

Dear Ruh,

If somebody ever asks you what does your father do? Tell them he is a photographer.
I make photographs of the world around us. I do this to tell stories about the people and places in this world. I do this, both for a living and as a way of expression. As you grow a little older, I promise to tell you a lot of stories.

Making portraits is also a way of telling stories. In fact, portraiture is one of the oldest forms of storytelling. Off all the portraits that I’ve made till date and will make in the coming years, this portrait will always remain as a special one. It is the first portrait of you that I ever made. You had just arrived into this world then. You were crying with your eyes closed. And then suddenly, you stopped crying, turned towards me, and opened your eyes. And I didn’t miss that moment.

I didn’t use any of my fancy cameras to make this portrait. I made it with a mobile phone that your mum had given to me as an advance birthday gift. Actually, she didn’t have to gift me the phone. Because, couple of days after receiving the phone I got another advance gift. And that gift was, You.

Love,
#dadagrapher

The Sound of our Lives

Dear Ruh.
Last night, while humming the lullaby, I held you real close. So close that I could hear you breath. It felt good to hear that sound – the sound of your life.
You, my dear, are one of the best things that has happened to me. I do not know what you expect from me. But, I want to live up to your expectations. And I hope that the sound of my life lasts long enough for me to do that.

Love,
#dadagrapher

Last night, I grew a little older

Dear Ruh,
Last night, at 11:03 pm, I grew a little older. I became a month old dad… thanks to this moment in April. That night, I was made to wait impatiently behind that door to get a glimpse of you, to see you for the first time, to talk to you. And I grew more impatient when I heard your cries – an indicator that you had arrived – but could see nothing but a closed door. I cannot articulate how I felt when that door was finally opened.
Love you,
#dadagrapher