1. The Three Musketeers Reloaded
“I will throw this one out of the window, just like both of you've been saying all along”
said Sid, apparently pissed off with his “state of the art” camera. It was one of the best
cameras money could buy...well almost. Actually, Sid was not particularly known for
being that kid born with a golden spoon in his mouth, who would just point at things to
own them.
Anyway, here Sid was, on the top of the world, literally, with his two friends, Alu and
Kay. The three of them were on a trip to Ladakh, all pretty pumped up with just that fact
itself, of course. While on their way, the moot point revolved around how many
thousands of photographs will they share on Facebook, the all pervasive social
networking site of the day. Sid even wondered if Facebook allowed the sharing of a
thousand photographs. As the three of them wandered around the serpentine roads
leading to Leh, the capital of Ladakh, their excitement levels touching the nearby peaks,
Sid could not stop singing praises of his camera. He was blabbering out its features with
such dexterity which could have only been matched by a professional salesman. And as
it happens so often with a salesman trying to woo his customers, the harder Sid tried to
“sell” his camera, the more the other two ignored him, the majestic atmosphere only
leading them away from Sid's promotions. Meanwhile, Patakkha Guddi and Maahi Ve,
melodies from the Bollywood movie, Highway, were playing in loop mode on the music
player in their car.
Their first destination was Kargil, which fell right on the way to Leh from Srinagar. The
mere sight of the Tololing peak and Tiger Hills, places that had entered the national
folklore due to their involvement in the Kargil war, filled all three of them with an
overwhelming sense of national pride. The visit to the Kargil war memorial just added to
that pride and all three planned on taking salute pose photographs. And so, as was only
natural, Sid did not need a second invitation to pull out his much self-acclaimed camera.
However, as Alo stood next to the waving Indian Flag, his exaggerated pose fixed hard
in anticipation, Kay sensed something was not right with Sid. As if the ''salesman'' in Sid
was no more there and the customer in him had awakened. Kay enquired about the
issue, less with genuine concern and more with an overriding idea to finally give back to
the “salesman” in his own currency. Alo was still concentrating on his exaggerated
pose, his face more straight and his body more stiff than those of the guys performing
the Republic day parade. “Click click” and finally after much fiddling, Sid took one snap.
As a visibly excited Alo jumped out of his pose to check himself out in the photograph,
all he could see on the camera display was a half blurred image of a guy, one which Alo
could hardly recognize himself in, let alone share it on Facebook. And in that instant, all
their dreams of sharing a thousand photographs in Facebook came crashing down. It
dawned upon them that one of their main objectives of undertaking that trip, to impress
friends with their stunning poses on Facebook, might actually not get fulfilled after all.
Just as well though, Kay had always been skeptical about “salesman” Sid and his over
the top ways, so he had actually brought his camera along. And although it might not
have been one of those “state of the art” class cameras, it did well enough. Well enough
to whet the insatiating appetite of Alo for profile pics. And click they did. And as they left

2. with a sense of patriotism in their swollen hearts, the melody of Patakka Guddi and
Maahi Ve continued to play in loop mode.
And then, as they set out along the serpentine roads once more, the rhetoric had
changed. It was time to discuss Sid's camera: except that this time Sid was at the
receiving end. By the time they had reached Leh, Sid had had enough. “I will throw this
one out of the window, just like both of you you've been saying all along” said Sid,
apparently pissed with his state of the art camera. He put his camera into his luggage
bag, never to be taken out again during the entire trip. To say that Kay and Alo breathed
sighs of breath-taking relief would have been the understatement of the 21st century.
And all along, as Sid's camera went from being “the latest gizmo” to being everyone's
laughing stock, including Sid's, Patakkha Guddi and Maahi Ve continued in the never-
ending loop mode, on the music player. After a bit of sightseeing around Leh, a
monastry here and a gompa there, they retired for the night. The excitement levels in
their hearts excitement only multiplying as their next two destinations were the stuff that
made people instant stars on Facebook: Pangong Lake and Khardungla Pass and of
course, the millions of Profile Pictures that lay waiting therein.
First up was Pangong Lake. It was known for being one of the highest lakes in India. Its
salty waters were famous for turning up in many pristine shades of blue. As the guys
took the final turn that took them straight to Pangong, they could see a lake alright, but
the blue waters were nowhere to be seen. It was grey all around and the Pangong lake
looked terrifyingly similar to one of the lakes behind Alo's home, one where Alo had
grown up playing. It was nowhere close to the images all three had in their minds while
getting pumped up about the million profile pictures. All three, in their quest for social
media glory had clearly overlooked one crucial aspect: the waters in Pangong only
appeared blue on a bright sunny day and not on an overcast day that was. However, as
their disappointment was turning into frustration, Sid was about to jump into the lake in
frustration, the sky Gods showered their blessings. Through a narrow crevice in the
clouds at first and then gradually with all its glory, the Sun miraculously appeared out of
nowhere. As if the Gods wanted to take a “selfie” that day. And as the water of the
Pangong turned majestic blue, the clatters of “click click” started reverberating all
around. All three had got their moments, albeit with Kay's not-so-state-of-the-art
camera. And then they took the roads again to their next destination; Patakkha Guddi
and Maahi Ve continued to play in the loop mode for the nth time in the trip.
Cloudy, misty, maybe even mystic...those were the words that revolved around their
minds as they took the serpentine roads to their final destination: Khardung La pass. It
was and is to this day, the highest motorable peak in the world. And the night before,
Kay was getting all excited about that and was seriously considering taking a bike ride
to the peak. If only he had company though. Sid did not know how to keep balance on
two wheels, let alone ride them on the most difficult terrain in the world. And although
Alo liked to call himself a biker, he had a fancy sports-bike as well, he had chickened
out by the mere mention of Khardung La. And so, they had to settle for a car journey.
After traveling for an hour or so, on roads that could not be called roads by any sane
person, they reached Khardungla pass. After a few million customary clicks for the
profile pictures, Alo's eyes lit up at the sight of a hoarding. And it was no ordinary

3. hoarding. On it was written, in red ink as well, “Staying at Khardung La pass for more
than 20-25 mins can be injurious to health”. And if there was one singular photo that
could make anyone an instant star on Facebook, it was that. Without wasting a second
glance, Alo jumped in front of that hoarding to take, what he thought would have been,
the bravest photograph in the world, which would have raised him to a legendary status.
And click he did. Except that, the moment Alo left, another guy took a photograph in that
exact same spot, the legend creating spot and then another guy, and then there were
more, even a fat lady did the same. And in front of his eyes, Alo saw his future status of
being a legend wiped away. But Alo, as well as the other two, did take satisfaction from
the fact that they finally had a collection of two million photographs worth uploading in
Facebook, that would serve them well for the rest of their lives, at least till their next trip.
And as they bid farewell to their final destination, taking the same serpentine roads for
one final time, Patakkha Guddi and Maahi ve continued playing in the loop mode….this
time in their hearts.
(inspired from real life stories)
Kripal Barman