This year I turned 20. This is an unusual post, but my birthday was unexpectedly nice this year, and I received an amazing gift.
I should be starting off from what happened after 12:00 AM on the 20th of October, but then I’d be missing out on a couple of things. So, I’ll start from 6:30 PM, on the day before.
Three of us were returning from our school’s reunion party, and walking towards City Centre. I was carrying my camera. From City Centre, we parted. I went to a departmental store to join my mother and Gunja (sister). My mother, on seeing me, pulled out an Amazon.com package from her handbag, inquiring, “What is inside this?” Honestly, I had no idea. It was addressed to my father.
Then it struck me. I ripped open the seal, desperately. There was a small, flat, white box inside. Inside the box, it was there. The item which was supposed to be delivered after the 14th of November was then in my hands!
I exited the store and took out the MIR-1B Zenith lens that I always carried around in my camera bag. The adapter screwed onto it perfectly! Following this, it was very easy to attach the lens onto the lens mount of the camera body.
I, from that moment onwards, have become a proud owner of a 37mm f2.8 prime lens (that was once used by my mother)!
These were the first (very unexpected) two birthday gifts that I received from my parents – an adapter ring, directly imported from China, and the (Russian) prime lens.
Fact: It’s 25 years old. My grandfather gifted it to my mother in 1990.
The first birthday-wishing-call came in at 11:59 PM, on the 19th. Then it was my parents and Gunja. Coupled with their wishes were some other thoughtful (and very useful) gifts 🙂
The next one came at 4:30 AM.
[I woke up on hearing the phone ring, and put on my normal voice to answer the phone 😀 ]
The coming morning was predictable: a wonderful breakfast arranged by my mother.
Following that, I opened my laptop and copied photos from the previous day’s reunion party.
Then I picked up my camera again. It was really exciting operating a vintage lens. Sreyan had told me about the adapter being available online. Thank you for that.
[I had searched an entire street of stores having photography equipment, but only one of them asked me to contact them in case they could get their hands on such an adapter. Other photography stores including the popular MM Photographic Store, simply laughed a little, and stated that such adapters are not manufactured, and the lens was useless. Even the store that had asked me to contact them failed to procure one and informed me that such adapters were not available.]
The evening was unexpected. I wasn’t so interested to go out on that day, but Rakshit is a guy who gets things done and convinced me. I met him and Adreja at 4:45 PM, and we walked to City Centre.
Rakshit gifted me a book from Starmark.
We later met Rohit and Susmita.
The fun started at FD Park, in the rides’ area. It was ₹80 per ride, but we were sponsored 😀
All of us rode a Disk’O for the first time. However, it wasn’t worth the money. After two or three swings, the tingling feeling vanished. The Ferris Wheel was much better! Screaming is occasionally fun even if you’re not getting goosebumps 😛
Here’s a tip: if you are not getting the tingling feeling when you’re on a Ferris wheel, stare at a fixed object, such as the moon. It’ll help.
Two of my closest friends from school came over after 7 PM. For some reason, I had not wanted a cake this year, but an uncle brought one as a gift while I was out in the evening. We cut the cake and conversed and had delectable roast chicken prepared by my mother (again).
I love spending my birthdays each year. However, this year it was unpredictably nice. Not just the prime lens. The phone calls throughout the day (and the one on the day before), the evening, and it did not even end then.
After dropping off Sourabh, I went to Sreyan’s and spent some time testing the lens 😀
After a long conversation with him and Priyanka at Sarkar bari, I returned home an hour before midnight.
Saptami was a day well spent. Peaceful and fun-filled.
