Yesterday, I was the queen of melodrama. No, I didn't don any grease paint, spout inane dialogues or act in any lengthy tele novella that lets you catch up on the same scene with little changed even a year later. I just went into shock. And, there in unfolds the whole drama.
I was at the National Photographic Salon organized by the Photographic Society of Madras at the Lalit Kala Academy on Greams Road, Chennai. This was the perfect opportunity to study the different approaches of fellow photography enthusiasts, learn from them and hopefully better myself. After going through the various sections including Water, Temples of India, Monochrome, Streets at Night and entries from the Club members, I diligently avoided the Flora and Fauna section.
Psst. I have to admit. I suffer from a strange (but not all that uncommon) phobia called Ophidiophobia - A fear of all kinds of snakes. Yeah, most snakes are harmless and chances of encounters with those slimy skinned, beady eyed, venomous monsters in a concrete jungle are next to impossible. Although many humans living in that environment would automatically fit that description, I really am not scared of them.
Snakes can't be blamed. It is just me. A symbol of the devil to Christians, yet adorning Lord Shiva's neck and attaining a diviine status in Hinduism or deemed a phallic symbol in psychological interpretation when appearing in dreams, snakes have a long history of association with man kind. And yet, I think mankind is historically hardwired to be scared of them. Many years ago, I had decided to conquer my fear and fed myself to 5 minutes (speaking of which, 300 seconds does seem like a very long time) of snake viewing on National Geographic. Thought, more exposure will get me acclimatized. Beats me to this day, why I did it. I didn't sleep or eat well for 3 days after. My phobia has only gotten progressively worse.
So, I avoided the flora and fauna section for fear of being exposed to a snake's tail. One friend kindly warned not to go near a section where there were some pictures of the slithery beasts. While another friend encouraged me to go bravely coz he had turned over the offending (at least to me, they were!) pictures so I could see the others at least. Despite his well-meant effort, I did see one brown speckled (or one too many, I don't know) snake in an exhibit (my friend had inadvertently missed this one) and then unfolded my trauma. I gasped and then just couldn't get a sound of out my trachea. Believe me, if I say so, that is nothing of short miracle to subdue my usual garrulity. Here I was, huffing and puffing and just trying to convert air to words to convey my misery. The laws of conversion of energy simply failed. Mechanical energy wouldn't and couldn't become sound energy. A few minutes later, I was retching near a balcony, shaking in morbid fear, 2 friends trying to hold me and calm me down. As irrational as it sounds, I was afraid that something would still creep up my back and get me. A plastic water bottle got crushed out of shape in my sheer nervousness and resembled a limp thread. All this while, friends surrounded me giving courage and saying, "Trust us, nothing is gonna happen. We are there with you."
Yet, my joints ached, my neck felt like it was swollen, teeth clattered non stop, I pulled skin off my right palm and imagined snakes rolling near my leg in my friend's car and I couldn't close my eyes. Irrational fear despite being surrounded by caring friends in a car for heaven's sake. As Edgar Wallace said in The Clue of the Twisted Candle, "Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake." Irony, that fear is said to be more potent than the snake. What do I do about my phobia then?
I was at the National Photographic Salon organized by the Photographic Society of Madras at the Lalit Kala Academy on Greams Road, Chennai. This was the perfect opportunity to study the different approaches of fellow photography enthusiasts, learn from them and hopefully better myself. After going through the various sections including Water, Temples of India, Monochrome, Streets at Night and entries from the Club members, I diligently avoided the Flora and Fauna section.
Psst. I have to admit. I suffer from a strange (but not all that uncommon) phobia called Ophidiophobia - A fear of all kinds of snakes. Yeah, most snakes are harmless and chances of encounters with those slimy skinned, beady eyed, venomous monsters in a concrete jungle are next to impossible. Although many humans living in that environment would automatically fit that description, I really am not scared of them.
Snakes can't be blamed. It is just me. A symbol of the devil to Christians, yet adorning Lord Shiva's neck and attaining a diviine status in Hinduism or deemed a phallic symbol in psychological interpretation when appearing in dreams, snakes have a long history of association with man kind. And yet, I think mankind is historically hardwired to be scared of them. Many years ago, I had decided to conquer my fear and fed myself to 5 minutes (speaking of which, 300 seconds does seem like a very long time) of snake viewing on National Geographic. Thought, more exposure will get me acclimatized. Beats me to this day, why I did it. I didn't sleep or eat well for 3 days after. My phobia has only gotten progressively worse.
So, I avoided the flora and fauna section for fear of being exposed to a snake's tail. One friend kindly warned not to go near a section where there were some pictures of the slithery beasts. While another friend encouraged me to go bravely coz he had turned over the offending (at least to me, they were!) pictures so I could see the others at least. Despite his well-meant effort, I did see one brown speckled (or one too many, I don't know) snake in an exhibit (my friend had inadvertently missed this one) and then unfolded my trauma. I gasped and then just couldn't get a sound of out my trachea. Believe me, if I say so, that is nothing of short miracle to subdue my usual garrulity. Here I was, huffing and puffing and just trying to convert air to words to convey my misery. The laws of conversion of energy simply failed. Mechanical energy wouldn't and couldn't become sound energy. A few minutes later, I was retching near a balcony, shaking in morbid fear, 2 friends trying to hold me and calm me down. As irrational as it sounds, I was afraid that something would still creep up my back and get me. A plastic water bottle got crushed out of shape in my sheer nervousness and resembled a limp thread. All this while, friends surrounded me giving courage and saying, "Trust us, nothing is gonna happen. We are there with you."
Yet, my joints ached, my neck felt like it was swollen, teeth clattered non stop, I pulled skin off my right palm and imagined snakes rolling near my leg in my friend's car and I couldn't close my eyes. Irrational fear despite being surrounded by caring friends in a car for heaven's sake. As Edgar Wallace said in The Clue of the Twisted Candle, "Fear is a tyrant and a despot, more terrible than the rack, more potent than the snake." Irony, that fear is said to be more potent than the snake. What do I do about my phobia then?
