Tripod Jinx

I had a tripod once, which had belonged to my father. He had been deeply interested in photography. But my brother took it away before I got into medicine, and long before I started doing medical photography. All my medical videos are done with a handycam, and the field keeps moving sometimes quite annoyingly. I have been planning to buy a tripod, but never got around to do it. The readers will recall the story when our clerk-cum-typist asked for a loan of ‘camera for a tripod’ from the Artist department of the hospital, when I had actually asked for ‘tripod for a camera’. They were reluctant to loan it, and the boss had finally consented, provided only I would handle it. That had made me wonder. Handling a tripod was no great thing that only the head of the department could do. Finally it dawned on me that there was a goof-up. I clarified that I needed a tripod and not a camera. Then they were all smiles. But I decided then and there to buy one of our own. So I went to the leading shop in the market that evening and asked for a quotation. “It will cost Rs. 2900/- and better one will cost Rs. 4500/-“ the shopkeeper said. The prices were higher than reasonable. So I went to the neighboring shop and asked the prices. “Rs, 1100/- for the standard one and Rs. 2600/- for the better one” the salesman said. “Please give me a quotation. My hospital will buy it” I said. “But we cannot give a quotation for the Rs. 1100/- tripod. It is the one we sell without receipt” whispered another salesman in my salesman’s ear. I heard it anyway. “Please meet the boss for a quotation” the salesman said, suddenly adopting an evasive maneuver. The boss was even more evasive. He kept chatting with a visitor rather than attend to me. Finally he asked the salesman to show me high-end tripods, rather than the ones he had shown me. “I am content with these” I said. “My handicam does not require a heavy tripod.” “No, no” the boss said. “Nothing but the best for a costly thing like a handicam. Give him a quotation for the tripods.” Salesman number one disappeared into the inner room to make a quotation. He appeared after some time and asked for detailed name and address of my hospital. Then he disappeared again and would not come out. After 20 minutes of waiting I told the other guy to cancel the request for quotation, and left. He appeared quite relieved. They seemd to have a thriving business of non-receipt sales – smuggled goods perhaps? While I was waiting, he had shown a couple of cameras costing Rs. 32000/- and 29000/- to a buyer, saying ‘no receipt’ firmly when asked about it. Finally I reached the third store in that area. It was somewhat crowded. I waited. When the elderly salesman who was looking quite harassed asked me what I wanted, I told him I wanted a tripod. He turned to the showcases behind him, thought awhile, and was finally distracted by a disgruntled customer. After dealing with him, he just stood there breathing deeply, probably to relieve stress. I kept waiting patiently, looking at him steadily. He came to after some time, found me waiting, and asked, “What was it you wanted?” “I don’t know” I heard myself say in a wondering sort of voice. “It has been so long that I have now forgotten what it was that I wanted.” He looked starteled. Then he searched my face for guile, probably found none, and smiled. “I want a tripod” I said. “We have only this” he said and produced a baby tripod. If I mounted my handycam on it and shot operation videos, I would be recording the underside of the OT table, and drawing suspicious stares from people in the operation theater. “I am afraid I need something taller” I said. “Thanks.” My purchase of a tripod seems to be jinxed. I am waiting until an inner voice tells me ‘it is all clear, go ahead and buy one’.