PHOTOGRAPHY | SIX WORD PHOTO STORY CHALLENGE

The Broken Idol

November Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Collecting Smiles”

Frail and broken yet spreading smiles

Relationships break

Hearts break

Things break

Bodies break

Are we ready to pick up the broken pieces and start afresh for a new phase?

Today morning I was going on my regular morning walk, albeit on a new route. The sidewalk was completely dug up. There was some cabling work going on. Mounds of dirt were piled up for a long distance. I was pacing down the road.

Then suddenly, this idol caught my attention. I stopped. Examined it. It was a clay idol, it was broken. Somehow the face alone survived rest of the body is gone. Some good samaritan had the sagacity to keep this face up the dirt mound. It immediately caught my attention as I walked past it.

Seeing the broken head placed immaculately on top of the dirt-pile instantly brought a smile to my face. Immediately I captured the broken idol on my phone.

Piled-up dirt running for a kilometer or so is an enervating sight. I was thinking about why I chose this path today. But this small broken idol and its smiling face changed my mood completely. I took this pic with a grin, appreciated the unknown guy who had placed the idol nicely on top of the dirt, and walked on.

As I took the next few steps, my guru’s words echoed in my brain. I was reminded of the fragility of this life. It can break at any moment. I exhale now, and if I do not take the next inhalation, I will be dead. Life is such a delicate balance between inhalation and exhalation. It doesn’t take much to break this thread.

But I can’t be chagrined by thoughts of frailty. Even the most fragile and broken pieces can spread a smile in the most unexpected moment — that is what the broken idol showed me today.

I imbibe the spirit of this broken idol.