Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Bitten by the shutter bug

Meet C. Sekar, whose office is a veritable museum of cameras of all shapes and makes

LENS LOVE C. Sekar's mind boggling collection

Fifty-two-year-old C. Sekar has spent exactly half his life collecting cameras. Since 1980, he has been squandering (from his wife Elizabeth Rani's point of view) his earnings on this hobby. When you learn that the collection runs up to 3,000 cameras that range from a 100-year-old wooden piece from Ensign to the latest Nikon 1DH and that he would not part with any of these trappers for all the tea in China, you feel impelled to sympathise with the long-suffering wife. People pursue diversions that lie totally outside their regular occupations, but in Sekar's case the hobby enjoys a very natural association with his profession — servicing cameras.

In 1977, he joined a two-year diploma course in electronics at the SAS Institute in Egmore. Prior to this, he used to repair VCR and television sets in his native town, Dharmapuri. Although the youngster employed the rule of thumb and managed to restore to sound condition any electronic item that entered his service centre, he could not fully comprehend the technical basis of these equipments. A desire to ground himself in the basics of electronics was part of the reason for moving to Chennai. Around the time (1979) he completed his diploma, cameras that were a mixture of manual and electronic features entered the market. The presence of electronic elements in the new pieces meant that the old camera technicians had to seek help. For a while, Sekar advertised himself by turning up at photographers' houses. Such visits proved fruitless. On occasions, he was snubbed. One famous photographer scorned Sekar when he revealed that he had not worked under any big name.

However, barely into 1980 Sekar had already earned a reputation for getting dead cameras up and clicking, and assignments came to his doorstep thick and fast. Even the rude photographer showed up one day with a Canon AE1 that was in disrepair.

With his career having taken off well, Sekar decided he could allow himself the luxury of indulging in an activity for the sheer pleasure of it. "There are car, stamp or coin collectors. I asked myself, `why not a camera collector?'"

Sekar has travelled far and wide to pick up cameras. Rarely would he say `no' to a shutter. "I buy even non-functional cameras, because I know I can repair them." Thanks to this positive attitude, he has a collection that includes enviable models, such as a Minox that is fitted in a lighter ("The moment the flame pops out, the flash comes into the picture and captures the image. I believe it was used in under-cover operations"), a 2x1.5 inch, tiny Real camera and an old video camera that works on the key-and-roll principle.

In fact, until as late as year 2000 his wife was not aware of the hoarding that was taking place in his 10 x 10 feet office that is attached to their house (which announces itself as Camera House). "I would stash the cameras in secret compartments in the sofas, because detection would mean disaster."

Journalism and visual communication students have benefited ever since Sekar "came clean" with his collection. "Almost everyday, students from some college come to my house, seeking to hold and study these cameras."

Thanks to such an interest in his collection, Sekar's enthusiasm for accumulating cameras has not flagged.

PRINCE FREDERICK

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail