Old City Transportation Center

<p>I went to the old city today with the excuse of buying Coffee beans. An old store there sells the best coffee in the city. The Coffee prices have doubled in the last month due to demand overseas. Much of the good coffee beans are exported. Apparently, Brazil and Indonesia had poorer harvests this year. That is waht the locals say for their price hike.<br>

This area, called Kalasi Palaya, was a village with a small temple, possibly, held by a chieftain in the very old times. The name Palaya is associated with such local chieftain’s territory. It derives from the same root as Palli or Poly in Southern languages and the Polis in Greek.<br /><br />When the old city expanded the regional routes of trade converged in this locality. It became a road transportation center for both passengers and freight. I visited only the passenger bus station and surroundings. It is dilapidated and is due for reconstruction. The city government hopes to decongest this area by building regional terminals with contemporary facilities in suburban centers. We all know that it is a pipe-dream. In Indian central cities decongestion, renewal and the development of larger public spaces and facilities are impossible. Most owners of property and businesses refuse to leave their places even when offered alternate places in modern developments. Tradition, trade volumes, intensity and ethnic values associated with the present location are factors that work against re-location.<br /><br />I used a Praktica MTL3 with a Helios 50mm f/2.0 lens for the pictures. Here are some samples.</p><div></div>

<p>This lens must be a very old one. The glass was clean and the mechanism works. But it had quite a few dents. It cannot take a filter or hood still. I straightened most of the dents. The camera was repaired by Kamera Werke, Calcutta. Some how in transit the mirror broke and fell apart. i managed to fix it with epoxy. The shutter and other things seem to work well, including the meter!</p><div></div>

<p>The terminal and the egress roads are in bad shape. There is no control of the traffic either. It is a functional anarchy!</p><div></div>

<p>Someone has borrowed the name and even the logo.</p><div></div>

<p>The old village center built around the temple. The transportation modes and facilities have overtaken the old formation.</p><div></div>

<p>It is only a yard, barren ground with no facilities for anyone.</p><div></div>

<p>The new buses are really well built to the latest technological standards. But the roads and terminals are of a very poor quality, except for a few national highways.</p><div></div>

<p>These people operate tour services as well as some light parcel movement. Most of the old timer shops have been taken over by these travel service providers.</p><div></div>

<p>Till recently, these shops were only selling tickets to different buses. Now they have diversified. The new economy is making any single service non-viable, unless it is an essential item of large volume.</p><div></div>

<p>This is one of the most sustainable trades in this area. These shops do a lot of recycling too in tyres, wheels etc.</p><div></div>

<p>Many still use the old hot press though the cold pressed process is increasing its share by guaranteeing better quality and durability. Both processes still use a lot of manual labour.</p><div></div>

<p>Some of these stylized buildings still exist. Notice the simulated dormer in the facade. Must have been built by a Britisher in the early colonial days.</p><div></div>

<p>The local language is perceptible more in these parts than in the new suburbs.</p><div></div>

<p>Many such alleys take off from the main road with old residences in them. A couple of blocks beyond is the freight transportation center. All the trucks converge there. Loading unloading in such a congested place causes enormous delays. I have observed trucks waiting 8 hours to unload and reload. It is a waste of vehicle time as well as that of the operators. But it is happening all over the country. I did not dare step into the freight area, today; it is not safe fro a pedestrian.<br>

That is it for today. Thanks for viewing and your comments. Regards, sp.</p>

<p>Another fine series, <strong>SP</strong>; you <em>are</em> a busy chap! I'm fond of the MTL-3, and I'm a great Helios fan (I assume you meant 58mm rather than "50mm" ?), though the five or six copies I have do tend to vary in the quality of their performance. The later ones, 44m-4 and upwards, tend to be very good indeed, though an older 44-2 seems to be sharper than the later ones with their "improved" coating. But, like the Orestons, they do have a signature, especially in highlights and OOF effects.</p>

<p>That's a really interesting series of images, particularly those featuring the hybrid colonial style architecture. Mind you, I guess you find it happening all over again, from what I've seen of modern "western-influenced" Indian architecture. Nice soft light; we're sliding toward our low winter sunlight and the shadows are long and hard, but it does present another opportunity and challenge. Thanks for another great post.</p>

<p>Impressive series, Subbarayan. Your photos are the next best thing to being there. The two main reasons that I really enjoy your posts are that I'm getting to see your country through your pictures and vivid descriptions. But also, I like seeing results from cameras and lenses that for the most part I've never encountered. Your skill at presenting these images and the camera/lenses utilized is much appreciated. Thanks for posting.</p>

<p>Really nice. The temple and the old style building are interesting in their opposition to so much that has come since. Nice contrasts in some of the others too.</p>

<p>When I was in Nigeria years ago, right after the civil war there, I was told there were ships in the harbor that had been waiting to unload for more than a year, things were so backed up.<br>

Whatever you're doing in your home brew and other measures, it's working well.</p>

 

<p>Subbarayan, your posts could be used as travel brochures. Very nicely done.</p>

<p>SP, I'll echo what Mike said above. Aside from the high quality photographs, it's your commentary and subject matter I like most. It's almost like taking a walk with you around the area you choose to photograph. There's nothing like having a local to show you around when you're visiting a new place. Many, many thanks for the views into your world.</p>

<p>Yes <strong>Rick</strong>, my tired mind; I meant 58mm. It took me an hour and a half to ride each way for distance of 13 kms for this effort. The traffic and road conditions are so bad that I dared not drive; I took an auto rickshaw instead. I wanted to get this done, somehow, before the old city becomes totally unapproachable! I have two samples of this Helios. Both are very good optically. I cannot complain about small mechanical faults as I bought them some 40 years old. It is a miracle that they still work!<br>

Thanks <strong>Mike</strong>; the DDR and the Soviets did not do a good marketing job outside their country and some parts of Western Europe. When I was in the US in the 1960s and 1970s the only people I saw owning or using these cameras were of the older generation, most of them war veterans of the Western theatres. Even in India most people went for the Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Olympus brands. Older professionals used Rollieflexes.<br>

Thanks <strong>JDM</strong>; a sense of urban history seems to be completely lost in a large segment of the emerging population, despite a majority of them subscribing to a form of religious revival or another in their own faiths. Many of these old temple environments and stylized buildings are worth conserving for reasons of local ecology as well as design motifs. Thanks <strong>Rob</strong>; it does take a lot of effort and time; it leaves me tired at the end of the day, though with a sense of achievement and benign happiness. The walks also give me my due exercise! Regards, sp.</p>

<p>Great post, SP. As always I love your presentations and feel like I'm actually experiencing your part of the world. In addition, I'm interested in acquiring a Praktica and would love some recommendations on what to look for and what to avoid. Let me know what you think when you have some time.</p>

<p>I love it!</p>

<p>Thank you <strong>Peter</strong>; I try to develop some interest in the subject area that I photograph, except when I am testing a film or equipment with random shots. That gives me an incentive in making the pictures. <strong> </strong><br>

<strong>Andy</strong>, thanks; nice to hear from you after awhile. The best person to ask about the Prakticas is <strong>JDM</strong>. The L-series is very good and the most reliable. They also made huge volumes of those; it has been reported that at peak production they turned out one camera every 30 seconds. So you can find a variety of them for sale on Ebay and other organizations. You may also find a range of them from the almost "New in Box" types to some dilapidated/rusticated ones.<br>

The L-series also ranges as below:<br>

(1) The meterless L and L2,<br>

(2) The uncoupled Selenium meter types LB and LB2,<br>

(3) The LTL, LTL2, LTL3 & the MTL3, MTL5, MTL 5B and the Super TL 1000 [or Nova II] all with stopped down metering, [There are some variants, such as, the Super TL2 and Super TL3; they do not have the 1/1000second speed. Otherwise, they seem to be the same.]<br>

(4) The LLC, PLC2, PLC3 and the system models VLC, VLC2 and VLC3.<br>

All of them have the same shutter made of Swedish steel blades, vertical moving and Flash synchronized at 1/125second. These shutters are among the most accurate. In the category (1) the L2 is better finished than the L; similarly in (2) LTL3 onwards, all are better finished than the LTL and LTL2. MTL3 is considered to be the most prolific. The MTL5B and the Super TL 1000 seem to have a slightly quieter shutter. The LLC series has full aperture metering if you use their electric lenses; otherwise it is stopped down for ordinary lenses. They also require special batteries of 4.5 volts of the same size as the AA 1.5volts. But in PLC2 and PLC3 the Bridge circuit allows you to use even the lower voltage AA 1.5volts. The Black LLC, PLC2 and PLC3 are beautifully finished. The VLC models have fully interchangeable options for the prism or the WL finder or magnifier, etc. They were made also for laboratory adaptations with bellows, microscopes and the like. The VLC2 and VLC3 are better finished than the VLC.<br>

There are two other models, the MTL 50 and the EE series. The MTL 50 has LED read out instead of the match needle. It requires a different battery size, such as, the 4xLR44. The EE series has an electronically controlled shutter with a continuous speed function, as well as a fully manual option as in the other L-series cameras. These were made in smaller volumes toward the end of Pentacon's production. I would keep away from these, though the EE series is finished, beautifully and there are good reports from users.<br>

If you ask me to recommend any I would recommend the Meterless L2, the Selenium metred LB2 and the <strong>MTL3</strong>, <strong>MTL5B</strong> and <strong>Super TL 1000</strong>, the last three with CdS stopped own metering; they will take button cells like 625, 675 and/or 357. The Black models in these are very rare.<br>

You can buy a Black one in <strong>PLC2 </strong>and <strong>PLC3</strong> and use simple or rechargeable AA cells at 1.35 to 1.5 volts or the prescribed 4.5 volts. I find that the best Praktica sales are available from Ebay UK. I have bought some in almost "NIB" condition even smelling factory fresh. M42 lenses are aplenty. You may already have several from your Pentax models. But do try the Pentacon/Oreston 50mm, the CZJ Pancolar 50mm and the Helios 58mm [it is a Biotar similar to the ones you have on the Exakta]. Let me know if you have more questions. Best, sp.</p>

 

<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/subbarayan.prasanna/KalasiPalaya?feat=directlink">Link</a> for large size images and a slide show. SP.</p>

<p><em>Excellent </em>info, SP; thanks! I will look into these and see what I can find.</p>