Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Wick

Photograph The Lamp, Not The Candlestick

Photograph copyright: SIDDHARTH KHANDELWAL

This brilliant photograph was taken by a young photographer, Siddharth Khandelwal, who comes from New Delhi. He is a laconic sort of bloke, who says this is just another picture. But I reckon it is a haunting image by any standards. Something tells me we will all see a lot of his photographs as his career progresses.

I'll allow his girlfriend, Reem Khokar, to tell you the story behind this great image. ``The picture,'' she emailed me, ``is from Siddharth's recent trip to a region in Rajasthan called Shekhawati, where he and his cousins went to see a series of old havelis. They were in Mandawa one night and had dinner on the rooftop of one of the havelis.

``The restaurant was decorated with these diyas (lamps) and he wanted to take a picture of them. Instead of just taking the restaurant all lit up with these pretty lights, he decided to concentrate just on the diyas. After taking several shots, some with just the front few in focus and some with the ones in the rear highlighted, he finally got this shot.

``This diya stands out, the rest blurred in the background, melting into, yet standing out against the inky darkness. It's hauntingly beautiful, the flame curling up, elegant and proud, with a blurred flame dotting the top, almost like a bindi! Even though you can see the clay holder and the soft glow around it, it is the flame itself which is captivating.

``The rest of the picture melts into the night. You're aware that there are others, but the clarity with which this first diya stands out is intoxicating.''

In my opinion, it is hard to tell which is more memorable - Siddharth's photograph or Reem's description.