October 26, 2015.

Paulie (Paul Noronha) met Rita at Mittal Bedi and then 'you know what happened', chuckles Paulie on 24 years of husbanding Rita. Met Paulie in 1994 when Business Line started; bumped into him working in Financial Express but we were just hullos. In BL he had a dark room, where his camera clicks went live when he gave them a chemical bath.  It ate hours, tensed Paulie; after landing his artwork on the desk of News Editor, Ashok Reddy, in Chennai, Paulie would wink a rum and we went to where but Press Club. Tote up time and Paulie has been with a camera for a near 30 years; first 5 years were 'chhota, mota' in Paulie tongue. With dad, a cameraman, he rang in with  'spotting of pics' and 'tinting the negatives'; stints at Kanthi & Co. and Mittal Bedi; one morning he strode into The Indian Express at Express Towers, Nariman Point; joining up with Vivek Bendre, worked under Mukesh Parpiani. One night at Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, Paulie chatted of photos, photography and newspapers; 'for me, Mukesh Parpiani is the best,' he told me and today Mukesh is a Boss at National Centre of Performing Arts (NCPA). Vivek and Paulie go together; Paulie joined BL, Vivek followed to The Hindu, still are. Adjectives and abuses dont go with a Goan and surely not me Paulie; loves his rums and chats and sometimes goes fast forward, me with him. Fennied late nights at his Goan adda near Madgaon; Paulie is a laughing, kind, rummer; clicks to music; politics and business, pains; leaves self and others alone. In BL in 1994 we shared a kiosk; before me became a cabin boy. If he is in the mood (that's a big ask), the clicking moment turns a touch divine; for me one of the best pix of Paulie: two tiger cubs with mother a fraction behind on a late evening at the Ranthambhor Tiger Reserve; me son Ganesh is for him. In BL, when K. Venugopal was the Editor, whose name never made the imprint line, pics were welcome; today its a no-no; a sin. Raghavendra Rao, put up exhibitions of a team of about seven photographers in various cities to pump up Pauls. Nothing of that happens today. Me and Paulie went to forests and villages (a joke with wife Rita) in western India; through the day he was trying to catch a shot.... in Bastar, a cirrus, blue evening sky ... man that was a catch and click ..neat and sharp.... Paul beaming when BL put it up for public notice; evening would come the drinks....another day, another trip. Today, in the morning, me called ...the familiar laugh....going to a Maruti function, he said...we should meet up for a chhota... Paulie: me am lucky to have you around....