Tikam Chand awaits clients with 150-yr-old camera as Rajasthan relaxes COVID restrictions

As the COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on businesses that solely depend on tourists, one such business is Tikam Chand Pahari's that depends on his domestic and foreign clientele. Tikam is a photographer, who is popular for his inheritance of a 150-year-old camera from his grandfather. A sole bread-earner in his family, Tikam is now out of business even after the Rajasthan government has relaxed COVID-related restrictions in the state.

"Indian tourists come to see it but do get photographed by the camera. Only history and photography enthusiasts Indians mostly want to get clicked," Tikam Chand Pahari told ANI

Tikam's business is facing a standstill due to the lack of foreign tourists in the Pink City. He informed that foreign clients appreciate the history related to his camera, of which the Indian tourists are unwary of. "Due to covid-19 restrictions, the foreign tourist footfall is very less in Jaipur. Now, foreigners are my main clientele. Indian tourists don't appreciate the history associated with this camera," Tikam said.

Tikam's camera from 1860

Talking about the history of the camera Tikam Chand said that he inherited the camera from his grandfather. His grandfather brought this priceless piece in the 1860s when it was called the box camera or mint camera, he added. "This is my grandfather's camera, which he brought in the 1860s. It has been in the family for three generations," Tikam told ANI.

Speaking about his grandfather's business, Tikam informed that his old man started from a place near Hawa Mahal, which is till date a tourist hub and locates the government offices in the capital city. "Earlier people used to come here to get passport size photos, and tourists to come to preserve their memories," he said.

Reflecting on the difficulties of the business, Tikam mentioned that the camera requires heavy maintenance to assure glitch-free monochrome photographs. "The camera is patched repaired unmended about hundred times to produce iconic black and white pictures in 5 minutes," Tikam said. Adding a little more trivia he said that the 150-year-old camera is no longer manufactured in India. The material needed to develop the photographs have to be imported from France. Additionally, the chemicals required for the maintenance also have to be ordered from France.

Pahari's business has suffered a huge loss owing to the Covid-19 restrictions in Rajasthan. The photographer with the historic camera, who was also part of the Bollywood movie Bhul Bhulaiya, has also photographed ace celebrities. However, today he is struggling to earn a decent living with the dearth of clients and increase in maintenance costs. While speaking to ANI, he appealed to the tourists to get themselves photographed and help him survive.

Rajasthan COVID-19 restrictions

The Rajasthan government relaxed its COVID-related restrictions from June 2. Under the "Unlock" process, the Home department asked all public and private offices to function with 50% fully vaccinated staff. The modified guidelines also issued relaxations in the night curfews. As per the new rules, the curfews were scheduled to be observed between 5 pm-5 am, which was 12noon to 5 pm earlier.

All parks and commercial institutions were permitted to remain open from 6 am to 4 pm during weekdays. However, alarmed by the slight rise in Covid-19 cases, the government issued a complete ban on public transport until further notice. Although, it has allowed private vehicles to ply from 5 am to 5 pm except on weekends. For tourists, the Rajasthan government has declared mandatory RTPCR tests taken in not more than 72hours and a report of complete vaccination before entering the state.

With inputs from ANI

Image: @theoldphotography_Facebook