Steven Addis: A father-daughter bond, one photo at a time

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

Translator: Deepak Basyal Reviewer: Suresh Gautam

Photography has been my passion

फोटोग्राफी मेरो रुचि बन्यो

ever since I was old enough to pick up a camera,

जब देखि मैले क्यामेरा समाउन सक्ने भए|

but today I want to share with you

तर आज म तपाईहरुलाई देखाउन चाहन्छु

the 15 most treasured photos of mine,

मेरा सबैभन्दा मूल्यवान पन्ध्र फोटाहरु

and I didn't take any of them.

जुन कुनै पनि मैले आफै खिचेको थिईन

There were no art directors, no stylists,

जुनबेला कुनै किसिमको शैली निर्देशक थिएनन,

no chance for reshoots, not even any regard for lighting.

न पुन खिच्न सम्भावना थियो, न त प्रकाश मिलाउने हेक्का नै

In fact, most of them were taken by random tourists.

बास्तबमा, सबैजसो फोटा हरु अपरिचित मानिसले खिचेका थिए ,

My story begins

र मेरो कथा तेती खेर सुरु भयो

when I was in New York City for a speaking engagement,

जतिखेर मा न्यु योर्क शहर मा एउटा वक्ता हुन गएको थिए,

and my wife took this picture of me holding my daughter

र मेरी श्रीमतीले मैले छोरीलाई बोकिरहेको यो तस्बीर खिचिन

on her first birthday. We're on the corner of 57th and 5th.

जति बेला मेरी छोरी एक बर्षकी थिइन र हामी ५७ र ५ औ स्ट्रीटको कुनामा थियौं

We happened to be back in New York exactly a year later,

संयोगले ठ्याक्कै एक वर्ष पछाडि हामी न्यु योर्क पुगेका थियौं,

so we decided to take the same picture.

हामीले फेरीउस्तै तस्बीरखिच्ने निर्णयगर्यौं

Well you can see where this is going.

तपाईंभन्न सक्नुहुन्छ कि यो कथा कता गैरकोछ

Approaching my daughter's third birthday,

फेरी मेरी छोरीको तेस्रो जन्मदीन मा ,

my wife said, "Hey, why don't you take Sabina back to New York

मेरी श्रीमतीले भनिन, "यो वर्षपनि सविनालाई न्युयोर्क

and make it a father-daughter trip, and continue the ritual?"

बाउछोरीको यात्रा गर्ने अनि फेरी उस्तै फोटो खिच्ने काम गरे भै गो नि"

This is when we started asking passing tourists to take the picture.

र त्यो बेला देखीनै हामीले बाटो हिडेकालाई तस्बीर खिच्न् लगायौं|

You know, it's remarkable how universal

कुरा के भने अपरिचित व्यक्तिलाई क्यामेरा

the gesture is of handing your camera to a total stranger.

थमाउने हाम्रो चलन पनि गज्जब कै छ

No one's ever refused, and luckily no one's ever run off with our camera.

कसैले पनि कहिल्यै हुदैन भनेन, र कसैले पनि क्यामेरा लिएर भाग्ने काम गरेनन|

Back then, we had no idea how much this trip would change our lives.

त्यो बेला, हामीलाई थाहा भएनकि यो यात्राले हाम्रो जीवनमा परिवर्तन ल्याउछ भन्ने

It's really become sacred to us.

यो साच्ची नै महत्वपूर्ण र पवित्र बनेर गयो|

This one was taken just weeks after 9/11,

यो हामीले ९/११ को घटनाको एक हप्ता पछि खिचेका हौ,

and I found myself trying to explain what had happened that day

मैले मेरी छोरी लाइ ९/११ मा के भएको थियो भनेर यसरि सम्झाउदै गरेको थिए

in ways a five-year-old could understand.

ताकी मेरी पाच वर्ष कि छोरी ले पनि बुझुन |

So these photos are far more than proxies

यी तस्बीरहरु तस्बीरमात्रै भन्दापनि बढी र

for a single moment, or even a specific trip.

कुनै एक्लो क्षण वा कुनै खासयात्रा भन्दाबढी

They're also ways for us to freeze time

र त्यो एक किसिमले अक्टोबर को त्यो एक हप्ता

for one week in October

हामीलाई लाइ अनुबन्धित गर्ने

and reflect on our times

हाम्रो बिगतको अवलोकन गर्ने क्षण पनि हो

and how we change from year to year,

ताकी हामी वर्ष पिच्छे कति फरक भै रहेका छौ

and not just physically, but in every way.

शारीरिकरुपमा मात्र होइन कि, हर तरहले |

Because while we take the same photo,

किनकि हामीले जब उस्तै तस्बीर हरु खिच्दथ्यौ

our perspectives change,

हाम्रा अबधारणा हरु परिवर्तित हुन्थ्यो

and she reaches new milestones,

र उनि एउटा नँया लक्ष्य छुन पुग्थिन|

and I get to see life through her eyes,

मैले जिन्दगीलाई उनको नजरबाट हेर्न पाउथे

and how she interacts with and sees everything.

जीवन र जगतप्रतिको दृष्टिकोण बुझ्न पाउथे

This very focused time we get to spend together

र यो हामी संगै हुने समय नै हामी खुसी हुने

is something we cherish and anticipate the entire year.

र हामीले वर्ष भरि चाहना राख्ने समय बनिदियो

Recently, on one trip, we were walking,

भर्खरै एक यात्रामा, हामी हिडीरहेका थियौ,

and she stops dead in her tracks,

उनि हिडीरहेको ठाउमा टक्क रोकीइन

and she points to a red awning of the doll store

र उनले खेलौना दोकानको रातो पर्दामा देखाउदै भनिन

that she loved when she was little

उनले त्यसलाई निकै मन पराउथिन

on our earlier trips.

हाम्रा पुरानो यात्राहरुमा |

And she describes to me the feeling she felt

र उनले मलाई ५ वर्षकि हुदाको उनको अनुभिती

as a five-year-old standing in that exact spot.

ठ्याक्कै तेही ठाउँमा बसेर सुनाएकी थिईन|

She said she remembers her heart bursting out of her chest

उनि भन्थिन, उनि अत्तालियेकी थियिन

when she saw that place for the very first time

जब उनले त्यो ठाउँ नौ वर्ष अगाडी

nine years earlier.

पहिलो पटक देखेकी थिईन |

And now what she's looking at in New York

अहिले, उनि न्युयोर्कमा कलेजहरु

are colleges,

हेरीरहेकी हुन्छिन

because she's determined to go to school in New York.

किनकि उनि न्यु योर्क कै कलेजमा पढ्नु पर्छ भन्ने कुरामा दृढ छिन

And it hit me: One of the most important things

त्यसले मलाई छोयो, एक महत्वपूर्ण कुरा जुन

we all make are memories.

हामी सबैलेसिर्जना गर्छौं, त्यो हो सम्झना |

So I want to share the idea of taking an active role

त्यसैले मैले यो भन्न गैरहेको छु कि तपाईंहामी

in consciously creating memories.

सम्झनालायक बनाउन सक्रिय भूमिका खेलौ|

I don't know about you, but aside from these 15 shots,

तपाईंको बारेमा थाहा हुने कुरा त भएन, तर यी १५ तस्बीर बाहेक

I'm not in many of the family photos.

म कुनैपनि पारिवारिक तस्बीरमा छैन

I'm always the one taking the picture.

किनकि तस्बीर खिच्ने व्यक्ति सधै म नै हु

So I want to encourage everyone today

आज म सबै लाइ प्रेरित गर्न चाहन्छु कि

to get in the shot,

फोटो खिच्नुस्,

and don't hesitate to go up to someone and ask,

धक नमानी कोइ कसैलाइ यो भन्न सक्नुस कि

"Will you take our picture?"

"कृपया हाम्रो तस्बीर खिची दिनुहुन्छ कि?"

Thank you. (Applause)

धन्यवाद| (तालि)