Memories, memories, getting VHS cassettes into the Digital DVD format - Ethiopian Journey - Blog Post No - 79.

"Live in the present, Live in the present', I keep telling myself and my students. But the writing bug in me takes me back into the history and quite frequently. I started writing about my stay in Ethiopia and found that my memory and copiously maintained notes and elaborate letters written by my wife Padma, helped a lot in penning down my thoughts. The blogs were shaping out very well but there was a yearning in the heart. I was not able to provide videos and snaps that captured the true essence of the wonderful time that we had in Bahirdar, Ethiopia. We have snaps but they are too personal and are not very representative of the times that we have spent. The snaps and the videos that are available on google and on Instagram are mostly, circa 2018 and are not of 2006. For example, all the snaps available on google depicting the streets of Bahirdar have the inevitable and omnipresent Bajaj autos which were not existent in 2002-2006. The videos too sport very modern buildings and frankly they do not have the feel and the touch of 2002-2006. I had a wonderful collection of VHS cassettes that were shot on my handy-cam which was purchased in 2000. The format was VHS and I had shot extensive videos in Bahirdar so much so that I was known as Anil the guy with video camera. We returned from Ethiopia in 2006 and before we knew it was 12 years since we returned. And three football world Cups have been played out. How the time flies! In the recent summer holidays, I took my old VHS cassettes to a VHS to DVD converter centre. The guy sneered at me “Saab, these are Jurassic age videos. They can’t be converted into digital DVD format”. He was having fun at my expense! I was truly gutted. Seeing my crestfallen face, the guy quickly added “Get the camcorder on which these VHS cassettes were recorded. I will give it a try”. My hopes were rekindled. I rushed back home and got the Camcorder along with the converter that allows the small cassette to be played just like the larger regular VHS Cassette in any normal VCR or a VCP. By the evening I got the news that I was fearing. The cassettes were done and dusted. They had too much fungus and were not playable. It was as if the roof had fallen through. It was a bit of history that was ruthlessly wiped off the face of earth. I was flabbergasted. But the guy held out a ray of hope. He would take it to the expert in Hyderabad who could try to do the MAGIC!!!! The DVD converter guy called me today. He was as excited as excited can be, “Sir” he could not hide his excitement, “We did it Sir!!! Your old VHS cassettes have been converted. We could save your valuable memories”. I went down to his office and thanked him profusely. “It is nothing Sir” the guy was embarrassed. “Your passion and your disappointment when I told that your VHS cassettes were rotten moved me to my core. I took it as a challenge to get them converted to the digital format”. He just charged Rs 100/- more, as conversion fee for each VHS cassette. I have gone through the DVDs and the results are amazing. It is like revisiting and travelling back in time. The DVDs have magically transported me back to 2002. Will start sharing parts of the digital videos very soon.