Saturday, December 5, 2009

Mumbai Police Through The Eye Of My Camera

He kept on coming again and again after his turn got over, to carry the Sandal, I told him to remember me when he became a Senior cop...but he was spiritually on some other plateau of extreme devotion..


Cases unsolved are also taken care by the Holy Saint, he brings them to a successful end..promotions , rewards awards all good postings are invoked,so even those officers who got transferred from Mahim Police station come here to pay their respects to Makhdoom Shah Baba..

Beneath the khaki uniform lies the humility of a soul of a human being...be it Lal Bagh Cha Raja at Lalbagh, or Mother Mary at Mount Mary Fair or Makhdoom Shah Baba ..the Mumbai Police man truly pays his respect while on duty too..and duty is devotion...

The Mumbai Policeman has flaws just like all of us but yes his belief in God is without any reservation...it is in the face of divinity the cop is without his protective amour..

I know a very senior cop a Hindu Brahmin who used to come to a friends House Imambada, such was his faith is in the holistic healing power of Imam Hussain.


And even if I a caught at the next Police Nakaband because of my attire, I will always write positively about the guardians of our city.. The Mumbai Police.

And I have forgotten once I was caught by the VP Police station for shooting the Gol Deval questioned like a criminal, my camera roll destroyed asked to report to the Police station every day, till Mrs Shatrughan Sinha called up the Senior cop and told him I was making Shatrujis clothes since last 25 years.. this is the flip side of Faith in my dictionary..

Mumbai Police Godly Friendly at Peace

The reason I leave my work all my commitments and come here to Mahim Station, on the first day of the Urus is to give you all a glimpse of the Mumbai cops and their extreme devotion to a spiritual cause , this is definitely not about Hindus or Muslims, this is not about religion, this is faith and it touches all, men in civil clothes and men in khaki.
And this is the only time the cops dont hassle me shooting their pictures, this is the only time I am shooting freely at a police station that was built in 1923.

Even the women folks of the cops who live in the nearby police residential quarters are splendidly dressed , this is nothing short of a very important feast day for their families.


With the sandal on their heads they look into the face of hope , they look towards a path of Peace.This is the ultimate tribute by the cops of Mahim Police Station to the noble cause of amity between two communities the Hindus and the Muslims.

Senior Inspector Mr Pawar leading from the front including his officers and men, there is the drum beats , loban, and some sword fencing show by Firoze Rafaee.. the whipper rafaee in chains slashes the air making sure I taste two strokes of his whip for not having given him money to buy hash for his silent and smokeless chillum.

I did the Sufi kaif here on my injured bare feet and every visit to the Urus I am without footwear, the cuts the bruises dont cease nor does my fervor to show you this event - I collapsed a few days back , hitting the ground with my head , my camera was with a young boy who took pictures, no harm came to me, I go into a trance when ever they mention Ali ..and Ali Haq is the soul of Indian Sufi street spirituality..

Ali ke nam se mera
nam qayam hain
Ali ke nam se
Islam qayam hai..

In three visits of a few hours I have shot over 2500 pictures or more all housed at Flickr and a few posted at Facebook.


Now I ask you just look into the eyes of the Mumbai Police man holding the sandal on his head..if you dont see divinity than its time for me to give up photography forever...

Blogging The Soul of a Beggar's Bowl

102,548 items / 668,983 views

every man an actor
playing a specified role
to the gallery a few claps
his ultimate goal
a pedestrian poet
blogging the soul
of a beggars bowl
sometimes hot
sometimes cold
warped vision
in a blind mans fold
barefeet and bare soled
hope the only commodity
lies unsold

Blogging The Soul of a Beggar's Bowl

102,548 items / 668,983 views

every man an actor
playing a specified role
to the gallery a few claps
his ultimate goal
a pedestrian poet
blogging the soul
of a beggars bowl
sometimes hot
sometimes cold
warped vision
in a blind mans fold
barefeet and bare soled
hope the only commodity
lies unsold

Firoze Rafaee of Mahim

All these pictures were shot on 1 Dec 2009.. at the Mahim Police Makhdoom Shah Baba Sandal.
I went to the Dhuni twice after this, and I have not uploaded the pictures, but this evening after work I was at the Dhuni and it was Firoze Rafaees Sandal, I shot his little son do some sword fencing stuff..he is 5 years old.. and near the dhuni I shot Firoze Rafee , pierce a large size needle into a mans hand the point that came out , he placed another mans hand and pierced it too..than he placed another mans tongue and pierced it too, on to the pierced hands..

Firoze Rafaee is the best , and luckily this time the cops did not hassle me as Barsati Sai had spoken on my behalf to the cops..
I did the kaif this evening and than from the Dargah came to Fakhruddin Shah Babas Shrine I shot the bawas on the street.

I have just come home some time back, today a large piece of glass entered my bare feet I removed it in great pain..its quite dark in the streets here..

At home I clean my feet with Savlon and apply a band aid if the injury is deep..

Kaif The Sufi Trance

on the streets of mahim
a drum induced high
the spirits enhance
the ultimate path
to gods godliness
kaif the sufi trance
makhdoom shah baba
good luck by chance
dancing with the wind
as your wingless feet
advance
avec de la patience
on arrive a la tout
he gives us a glance
soul made in India
love made in France


pour mon ami designldg

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