Saturday, October 9, 2010

Mumbai The City of Deleted Dreams

149,639 items / 1,145,800 views

a recycle bin
what appears
is not what it seems
eyes half shut open '
day dreams
as the soul goes
under it screams
floating bloating
like dead fish
in a choked stream
unpublished
misery morbidity
toilet paper
reams and reams
mortgaged to
karmic sorrow
deathly dreams
a house built
of web logs
without
supporting beams

To
CA Rajiv Soni
President, DIPSITES ASSOCIATION

just wrote this poem a few minutes back..

a fish that does not drink water

Cleaning The Banganga Tank Walkeshwar

Cleaning The Banganga Tank on Pitru Paksha Day

KG Maheshwariji

149,587 items / 1,145,281 views

K. G. Maheshwari, Hon. FIIPC, ARPS, APSA, Hon. FIP, Hon. NPPA
(kgm_1922@yahoo.com, 022-23692318)

Born on November 2, 1922, Maheshwari’s interest in Photography as a hobby began from his school days. His father wanted him to take up Music as hobby and a teacher was asked to come and audition the boy at home. But the result was disappointing when the teacher declared that the boy did not have the kind of voice. A pragmatic boy decided to take up Photography as his hobby, instead. His father used to subscribe to Illustrated Weekly and young Maheshwari used to diligently go through the pages devoted to photography. He started with a Box camera when in school. Later on, he acquired a Rollie, a Leica M3 and a Mamiaflex 330.
In 1938, P. J. Patel of Central Camera asked him to send his photographs for a competition organized by Niharika Camera Pictorialists of Gujarat and he won a prize in the Beginners Section. This is how he really got interested in photography.He did not go through any formal training in photography, as there was none such available. Circumstances around him favoured by putting him into close contact with people who were advanced photographers – people who were mature in the art and practice of photography like late Jehangirjee Unwalla, the doyen of Indian Photography and late Burjorji Fanibunda, and he acknowledges that he learnt the real technique of pictorial print making from these great practitioners. In 1941 he got married and as things could happen his wife Shanti not only encouraged him to continue practising his pet hobby to the fullest but so to say, shared it by giving her utmost might and main to his hobby of making pictorial photography a part of their lives.He has been regularly participating in both National and International Exhibitions. His efforts in achieving perfection in photographic art earned him the Associateship of the ‘Royal’ in 1946. He has over 1600 Salon acceptances and around 400 awards (shields / plaques / medals: gold, silver, bronze / certificates of merit).Besides these, various Photographic Organizations in India and abroad as detailed below have also honoured him:

1946 Enrolled as an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain - A.R.P.S.
1975 Conferred by the Photographic Society of India - its highest honour -The Honorary Life Membership
1985 Elected Honorary Fellow by India International Photographic Council
1989 Photographic Society of Madhya Pradesh Honours among nine eminent camera artists of India.
1990 Honorary Fellow of the Photographic Society of the University of Mississippi - F.P.S. (Univ).
1992 Elected Associate of the Photographic Society of America - A.P.S.A.
1992 Conferred Honorary Membership of India International Photographic Council for life time achievement and unparalleled service in the field of photography.
1995 Conferred BIMB’s highest honour for excellence in photography “CHHAYARATNA”
1996 The R. A. Acharya Memorial Photographic Club bestowed its Honarary Membership.
1998 Awarded Gold Certificate for notable achievements as an exhibitor by India International Photographic Council’s Grading Division.
1998 The International Award presented for life time achievements in the national and international fields of photography by India International Photographic Council.
2000 Conferred Hon. Fellowship by Image Colleague Society International Ltd., California, USA for outstanding contribution to photography.
2000 Felicitated by the Photo Journalist Society promoting in Jodhpur, India, for his contribution in Indian Photography at their 20th FIP Convention, 2000.
2002 Bestowed the Hon. Membership of National Pictorial Photographic Academy, Mumbai in recognition of singular and meritorious services for the cause of photography.
2003 Conferred Hon. Life Membership by Photographic Association of Bengal, Kolkata.
2003 Issued IIPC ‘Platinum’ Grade Certificate by India International Photographic Council.
2004 Conferred 8th ‘Photographic Charchaa Samman’ for lifetime achievements.
2005 Conferred Hon. Life Membership for contribution in the art and science of photography in the country by East Calcutta Photographic Association, Kolkata at the celebration of its golden jubilee in the year 2005.
2007 Conferred Hon. Membership by the Photographic Society of Pune for life time achievement and unparallel services in and to the art of photography.
2009 Enrolled Hon. F.I.P. by Federation of Indian Photography.
2010 Photo Division, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, G.O.I. conferred 1st National Photo Award 2010 for Life Time Achievement for his Outstanding Contribution to the growth and development of Indian Photography.

He has been on the panel of judging of several National and International Exhibitions and is a member of the Honors Committees of Photographic Society of India and the India International Photographic Council.A collection of his photographic work spanning over four decades was published in a book form entitled ‘PRINTS AND IMPRINTS’ by the Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Calcutta.

He has been contributing articles to various photographic journals and submitting papers at seminars. Till date, he has conducted more than ten workshops on ‘Pictorial Portraiture’ both by natural light – outdoors and artificial light – indoors. From 1994 to till last millennium, he has topped the list of national exhibitors in the Monochrome Pictorial Prints section.(Text: D. C. Bhachech,)

Good Bye Firoze Bhai He Said

149,592 items / 1,145,604 views

guru of all good things
literate erudite well read
we parted at the door
of peace softly
barefeet as i tread
the gurus blessings
as a cherished halo
on my humble head
two parallel lines
of aligned harmony
good bye firoze bhai
he said man
lives by art by culture
besides water and bread
a trinity babuji
barefeet blogger
prof jatkar watching
the scenario from ahead
sometimes in moments
such as these people
who have passed away
come alive from the dead

dedicated to late prof bw jatkar ..an angel wings spread ..memories revisited held by life's silken thread

One Of The Windows Of My House

149,570 items / 1,145,253 views

the others being
my children
my family
my grand daughter
my one and only spouse
my laptop knowledge
at the click of a mouse
the inimitable guru
dronarcharya
kg maheshwariji
my mentor
my guide
in house
passion
poetry
photography
a cause
i espouse
life an illusion
a temporary
jail house

He Is Not My Chela Said The Guru Of All Good Things

149,569 items / 1,145,213 views

i was a freckled bird
a speckled bird
flightless flings
unflappable
untrappable
among all things
kg maheshwariji
was not my guru
but he gave me wings
for wisdom beyond
mere mundane
foto things
he showed
me the path
of humility
the core
essence
of photography
something
lacking
among media kings
round their necks
only high end camera
swings their ego
on the streets
they fling
the soul of photography
weeps oh bresson
where is thy sting
old values are
not working
traditions
oh what a stink
every armor
has a new chink
through twitter
the soul of a flickr blog
with your soul i link

the hand that shoots pictures is the hand that rocks the cradle of humanity and the universe ..this was accident but it saved the life of this blog.. shot by Hari in great hurry ..man Friday Of KGM

He Is Not My Chela Said The Guru Of All Good Things

149,569 items / 1,145,213 views

i was a freckled bird
a speckled bird
flightless flings
unflappable
untrappable
among all things
kg maheshwariji
was not my guru
but he gave me wings
for wisdom beyond
mere mundane
foto things
he showed
me the path
of humility
the core
essence
of photography
something
lacking
among media kings
round their necks
only high end camera
swings their ego
on the streets
they fling
the soul of photography
weeps oh bresson
where is thy sting
old values are
not working
traditions
oh what a stink
every armor
has a new chink
through twitter
the soul of a flickr blog
with your soul i link

the hand that shoots pictures is the hand that rocks the cradle of humanity and the universe ..this was accident but it saved the life of this blog.. shot by Hari in great hurry ..man Friday Of KGM

He Is My Guru For Wisdom Beyond Photography

149,561 items / 1,145,123 views

Dhyaanamoolam Gurur Moorthihi
Poojamoolam Guroh Padam
Mantramoolam Guror Vaakyam
Moksha Moolam Guru Krupa.

Meaning: The Guru's form is the best to meditate upon; the Guru's feet are the best for worship; the Guru's word is the mantra; the Guru's Grace is the root of liberation.



I met Mr KG Maheshwariji a giant of a humble man through my Guru late Prof BW Jatkar almost 10 years back.

Late Prof Jatkar Saab used to call Maheshwarriji as Babuji.

He was the one to call Mr Maheshwari Dronacharya too.. the man who uses the camera like a bow to shoot arrows in time and space... that is the essence of a teacher teaching photography as archery to those who wanted to learn and partake from the well of knowledge.

Though calling KGM my Guru is not lip service , and though I revere him as Guru , but he does not acknowledge me as his chela.. is not the crux of this blog.. I modeled for KGM at his house and was a participant in his shoots and workshops but that was it..

To be a chela of an eminent Guru requires the passion of a snail and I am mere speck of dust on the mirror of human consciousness breakable mortal and vulnerable to the pangs of human predicative as my karmic fate.

I was influenced by KGM as a poet as a photoblogger and as a human being.

This picture was shot by his house boy and I was meeting KGM after a very long time , I was not sure this meeting would materialize as he leaves house by 11am ffor work and I had aborted my Pitru Paksha shoot at Banganga to steal a few moments and capture a few on film for posterity.

I was thirsty I quenched my thirst with two glasses of chilled water and a hot cup of tea this very room where KGM had shot me along with Prof BW Jattkar .

All these pictures in this set are a tribute to Mr Maheshwariji this set is tilted Guru Parampara at Flickr.com.

I shot close to 45 pictures Mr Maheshwariji shot me too on my Nikon D 80 .

And I am not worried if my two and a half year old grand daughter street photographer Marziya Shakir who shoots on the Nikon D 80 begins calling KGM her Guru too..

And I salute KGM saab for his advise his guidance his views that have helped mold me and keep my volatile nature in check..

And I love this house the special temple in this house that is the soul within the soul of Mrs KG Maheshwariji .. of course the temple in her heart has just one main deity neigbors envy owners pride ,.. KGM saab..however on equal level are her children , her grandchildren and her great grand children.

I pray to God to keep this family always happy in peace hope and prosperity .


I bow to you Master my Guru No 1.

Pitru Paksha at Banganga Tank Walkeshwar

pitru paksha a way of life on earth

The Child On The Banks of the Banganga

Pitru Paksha Is Incomplete Without The Pujaris and The Barbers

because civilization came late to australia and new zealand they tend to get racist and defensive even when they fart a comment

149,547 items / 1,145,088 views


there are good folks in these two countries exception to the rule but i have seen the racist poets and faced their vicious attacks on me at a poetry site not long ago....

Shooting Pictures Is Nothing But Perspective Bound To Time and Space

The Makeshift Raft From Where I Shot Pictures Later

The Banganga Tank Cleaners on Pitru Paksha Day

The Banganga Tank Cleaners on Pitru Paksha Day

The Banganga Tank Cleaners on Pitru Paksha Day

The Banganga Tank Cleaners on Pitru Paksha Day

A Shia Pandit Shoots The Soul of Hope and Hindutva As A Message of Peace and Humanity

149,547 items / 1,145,082 views


This was shot by Yogendra Prabhu on the makeshift raft and the kid next to me is an expert fish like swimmer , these local lads were cleaning the Banganga Tank on Pitru Paksha day.

Yogendra Prabhu of Banganga

149,547 items / 1,145,075 views

Most of the photographers I have seen during the recently concluded Lalbgh Chya Raja procession near the gates of his pandal when he leaves for the seas are totally selfish and absolutely uncooperative , they wont even give you an opportunity of a hanging space , even if such space exists next to where they are shooting,

And yet the Lord provides photobloggers like me , we have no agenda , our pictures wont come on the first page of Hindustan Times but in sheer humility our pictures on Putru Paksha will reach the portals of the internet much before their picture is published the following day ..

Simply because the Lord knows our pictures are a message of peace hope and humanity we share the ethos and in my case being a Muslim blogger I showcase Hinduism as an altruistic form of a universal religiosity , a religiosity that has influenced me positively.

So when I met this young lad Ygendra Prabhu a local Banganga self taught photographer and saw his zeal , I took an instant liking to him, and he was dressed for the occasion.. I asked him to shoot my picture for rec'd and shot his too before I shot this one..

As I moved away he got on board the makeshift raft that the local boys were using to remove the ritual waste thrown into the Banganga Tank and the waste is immense in the form of floral tributes and the ritual leaves you see floating around.

The little boys are avid swimmers and they collect the dry leaves and the accumulated waste is thrown into bins placed at one end by the Municipality .

The raft has four steel poles and a plastic rope and is actually four large floats joined together to make a floating raft , a bamboo pole is used as oar for navigation or sometimes pu;;ed by a rope by the kids swimming in the water alongside the raft.

Yogendra was shooting pictures from this raft I called out to him to shoot a few pictures for me on my camera but he generously offered me to come on the raft and shoot pictures too and the media guy would have never shown such gesture us humility and help assistance is not in ther blood at all.. only they are Gods chosen one to shoot pictures , a story goes when God created the media photographer knowing their attitude he first created the newspaper than he created the Press Card and finally created Rajnikanth like photojournalists..to accommodate the soul of their Camera in the Universe..

Because of Rajnikanth like photojournalists he first created them before creating the Universe which has literally gone from Bad to Worse.

So this is my tribute to a fellow photographer Yogendra Prabhu , a person you would have not known , god wanted me to show you their humility their world and so God created the photo blogs before he created photobloggers like me.


I shoot all these pictures in this lot from the bobbling raft so some pictures are wobbly too , and this was risky as the raft is slippery with the accumulating waste it almost goes out of hand.

I got off the raft thanked Yogendra and the crew and I am sure I a got different feel to my pictures and my legs because of the wetness and being barefeet are in worse state than before.

But they will heal as you view my pictures my soul lives in the soul of my pictures too .

Na Jane Tum Kab Aogey

The State of My Fucked Barefeet

Fucked Forever

The Dogs Best Friend Man

The Sad Story Of The Fucked Life of a Boot Polish Man at The Railway Station

Going To Banganga On The Wings of Barefeet

Me At My Manic Best

Children Producing Factory on Mumbai Streets ..

Children Producing Factory on Mumbai Streets ..

Made In India With Love and Affection

Dead But Very Much Alive

Kaun Banega ...This Time

My Hijra Vardan ..Beggar Hijra at Banganga

149,444 items / 1,144,751 views

This was a hijra going to beg on Pitru Paksha day...

Pitru Paksha at Banganga Tank Walkeshwar

Pitru Paksha at Banganga Tank Walkeshwar

Pitru Paksha at Banganga Tank Walkeshwar

Pitru Paksh at Banganga Tank Walkeshwar

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