Thursday, November 24, 2011

Hum Hain Hindustani

allah keh lo
ya bhagwan kehlo
jo chahe kuch bhi kehlo
jai bhavani
jai bhavani
dil he saf to kya pareshani
hindu aur muslim
ke dilon pe khoon se likha he
hum hain hindustani
ek amriki ke dil pe
haji malang
ki bani nishani
aman shraddha
bhaichare ki
amar kahani
jai bhavani
jai bhavani

Marziya Shakirs Fourth Birthday 24 November 2011

211,357 items / 1,754,778 views

Since last night ever since she went shopping with her mom to buy a gown for her birthday today, she has been on Cloud 9..

But this birthday to celebrated with her friends family will be without her favorite grandmother , my wife who has gone on a pilgrimage..

For Marziya birthdays is about new presents that would excite her more than anything, nowadays she is very friendly with our new next door neighbors daughter Zehra they both study in the same school..her other school friend is Mehreen Mukadam.. Tehseen Mukadams daughter.

And she has her sister 4 month old Nerjis Asif Shakir and Zaira Saif Shakir her Chachus daughter... as company.

First God Gave Vision Than Came The Camera

This miniature camera was part of my camera collection , I had over 27 cameras that I gave it away for peanuts I had no place to keep them I was moving out of a six hundred squre feet shop into a much smaller one ..I sold all my old cameras , everything related to cameras for Rs 17000 ..

This little one I kept back it has now passed on to Marziyas sister Nerjis Asif Shakir , and it is this camera that magically taught her posture and camera ethics.. Marziya began using the Nikon D 80 since the age of two..she will never take the camera without putting the strap around her neck and she never had to crib or shoot with a broken lens ..

Marziya shoots with her eyes closed as she was trained to shoot pictures with a blindfold master darkness and light becomes easier to control handle ..I do not wish to glorify my grand daughter but luckily unlike me she wont read Anselm Adams or books on Fucked F stops ..

Marziya was blessed by my dear friend Dr Glenn Losack MD Manhattan New York a prestigious Guru..my mentor and Guru too..

Without a Guru life just wont take off..you can live without parents but not without a Guru..

So there are two street photographers in the backyard of our house , the very newest Zaira Saif Shakir one month old hates the miniature camera because she uses her hands dexterously she swipes away the camera ,we think she will make a great kick boxer she sleeps during the day but keeps her parents awake all night till morning..

So I am updating this post on Marziya Shakirs fourth birthday today..

Mala MARATHI Honya Cha GARV Ahe!! Jai Maharashtra!

hi shastra saglya sathi
hindu muslim christian
dalit saglya sathi

mee marathi
mee marathi
tumchya hathat ak 47
majha poliemen
chya hathat
phakt lathi
kharokar
mala garv ahey


mee marathi
mee marathi

Kim and Viola With Love From Denmark



I lost my phone BB while I was escorting Kim Jansen and Viola from Park Site to Marriott , we were sitting outside a shut shop on Sunday and the only person aware of our existence was the Bhaiyya selling Bhelpuri I had smiled nodded to him.,..We were waiting for Mr Santosh Shetty who told us to wait in the Marriott lobby for him , I was uncomfortable with the thought as I dd not want pesky questions from their security so my last call on my mobile was to Mr Santosh Shetty and Kim And Viola dragged me into the hotel as I sat down I checked my mobile it was not there I rushed back to the shut shop my mobile had disappeared and I knew the bhelpurri Bhaiiya knew about it , and he pretended he did not know it taking him to the cops was what I did not want so I let my mobile go .. I lost all the numbers and I had no back up..

This evening Kim and Viola came to my shop and presented me with a new mobile phone I did not want to take it m but they insisted ..and this was their love and affection for me they felt had I stayed at home and not taken them to Vikhroli I might not have lost my phone

As a Dam Madar Malang I felt I might have lost it anyway..

So Kim and Viola who had lunch with my family befriended my grand daughter Marziya Shakir are now planning to extend their Mumbai trip and shoot Moharam Ashura a big Shia feast of mourning on the Martyrdom of Imam Hussain.

And I never knew Kim or Viola it was Kims note to me on Flickr that made us connect through hijras ..

His first note to me ..

Hijras in Mumbai
 

Hi Firoze;

first of all: I am a great admirer of your work, your life, your photos and your gift for giving life to stories and letting peoples voices be heard.

I am a documentarist from Denmark, travelling around in India now for 3 months, hoping to tell the story of hijras from their point of view.

Since you seem to be so wellconnected, I would be most humble and appreciative if you could give me contact details on hijeras in the Mumbai area. I have already written with Laxmi, but now she is in Big Boss reality show and out of reach - so ANY help from you would be a gift sent from above and beyond.

Kind regards and thanks in advance,
Kim Hansen

Re: Hijras in Mumbai
 

Hi Firoze;

Thank you for your kind help. And it is a small world indeed - I live in Bandra West, not far from the Bagel Shop and will be here for the rest of November.

I would be honored to come by and greet you in person; I've always been intrigued by your work and your life as a poet. But only if I am not disturbing, of course.

Kind regards,
Kim

Dear Firoze;

today is unfortunately not possible, because we are trying to film some weddings for our documentary - if we are lucky. But tomorrow we can meet if you are in the shop? We can come by any time during the day before 1. ;-)

Kind regards,
Kim


Humbled and happy
 

Dear Firoze;

my mind flutters and rest is hard to find after our short meeting, so let me just tell you how much I enjoyed listening to your story and thoughts tonight. Everytime a kindred spirit opens up their home to me, I feel humbled and amazed that such generosity can be found in a world filled with so much suffering and pain. And to meet you in person, a truth seeker and a poet of pain, was something I enjoyed deeply.

I can't wait to explore this new world of friendship. Hope to meet you soon, Firoze.

Kind regards,
Kim


Kim Joins Flickr

Re: Hijras in Mumbai
 

Dear Firoze;

just read your latest blog from a true beggar poet. Always an honor to be part of your universe. Hope to see you tomorrow at your shop; Viola is already feeling better. I will text you tomorrow.

The sufi dance yesterday was mezmerizing; dancing dervishes have always been a fascination of mine, how the meet and travel beyond the realm of the comprehensible in a search for calm, truth and friendship.

With these mediocre words of a likeminded poet I bid you goodnight. I've taken my first baby steps into this universe of Flickr and uploaded some photos from our journey.

-Kim

And Kim and Viola met Santosh Shetty last night they wanted me to accomapny them to Malad to shoot hijras they know but I was neck deep in work

And the note from Kim I received just now ..
Thoughts at dusk
 

Firoze,

We came to India to tell a story. A story of despair, of suffering, but in the midst of all the horror, also of great beauty. The modern worlds disease, the search for identity and
meaning, made no sense when the knowledge of hijras entered our minds. Not man, nor woman, not transexual, nor transvestite. T
hey were their own, half man, half woman, whole hijra - at the lowest low of society, but prouder and more charismatic than anything we had encountered in life.

We wanted to tell their story. We hoped that if only a fragment of their reality could be shown to the outside world, issues like identity crisis, transphobia and
general ignorance could be diminished.

But being storytellers would also mean, that we would tell the world the story as it is seen from our eyes. As foreigners, strangers to a
culture and country, which still amazes and confuses us. Our documentary needed a narrator that knew this world and could see and share the pain.
Someone who could offer continuity to the viewer in a world of chaos.

So we thought: Why not tell the story from one who truly sees. One who had his share of suffering, who knew what it meant to experience pain,
who shared our fascination.

So this is when it struck us: We wanted to make not one movie, not one story. After all India is the land of a thousand times thousand stories. So we want to also tell your tale, the beggar poets, a common man with an artistic soul, a big heart and one who sees the pain and sees the beauty in all the dirt and garbage, that this big city holds. We feel curious and enlightened when we hear about shiamuslims, we want to learn more about the India you lived and seen, and we want to show the world the stories you've seen.

So dear Firoze, fellow photographer and friend, give it some thought. You would honor us by giving us a window to your world.

Kind regards,
Viola and Kim


Pictures shot by Viola at my house

I lost my phone BB while I was escorting Kim Jansen and Viola from Park Site to Marriott , we were sitting outside a shut shop on Sunday and the only person aware of our existence was the Bhaiyya selling Bhelpuri I had smiled nodded to him.,..We were waiting for Mr Santosh Shetty who told us to wait in the Marriott lobby for him , I was uncomfortable with the thought as I dd not want pesky questions from their security so my last call on my mobile was to Mr Santosh Shetty and Kim And Viola dragged me into the hotel as I sat down I checked my mobile it was not there I rushed back to the shut shop my mobile had disappeared and I knew the bhelpurri Bhaiiya knew about it , and he pretended he did not know it taking him to the cops was what I did not want so I let my mobile go .. I lost all the numbers and I had no back up..

This evening Kim and Viola came to my shop and presented me with a new mobile phone I did not want to take it m but they insisted ..and this was their love and affection for me they felt had I stayed at home and not taken them to Vikhroli I might not have lost my phone

As a Dam Madar Malang I felt I might have lost it anyway..

So Kim and Viola who had lunch with my family befriended my grand daughter Marziya Shakir are now planning to extend their Mumbai trip and shoot Moharam Ashura a big Shia feast of mourning on the Martyrdom of Imam Hussain.

And I never knew Kim or Viola it was Kims note to me on Flickr that made us connect through hijras ..

His first note to me ..

Hijras in Mumbai
 

Hi Firoze;

first of all: I am a great admirer of your work, your life, your photos and your gift for giving life to stories and letting peoples voices be heard.

I am a documentarist from Denmark, travelling around in India now for 3 months, hoping to tell the story of hijras from their point of view.

Since you seem to be so wellconnected, I would be most humble and appreciative if you could give me contact details on hijeras in the Mumbai area. I have already written with Laxmi, but now she is in Big Boss reality show and out of reach - so ANY help from you would be a gift sent from above and beyond.

Kind regards and thanks in advance,
Kim Hansen

Re: Hijras in Mumbai
 

Hi Firoze;

Thank you for your kind help. And it is a small world indeed - I live in Bandra West, not far from the Bagel Shop and will be here for the rest of November.

I would be honored to come by and greet you in person; I've always been intrigued by your work and your life as a poet. But only if I am not disturbing, of course.

Kind regards,
Kim

Dear Firoze;

today is unfortunately not possible, because we are trying to film some weddings for our documentary - if we are lucky. But tomorrow we can meet if you are in the shop? We can come by any time during the day before 1. ;-)

Kind regards,
Kim


Humbled and happy
 

Dear Firoze;

my mind flutters and rest is hard to find after our short meeting, so let me just tell you how much I enjoyed listening to your story and thoughts tonight. Everytime a kindred spirit opens up their home to me, I feel humbled and amazed that such generosity can be found in a world filled with so much suffering and pain. And to meet you in person, a truth seeker and a poet of pain, was something I enjoyed deeply.

I can't wait to explore this new world of friendship. Hope to meet you soon, Firoze.

Kind regards,
Kim


Kim Joins Flickr

Re: Hijras in Mumbai
 

Dear Firoze;

just read your latest blog from a true beggar poet. Always an honor to be part of your universe. Hope to see you tomorrow at your shop; Viola is already feeling better. I will text you tomorrow.

The sufi dance yesterday was mezmerizing; dancing dervishes have always been a fascination of mine, how the meet and travel beyond the realm of the comprehensible in a search for calm, truth and friendship.

With these mediocre words of a likeminded poet I bid you goodnight. I've taken my first baby steps into this universe of Flickr and uploaded some photos from our journey.

-Kim

And Kim and Viola met Santosh Shetty last night they wanted me to accomapny them to Malad to shoot hijras they know but I was neck deep in work

And the note from Kim I received just now ..
Thoughts at dusk
 

Firoze,

We came to India to tell a story. A story of despair, of suffering, but in the midst of all the horror, also of great beauty. The modern worlds disease, the search for identity and
meaning, made no sense when the knowledge of hijras entered our minds. Not man, nor woman, not transexual, nor transvestite. T
hey were their own, half man, half woman, whole hijra - at the lowest low of society, but prouder and more charismatic than anything we had encountered in life.

We wanted to tell their story. We hoped that if only a fragment of their reality could be shown to the outside world, issues like identity crisis, transphobia and
general ignorance could be diminished.

But being storytellers would also mean, that we would tell the world the story as it is seen from our eyes. As foreigners, strangers to a
culture and country, which still amazes and confuses us. Our documentary needed a narrator that knew this world and could see and share the pain.
Someone who could offer continuity to the viewer in a world of chaos.

So we thought: Why not tell the story from one who truly sees. One who had his share of suffering, who knew what it meant to experience pain,
who shared our fascination.

So this is when it struck us: We wanted to make not one movie, not one story. After all India is the land of a thousand times thousand stories. So we want to also tell your tale, the beggar poets, a common man with an artistic soul, a big heart and one who sees the pain and sees the beauty in all the dirt and garbage, that this big city holds. We feel curious and enlightened when we hear about shiamuslims, we want to learn more about the India you lived and seen, and we want to show the world the stories you've seen.

So dear Firoze, fellow photographer and friend, give it some thought. You would honor us by giving us a window to your world.

Kind regards,
Viola and Kim


Pictures shot by Viola at my house

http://www.flickr.com/photos/69647004@N06/sets/72157628112872793/with/6389738649/

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