Sunday, May 31, 2009

Slumdog 2.0

slumdog millionaire
the greatest curse
I swear
over abundance
of poetic genius
I began losing hair
the mumbai municipality
loves demolishing
muslim houses
azhar and rubina
of gharib nagar
also in their snare
illegal whore house
illicit booze houses
matka dens
everywhere
a thought
that scares
broken fences
is what they must repair
but publicity
the name of the game
they too want their share
dan boyle too needs it
or it might outwear
shilpa shetty
now needs it no more
says romantic
nostalgic
richard gere
once in India
the most wanted
made for each other pair

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Marziya and Her Muslim World

god save us from
fatwas she says
its time we found
better ways
reinventing
a peaceful world
with a new phrase
from the pulpit
as he shouts
as he brays
the message
of peace and brotherhood
he betrays
money big bucks power
they love to chase
dividing two brothers
into two different race
sectarian stigma
sectarian disgrace
in a cosmopolitan
society of India
has no place
living like ali
dying like hussain
with dignity and grace
to martyrdom of man
of peace and goodwill
our nobility trace
hussain is humanity
a thought we embrace

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Dearest ...

Dearest,

My dear I am writing this mail with tears and sadness and pains. I know it will come to you as a suprise since we haven't known or come across each other before, but kindly bear with me at this moment. I have a special reason why I decided to contact you. My situation at hand is miserable but I trust in God and hope you will be of my help. My name is Alia Ibrahim Bare 25 years old girl and I held from Republic of Niger the daughter of Late General Ibrahim Bare Ma?nassara the former President of the Republic of Niger who was ambushed and killed by dissident soldiers at the military airport in the capital, Niamey with his driver and a former Prefect. You can see more detail about my late father here news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/9/newsid_...

I am constrained to contact you because of the maltreatment which I am receiving from my step mother. She planned to take away all my late father's treasury and properties from me since the unexpected death of my beloved Father. Meanwhile I wanted to travel to Europe, but she hide away my international passport and other valuable documents. Luckily she did not discover where I kept my father's File which contained important documents. I am presently staying in the Mission camp in Burkina Faso.

I am seeking for longterm relationship and investment assistance. My father of blessed memory deposited the sum of US$11.7 Million in one bank in Burkina Faso with my name as the next of kin. I had contacted the Bank to clear the deposit but the Branch Manager told me that being a refugee, my status according to the local law does not authorize me to carry out the operation. However,

he advised me to provide a trustee who will stand on my behalf. I had wanted to inform my stepmother about this deposit but I am affraid that she will not offer me anything after the release of the money. Therefore, I decide to seek for your help in transferring the money into your bank account while I will relocate to your country and settle down with you. I have my fathers death certificate and the account number which I will give you as soon as you indicated your interest to help me.

It is my intention to compensate you with 20% of the total money for your assitance and the balance shall be my investment in any profitable venture which you will recommend to me as have no any idea about foreign investment. Please all communications should be through this email address only for confidential purposes.

Thanking you alot in anticipation of your quick response. I will send you my photos in my next email.
Yours Sincerely
Alia Ibrahim Bare


my dearest
tears in my eyes
a beating black heart
in my buxom chest
incomparable cleavage
a mound of Venus
on my breast
through this email
my pain my sorrow
to you I have addressed
help me oh please help
be mine forever
my nearest
failing hope
failing future
I am distressed
a fool proof scheme
I offer you
I am hard pressed
millions to be made
till we settle down
in some
magical forest
with best men
at our wedding
fred miller
anthony posey
benn bell
from the west
a few hijras as bridesmaid
we could be blessed
Aljie the high priest
will read our marriage vows
in the city of Budapest
breaking news
at Now Public
through cousin Lefty
I suggest
cypresso uwe esta
could be our special guests
nauman umair the newbie
who is yet to fly
from the cuckoos nest
Bernie from Chicago
a few from the Midwest
make sure those that come
do take the dick test

Definitions of Dick test:

* noun: a skin test to determine your susceptibility to scarlet fever

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Saturday, May 30, 2009

HIJDA EUNUCH BLOG 300000 Views in 11 Months

http://hijdaeunuchblog.wordpress.com/

I began my Hijda Eunuch Blogs at Word Press in June 2008..and today I complete 300,757 views in 11 months..This is my tribute to the Hijras, transgender , eunuchs and to the cross dressers of India including the Gay.

I have a domain name
http://www.hijda-eunuch.com

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The Cat Girl

the cat girl
near my shop
stood a while
penetrating
my pedestrian soul
she gave me a smile
born muslim
in a society
where the climate
is hostile
the girl child a burden
no back up file
get her married early
a thought worthwhile
not the system
but a child's future
endlessly on trial
for Help
it is only Allah to dial
or spend the rest of her life
on a trash pile
path littered with pain
every square mile
it is womanhood
that a male dominated
macho
mullahcentric
society
loves to revile

to my dearest friend Fred Miller
who can change his form but not his style

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Friday, May 29, 2009

Racism on Flickr

photo courtesy
www.funnypart.com/pictures/FunnyPart-com-racism.jpg

a white man
made in America shooting
an Asian parade
on Memorial Day is fine
his racist wife
calling Asians black
is totally out of line
photography and racism
definitely do not combine
having a colored President
a sucked system supine
Peggy G ..your racist heart
calling Asians Niggers
shows you have lost your inner shine
racism the greatest evil
desecrating a holy shrine
tears on the soul of humanity
the color of a skin to malign
treating a multi colored man
like some shit of a swine
dividing man by color
was this a racist gods design?
to err is human
to seek forgiveness
humility a thought divine

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Thursday, May 28, 2009

The Ice Golawala of Bandra Bazar Road

Close to my house is a cart that belongs to the Bandra Bazar IceGolawala..who sells Ice Golas and Limbu Pani, or lime sherbet..an array of bottles with colored essence.

Our Bandra Bazar Road Ice Gola wala is a UP Bhaiyya ..from North India a maligned lot due to parochial politics of self gain and convenience...but he shows no sign of regret.. he is a part of a childs growing up.. from one generation to the next.
Be it Fred in Texas or me or my kids we have tasted the ice gola after a hectic game of cricket.

Now one day another Ice Golawala backed by the local hoodlums , muscled in and threw our Ice golawala out from his regular space , the poor guy moved on to a side lane that is extremely hot without shelter, but his clientele did not leave him, they followed him here.
In the mean time the new Icegolawala had no business and finally deserted his post, the locals bought the old guy back.

In all this stress our Ice golawala cut his palm very badly on the ice shaving machine on the cart, I told hm to take a septic shot and dressed his wound every day at my house.

His hand healed , and he has great respect for me loves Marziya.. though we dont eat ice golas or drink ice lime sherbet.Mind you he is clean hygienic.. but I cant take chances with Marziya..

Instead I shot some frames and told him, that he is going to be seen by everyone in the world..a thought that made him happy..

Now because the hot shot media photographer wont highlight stories of the Am Admi the common man God created the photo blogger and blessed him with a pedestrian humility too.. that with due respect to Fred Miller I have tagged as street photography..

And on a second thought without Fred Miller I might have been lost in the woods..he is there helping us out with new stuff, it was Fred who recommended me to Now Public...an experience that has come in handy in learning the ways of the world.. had I posted this story at Now Public..it would have been flagged either by Jarrett or Tina Kellis..erstwhile editors, as not being up to the mark, they would question, what is so news worthy about this story, and this is a fact ..a bias exists for the colored man in a white mans world..do read our terms and guidelines on posting a new story..blah blah ha ha ha ...

But than Fred would recommend this story so would Nauman , or Cypresso or Esta or Uwe..not because of its newsworthiness because it is a tale of a child's happiness costing Rs 1.. the price of a icegola or the lime sherbet.. cheaper than the newspaper too.. in Mumbai.

optional title News / Blogs

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Maryamma Feast Finale Macchimar Colony Mahim 2009

This ends a 1121 picture story board of this enticing series on street spirituality as seen from the eyes of a street photographer , shooting pain and pathos of the Tamil diaspora in Mumbai.I cut shot this event as my feet ached, I shoot barefeet and this was a very long trek from Mahim beach where it began to the Maryamma Temple of Macchimar Colony Mahim where it ends..I could not shoot the segment of removing of the rods and the hooks.

The Hindu Tamils of Mumbai who owe allegiance to Goddess Maryamma are in total awe and reverence to this deity and the pain that is part of their spirituality performed on the beach..in public.
Pulling vans with hooks on the backs, rods pierced in their mouth is part of a Thaipussam like ethos - but is not Thaipussam at all.. only the rituals are almost similar.

I was going to pierce my cheeks too, but backed out at the last minute as shooting the pictures was my first priority and this would not have been possible.

Piercing my body cutting my head with a sword as I do during Moharam has never scared me, I have had friendly relationship with Death having seen it eye to eye many a times..When my time comes I shall happily go..leaving behind a part of me on the cybernet.. the bulk being on Flickr.

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Itslefty


Itslefty, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

thumbnailed courtesy
www.flickr.com/photos/itslefty/

Now Publics Gate
A Dark Poem dedicated to Cousin Lefty

cypresso gate
came too late
first it was firozen hate
under a multi colored ass
uploaded sorrow
on the river jordan
aim it
detonate
rights of admission
reserved for poets and bloggers
multicolored dogs
it unconditionally
tip it
understates
on a vancouver
sidewalk
a black mans poems
pictures
hours of agony
burnt in crates
the camera as a conscience
of his angst
burnt up in flames
deleted for the good of a news site
it legally disclaims

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Wednesday, May 27, 2009

79000 Photo Blogs at Flickr in 24 Months

79,001 items / 405,258 views

I complete 79000 blogs at Flickr in 24 Months
Thanks to my friends and well wishers who made this possible.

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Hope and Hindutva - A Message of Peace

It takes two hands to clap
said Jesus take my other cheek
peace reverberating through a slap
blood tears and sorrow on
the landscape of a human map
when man kills man
it is god who takes the rap
god created man
ended up in his trap

to nauman umair

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A Shia Blogger at Mahim Beach Maryamma Feast 2009

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Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Sairam Pierces his Cheeks

To know Sairams story you will have to read the text on pictures shot of him last year, all I need tell you that before this begins the participant has to under go a very strict and a stringent fast, Sairam was not well, he had burning fever, and Sairam was in real bad shape, but he persisted and the 4 hour trek on bare feet from Mahim beach via Mori Road towards the starting point of the Temple must have troubled him further, his mother his best friends kept encouraging him.
Now you know why I shot a lot of footage of Sairam, why among all the participants he is my favorite.

At times I wanted to hide my tears in my hanky seeing his plight, but his spiritual conviction, as what a clean and decent quest towards karma and dharma is what this event is all about..that is why I have not cluttered my pictures with additional text.

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Monday, May 25, 2009

Maryamma Feast Macchimar Colony Mahim 2009

I start a new series at Flickr - Maryamma Feast at Macchimar Colny also known as Fishermans Colony Mahim.24 May 2009.
I was invited here by Laxmi the sister of the High Prest of this temple.. that is worshiped by the Tamils and the local Maharashtrians too.
The rod piercing is done by the Marathi Manoos , and the guy who who pierces his back with hooks is a Marathi boy and he pulled a car..

I reached the temple and found Davendar Bhima of Nehru Nagar Juhu waiting for me, he helps in the piercing too, though much of the work is done by Raja.

From the Temple the procession moved to Mahim beachfront and the road was a burning furnace at 3.30 pm, I was barefeet, here there was a puja , the Goddess enters the body of the High priest and his brother in law.

The piercings took place and once again I captured my favorite young Sairam.., young Anamika who pierced her tongue with a Trishul..this she shall do for another 3 years , as she took a vow when her mother was seriously ill.

She too goes in a trance..

For the first time since I shot this festival , I met Hijras from Mulund, co incidentally one of them was called Anamika too.. I shot a lot of pictures of her and her friend.

From the Mahim beach the procession passed St MichaelsChurch Mahim, towards Mori Road , back to the Temple ..I was in bad shape I had shot a 4.50 GB card , I hopped in a cab reached home at 9 pm.

I did not shoot the removal of the rods or the hooks..I had missed it last year too..This time because of some road work at the main Mahim road they had to take a very long route..even the participants were having a bad time..

In the picture on the left Davendar Bhima, the High Priest of the Maryamma Temple and me in my bald avatar..

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Marziya Cyber Kid

on her fathers lap top
her fingers just wont skid
google searching
for peace
with hate
on a take over bid
together a common enemy
from a sucked system
we have to rid
hope and harmony
no more hate
god forbid
a new world is possible
the unborn child said it


to da vinca

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Sunday, May 24, 2009

Remembering the Old Days

sadness
written all over his face
his best friends gone
remembering the old days
when hindu muslim christian
where born of one race
respecting the earth
as a holy place
sharing and caring
for each other
respecting each others
religious space
a freedom struggle
their ancestry trace
yes it was India
as their motherland
they did embrace
two nation theory
that created a wall
a cultural disgrace
humanity
the core ingredient
you cannot replace

dedicated to my friend dacapus

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The Hapless Coin/ Tattooed Hate in Muslim Society

I placed a coin on his palm and began taking shots..now strangely he appears as a Muslim, he may not be one, he has a tattoo on his forearm, I did not read what it says..but would anyone beat him and take him to the cops, this is the problem with overzealous Muslims who take law in their hands beat up a Pakistani girl for having words written in Arabic on her back..Religiously maybe she was wrong according to these neo Mumbai Talibans but beating her or trying to impose their will on her through a mob is uncalled for and they should be arrested and thrown in the lock up.

And the Mumbai cops buckling against a venomous group shows law and order in poor light specially in Mumbai..

The Pakistani girl was a soft target and it has hurt all of us ..the buck stops at the Police Station and shows the travesty of our street justice and our hospitality..and our treatment to women folk in general..

And the son of a bitch who reads a woman's back...is really shameful.

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78000 Photo Blogs in 24 Months at Flickr

78,009 items / 401,142 views

I complete 78000 photo blogs at Flickr in 24 months .

Thanks to all of you for making this happen

At Blogspot Word Verification would have vandalized my multi colored ass as Positive Spam..

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Saturday, May 23, 2009

Photographers Are Born Not Made

77,892 items / 400,869 views

a harsh truth
you may not like it
I am afraid
shooting from
the inner soul of
your consciousness
where the third eye
of shiva
comes to your aid
photography
is not just
a means to a trade
its customized
within your soul
not a ready made
every step is learning
as you shoot and upgrade
pictures that live
even after you fade
sweet memories
on a photo stream
77,892 items / 400,869 views
as they tumultuously
caress and cascade
your heart and soul
of your computer screen
with each view invade

to my best friend friar bloody tucker

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Hi There Uncle Fred !

get off the computer
time for you to go to bed
to hit the unbeaten path ahead
at a news site
where you are widely read
peace hope and harmony
through your posts
you spread
working hard
earning your daily bread
you will look like bob marley
if you grow some dead
this one now my grand pa
adds to his poetry set
you and he and the holy ghost
connected to the internet

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The Temple in my Cab /Some Stray Thoughts

This was a shot of a tiny temple in the cab and I realized I cant get away from shooting Godliness ..he beckons me.This ends my series on Hope and Hindutva a message of Peace.
Promoting Hindutva as a cultural ethos, as values, as humanity, as mutual coexistence is what endears its inherent kinetic force to people of all communities, but using it as a weapon to break heads in Kandhamal does not pay in the long run.

Be it anyone , even if he is the young Prince of Darkness.

You dont have to be a Hindu to understand and feel Hinduism as healing touch, a Muslim can feel and impart it too..and this is the binding element on the canvas of my Flickr photostream where all religions meet..

I dont do this for money, for gaining cookie points, I do it because India is not a travel brochure , it is much more unfortunately the Ministry of Tourism or the Ministry of Information will never realize the contribution of a photo blogger to promoting peace goodwill and a hospitable view of diversity the spinal column of Indian spirituality.


The BJP spent a bomb hitting out at the milieu with a negative message on each and every ad on the blog sphere , showing an old man calling another old man weak.. without realizing it was the public that calls the shots ..the results are in front of you.

The people that gave tickets to candidate in the BJP are to be blamed , imagine trying to bring Priya Dutt down, through Mahesh Jethmalani, who not a single slum dweller be it a Hindu or a Muslim hardly knew . I shot their rally's ..I saw it all.

Maybe the Sindhis the Punjabis might have voted for Mahesh Jethmalani but the common man went towards peace , law and order and development.
This is how I saw it as a layman..and did mention it to Mr Ashish Shelar BJP Corporator who stays in my building who slogged from morning to night for a candidate that did not know a single by lane of Bandra as Baba Siddiki and Rahebar Khan knew ..the Congress had entrenched itself into the heart and soul of the poor.
It was a Congress Win much before the first shot was fired.

As for Bhaijaan of the BSP party ..he should have stuck with NCP..you dont become tall by riding a white elephant painted black,, Ye Public Hai Yeh Sab Janti Hai..
You cant Fool the Public.. Ha Ha

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Shanmugham and Me at Madras Wadi Worli

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Friday, May 22, 2009

Maryamma Feast Madras Wadi 2009- 400,183 views

I receive over 400000 visits on my Flickr site from 10 June 2007.

I have posted 77699 images till date.

At Blogspot I would have been considered a positive spam and Word Verification stuffed up my rectum...

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The Maryamma Feast Madras Wadi Worli 2009/Some Stray Thoughts

I have now put another batch of 98 pictures for upload I still have some more in my camera, I have to finish all this by today or tomorrow ..I will undertake another shoot on Sunday.Uploading pictures is like emptying put the reservoir of my spiritual angst..at Flickr.


I have another story a very painful one I normally shoot two urchins not beggar kids who stay at the Garbage bin with their alcoholic mother and a useless father.

Last week or a week before the mother ran away with another man.. and the kids are totally clueless , I give them money , buy them sweets cold drinks etc.

I spoke to their father he said that she had left 6 kids in Chattisgarh, ran away to marry him..more than that he would not divulge..

Their life is in a real mess, I will talk to Rahebar Khan our Bandra Corporator to rehabilitate them in an institution.. if he can..and he is a good man.

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Man is a Miracle - Hooked to Faith

man is a miracle
that god made
born of faith
a faith he wont trade
over embers of fire
bare feet he will wade
man only by man
betrayed
yet it is god
who comes to mans aid
man may die
but mankind wont fade
in one hand a holy book
another hand a grenade
man against humanity
an unending crusade
to preserve peace
man another mans
country will invade
weapons of mass destruction
in his own house displayed
war and peace like two hooks
on the shoulder blade
man an evil face
in total masquerade
man his religiosity racist
his religiosity bigotry
hate home made
man born a coward
becomes a giant unafraid
womanhood
childhood
motherhood
brotherhood
he has disgraced
man a miracle
playing god
playing a satrap
a man misplaced
man from the path
of mankind has strayed

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Thursday, May 21, 2009

Maryamma Feast Worli Seaface 2009

Raja is a professional rod piercer, even the human juggernaut is prepared by him, where the participant is pierced with hooks back front and sides like a peacock..

Raja charges for the piercings..I am told, but than he desrves it , as he does it with an inborn passion, he was last year at Fishermens Colony Mahim and at Juhu too this year.


All the Maryamma event pictures are at my Flickr photo stream, last year I blogged it at my photographer no1 Wordpress site , this time its just Flickr.

They are all in separate sets..

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Shooting Faith Without Boundaries

My Guru KG Maheshwari known as the Dronacharya of Indian photography, and the Yousef Karsh of India, who has shot Mahatma Gandhi during the Freedom struggle as he stayed at the Birla House and finally married a fairy princess of the Birla household..always reprimanded me during public meetings or event at our club , Photographic Society of India for being trigger happy with my camera, and each roll I shot was a Velvia or a Provia or an Ilford Delta 100 the mother of all black and white films, and it cost money , a lot of money plus processing contact sheet and prints , and I was a million light years away from the computer and the internet.

I opted for photography as I had come out of a chronic alcoholism, the psychiatrist had warned me to keep myself busy , and to take up a hobby that would keep me in a drunken state..or a similar passion as I had for Old Monk Rum..I drank two bottles to keep my wretched body alive, I read books but I had not got into writing poems or my thoughts ..nine years back..Blogging began in 2005 and love on the Internet made me a pedestrian poet of sorts ..my second polygamous marriage would have been an American from Alaska ..luckily the kids and the wife tied me beat the shit out of my dreams..And I am fairly sane now ..Flickr has added to my sanity.

Well I shot a lot , the first time I shot Moharam, at Amin Imambada I shot 40 rolls on a single camera , I shot as though there was no tomorrow, I was shooting Shiasm the sect I belong to after 17 years not only as a photographer but as a Shia through the viewfinder of my soul.I was never into religious congregation..

Joining the PSI Mumbai Photographic Society of India , my three Gurus , Shreekanth Malushte , Prof BW Jatkar and Mr KG Maheshwari changed my life forever..I never looked back..

Than a trip to Khwajah Gharib Nawaz at Ajmer Sharif and Lord Brahma in Pushkar changed me further from a mere photographer I became a blogger thanks to Brandon Stone of Photo Blogs Org..I joined Blogspot and Buznet , Fotothing Webshots..I was a Flickr member too I deleted my first account, I found I have another account an old one here as Fotographerno1.

The rest you know I joined Flickr back again in 2007 ..now 77,174 items / 398,466 views, in retrospection I have continued shooting pictures , I cant be like a hot shot photographer from the media who takes a few shot and moves away, I shoot a lot, I shoot with my eyes closed its a Sufi saying .. I know what I shoot will be perhaps for the last time I am mortal my body ravaged by diabetes.. I dont want to miss out anything yes I am an alcoholic when it comes to Photography and I am shocked by my moderation.


I have not gone back to my camera club, I stopped all Salon participations , competitions, I dont make prints, I dont give prints, I dont sell pictures , and I share my world with all of you as you out there who shoot tomatoes covered in cloth that look like monks running towards a Path of Peace..Thank you Arrowlakelass ..I learn a lot from all of you.. only you dont know it..

We all contribute to each othe as brother photographers and if you are a photographer there is no way you can be a bigot.. only a poet at Poemhunter can fall into a trap of becoming a racist..or a bigot.

Those who shower me with hate comments on my Shia and Hindu pictures are not photographers , they are propaganda nuisance of free membership without transparency as promoted by Flickr to be one up on Facebook.

I know somebody who wanted to recruit me into another sect of Islam.. made me really bleed all over again..puritanism makes me puke all over..

I belong to an Islam without hate, I belong to all religiosity that have Faith without borders ..on a land that I call Humanity..

I will now shower and go to my tailors shop where I cover men with clothes and photography uncovers my soul..bare thoughts of a barefeet photographer of Mumbai.

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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Shia Blogger at Worli Seaface

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77000 Photo Blogs at Flickr in 24 Months

77,004 items / 397,753 views 20 May 20009

Today I complete 77000 photo blogs in 24 months at Flickr.

I thank all of you for making it possible..with your advice suggestions and comments.

I dedicate this post to my mentor Dr Glenn Losack MD..and am happy that he has a Pro Flickr account to showcase the brilliance of his work..We both shoot Pain..as it pierces the human soul, relentlessly in one form or the other.

At Blogspot I would have been sodomized by Word Verification for being a positive Spam..

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The Human Flesh

the human flesh
can take so much
much more still
remain fresh
spirituality
beneath
a bleeding mesh
through rituals
divination
the soul refresh

"The seeking after knowledge of future or hidden things by inadequate means. " catholic encyclopedia..

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I Dont Shoot Flowers !

This is a personal poem of pain, and has nothing to do with photographers my friends or otherwise who shoot flowers , its my general angst against the back drop of the little kids I shoot at traffic signals , so dont read it as a personal attack into your genre of photography..nor do I belittle what you shoot , its your prerogative as shooting pain is my prerogative I thought this disclaimer essential to the inner dark depths of my poem..

The only person who thinks like me on this is Dr Glenn Losack MD ..we arent slinging mud either ..

I dont shoot flowers
in dream like gardens
with expensive cameras
expensive macro lenses
No I dont shoot flowers at all
but I shoot pain
of deflowered hope
of little children
begging at traffic signals
near expensive shopping malls
on the waist of a little girl
another snotty child
very small
their miserable lives
hit by a karmic tsunami of a squall
dwarfs midgets
who will never ever grow tall
used by playful
vicious society as a punching ball
their little miserable lives
up against a barbed wire wall
I shoot these trampled flowers
if you can call them flowers
after all
their dark faces their barefeet
their fucked fate all in all
little girls who will
become child mothers
gang raped by a sucked system
that says bugger all
unshowered flesh
filthy dirty
covered in a deathly pall
you who wont see what I see
watching your game of baseball
towards the finishing line
at a traffic signal of life
as they run as they fall
those without legs
on hands as they crawl
bleeding words encrypted
as poetic scrawl
silence screamlessly
pleading against
a wailing wall

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Goddess Maryamma at Worli Sea Face

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariamman

Goddess Māri (Tamil: மாரி) is known as Mariamman, "Mother Mari" (Tamil: மாரியம்மன்), spelt also Maariamma (Tamil: மாரியம்மா), or simply Amman (Tamil: அம்மன்), meaning "mother". She is the main South Indian mother goddess, predominant in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Goddess Māri is also closely associated with the Hindu goddesses Parvati and Durga.

Origin

Māri originated as an ancient village goddess related to fertility and rain. In Tamil, māri means rain. This goddess was a local deity, connected to a specific location, close to a specific tree, a rock or a special spot, mostly in rural areas. Another theory regarding origin of the name arises from the fact that mari in Tamil also means change. Thus, the name Mari Amman would mean goddess who has changed. According to some sources, Mariamman is the same as Renuka or Yellamma[1].

[edit] Iconography

Māri is usually portrayed as a beautiful young woman with a red-hued face, wearing a red dress. Sometimes she is portrayed with many arms, representing her many powers, but in most representations she has only two or four. Her hands may display some mudra and her usual attributes are the trident or spear and the bowl, which are derived from stories told about her.

[edit] Goddess of Disease

Mariamman was the smallpox goddess before this disease was eradicated. Now she cures all so-called heat-based diseases like pox and rashes. During the summer months in South India (March to June), people walk miles carrying pots of water mixed with turmeric and neem leaves to ward off illnesses like the measles and chicken pox. In this form, goddess Māri is very similar to Sitala Devi[2], her counterpart in North India and the orisha Babalu Aye of the Yoruba tradition.

[edit] Fertility goddess

People also pray to Mariamman for progeny, a good spouse, etc. The most favoured offering is "pongal", a mix of rice and green gram, cooked mostly in the temple complex, or shrine itself, in terracotta pots using firewood.

Some festivals in honor of goddess Māri involve processions carrying lights. In the night, the devotees carry oil lamps in procession, which is a beautiful sight.
Main shrine to Mariamman in the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

[edit] Amman Temples

Most Mariamman temples are humble shrines in villages, where non-Brahmins act as priest using non-agamic rituals. In many rural shrines, the goddess has no form and is represented by a granite stone with a sharp tip, like a spear head. This stone is often adorned with garlands made of limes and with red flowers. These shrines often have an anthill that could be the resting place of a cobra. Milk and eggs are offered to propitiate the snake.

Some temples have also attained enough popularity that Brahmins do officiate at them. For example, at the Samayapuram temple near the shore of river Cauvery, rich agamic traditions are followed and all rituals are performed by Gurukkal of Brahmins.

At Punainallur, near Thanjavur (Tanjore), there is another famous Māri temple. The history says that once Goddess Mariamman appeared to the King Venkoji Maharaja Chatrapati (1676 - 1688) of Tanjore, in his dream and told him that she was in a forest of Punna trees at a distance of about 3 miles from Tanjore. The King rushed to the spot and recovered an idol from the jungle. Under the king's orders a temple was constructed, the idol installed and the place was called Punnainallur. Hence the deity of this temple is known as Punnainallur Mariamman. Mud replicas of different parts of the human body are placed in the temple as offerings by devotees pleading for cure. It is said that the daughter of Tulaja Raja (1729-35) of Tanjore, who lost her eyesight due to illness, regained it after worshiping at this temple.

Other important temples of Mariamman in Tamil Nadu are in the towns of Anbil, Narthamalai,Thiruverkadu, Salem, Virudhunagar and Sivakasi.

Another famous Mariamman temple is situated in the state of Karnataka, in the town of Kaup, 7 km from the famous temple town of Udipi.

[edit] Vedic Worship

Mariamman is the sister of Lord Vishnu (Sriranganathar) and called Mahamaya.

The Samayapuram Mariamman is also worshipped on the first day of the Tamil month of Vaikasi by the Iyengar/Srivaishna Brahmins of Srirangam. They claim that she is the sister of Lord Renganath (a form of Vishnu) of Srirangam. This is the second temple in Tamil Nadu, following Palani, regarding income.

Another version suggests that she is the mother of Parasurama, Renukadevi who is appeased for rains.

[edit] Outside India

There are many Mariamman Temples in locations outside of India, such as Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Fiji, Vietnam and South Africa, resulting from the Tamil diaspora. Some of the notable temples include the Sri Mariamman temple in Singapore, a Mariamman temple in Pretoria, South Africa, as well as one in Medan, Indonesia.

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Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Maryamma Feast Worli Sea Face 2009

I start a new set on Flickr , as I write this you can see the hot ground burning the bare ass and sole of my feet.I had asked a bystander to shoot this picture along with Laxmans common man a statue on Worli Sea Face.

This was the starting point of the Maryamma feast held by the Tamil Hindus of Madras Wadi of Worli opposite the Atrium Mall.

This is a very exciting and long series , I was given the information to this place by Suresh BMC of Nehru Nagar Juhu.

But luckily though Suresh could not make it , I befriended Shanmugham , who like Davendar Bhima of Nehru Nagar Juhu was calling the shot here at Worli Sea Face and was the main exponent in putting the hooks and the rods on the participants..
Without his help and cooperation I could have not achieved this pictorial quest.

I shot this from 5 pm till 11 pm a 4.90 GB Card on 17 May 2009

My feet were in one bad mess , my clothes were also in a mess as I slept on a bloodied floor to shoot into the sky , guys hung from hooks..

Before the event the Tamils slaughtered a live chicken there were many strewn on the road.

This is one Maryamma Feast I wont forget , while removing the rods at the Madras Wadi Temple a lot of guys bled, a lot of them went into a trance like possession..when the Goddess enters the body..

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Paka Dala


Paka Dala, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

photo le le ke thaka dala
arre dada phir ek bar
tumne paka dala
meri phuti kismet
pe laga diya tala
tumhare gale mein
dher sari mala
hathon mein anghuti
nange pair chalnewala
bhendi bazar ke rehnawale
tum ko kehte hain
camerawale malang bawa

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Caught Between the Camera and Deep Shit !

a grand father
who takes my pictures
whether I crawl , play
stand or sit
marziya shakir
caught between
the camera and deep shit
my future path
with images over lit
genetic gyrations
that mutually co exist
every day the beginning
of a new script
on his flickr photo stream
clearly writ
76,673 photo blogs / 395,898 hits
dance of democracy
they call politics
a gang of fools electing
a foolish gang of dimwits
in a single snake pit
Jai Ho
Bhae Ho
Janta gives us a clean chit

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Allah Be Praised!

Through his bounty
His Omnipresence
His Omniscience
my world is graced
Hussainiyat
my little heart
and soul embraced
Allah be Praised
through the doors
of Hussainiyat
a new dawn surfaced
Truth
Hussain is Humanity
between Ashura and Karbala
our ancestry traced
tears sorrow our blood
equally spaced
1400 years journey
Hussainiyat
we chased
bought through our mothers womb
a pact a pledge delicately placed
shah ast hussain
badshah ast hussain
cut copy and paste
once and for all
on the soul of humanity
evil replaced

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New Facebook Sucks !

developer dehydrated
disillusioned
dispassionate
deep in denial mode
demented ducks
a new facebook
on our face chucks
our bad luck
most of the time
it hardly works
quizzical quirks
all the way to the bank
Whiz Richy Rich smirks
new challenges
profits and perks

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The Hand that Won

insaniyat ka haath
sab dharm ek
na koie jhagda
na jaath path
tum aage aage badho
hum sath sath
allah ho akbar
god is great
jai bhole nath
praja tantra ki jeet
aur bhrastachar aur atyachar
ki math

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Happiness Upclose

daughter of asif
grand daughter of firoze
to place her
between two parallel lines
god chose
gods bounty
marziya
a happiness up close
a glimpse into her world
a child of destiny
into our destiny she grows
pictorial memories
through the lens
into the parched soul
of our consciousness overflows
a little light that into our lives
over glows
the fragrance the innocence
in the journey of a rose

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The Finale Maryamma Feast Nehru Nagar Juhu 2009

As I reached the gates to head home I saw the trolley guys entering the facade of Nehru Nagar Juhu , I took this last shot, jumped into a rickshah .

My session was over..I could have shot more had I hung around till the end, but I was tired, my feet ached , thirst and hunger never bother me as I have complete control, also being a diabetic I did not have any other natural urges , like searching for a public urinal in the melee.

The Tamil community is very hospitable kept asking me to have a cold drink that I completely refused..

I had shot over a 1000 +pictures from 4 Pm till 11 Pm.at Flickr

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Monday, May 18, 2009

Davendar Bhima removing the Rods

Its because of Davendar Bhima the person with the orange scarf and Velu the Maryamma Temple priest not in the picture and Raja that I am informed in advance about this event and they render all help and cooperation, allowing me to shoot all this..

And it is because of Davendar I got to shoot the Mahim Fishermen Colony Maryama feast last year.

This year I befriended Suresh of BMC who stays at Nehru Nagar who invited me to shoot the Maryamma Feast of Madras Wadi near Atrium Mall Worli..

Here I met Shanmugham who will now invite me to other events.. in my kind of photography building inroads into peoples religious hearts is very important I wear saffron clothes I am bare feet and above all I am a Muslim covering the event sincerely with the insight of a Hindu and the viewfinder of photo bloggers camera has no religious bifurcations or discrimination..we are all born equal..yes we are human and I shoot this as the underbelly of Pain.. and a series I cal Hope and Hindutva a message of Peace.

I am respected by this community as I respect them too, their rituals their passion and their divine Faith..I wear my Bandra Samachar Press Card given as a talisman by Clarence Gomes my Christian mentor friend and guide.

The Worli Maryamma Feast 2009 was something I have never shot before and shot so close that will surprise you .I slept on the floor in muck dirt and blood to shoot guys hanging above me on hooks..yes Worli Seaface crowds were in shock and awe..with slaughtered chickens lying on the streets ..

The highlight of this event was Shanmuham and his friends carrying heavy clusters of Tadgola nuts on hooks on their backs for about an hour till the Temple.

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Sunday, May 17, 2009

Singh Is King

Photo Kind Courtesy
www.toonpool.com/user/519/files/dr_manmohan_singh_205155.jpg

They called him a weak man
almost everything
but he surprised the
election pundits
above all things
BJP and its deathly sting
to all the retorts he took a swing
the electorate home again
the hero bring
a David hitting Goliath
with a sling
the strong man
now nursing a broken wing
Jai Ho Jai Ho
Cong I sing
a resurging wave
now the in thing
Verily truly
Singh is King
law order governance
development
on the upswing
politics a murky
unpredictable
wrestling ring
heroes became zeroes
new surprises spring
a mother and her son
the real thing
holding the heart of India
with a silken string
prayers of the public
for the young scion
Prime Ministership
and a Wedding Ring

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Office Slut

Image sourced from net

his hand inside
the craving caverns
of her gathered skirt
her ogling tits
her sexy butt
unsatisfied
with what he gets at home
making it up with the office slut
seminal soliloquy
some spray spurt
what the wife does not know
does not hurt
man was born to f**k and flirt
every failure he hits dirt
lipstick stains on an office shirt
no wonder he works late
enjoying his just dessert
harmless harmony
of a congenital pervert
his libidinous liberties
he loves to assert
a lascivious rod now inert
bumbling boss on the alert
office work a thought to divert

dedicated to a friend

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76000 Photo Blogs in 24 Months

76,000 items / 393,686 views

Today I complete 76000 photo blogs at Flickr in 24 months.

I thank all my friends well wishers for their support and encouragement.

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Saturday, May 16, 2009

Mr Shatrughan Sinha Wins Patna Sahib

This thundering win is a gift of Mrs Punam Sinha Luv Kush and Sonakshi their kids..to a great human being the pride of India , son of the soil of Bihar and fellow citizen of Amchi Mumbai.

A most deserving win..
We wish him success peace and prosperity.

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Om Be


Om Be, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

A few lines I wrote on the Kumbh at Facebook to my friend OM~BE

Kumbh is a state of Mind
with no beginning no end
a Trishul of Peace
that Shiva on Earth
did send
hindus muslims christians are human
provided spirtually
you know how to blend
mutually coexist
its humanity
that you should defend
broken fences
that time will soon mend

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Friday, May 15, 2009

Cross Dressing The Soul of Man

some men to become women
would give everything
if they could
men who are biologically
born men
but as women look very good
now its a pity
these androgynous souls
by somnolent biased society
are always misunderstood
sex change gender change
barring motherhood
hijras are human
weep cry bleed like us
ravages of homophobic hate
withstood
article 377 a criminal law
trampling human rights
no good

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Think Flickr Think

75,452 photo blogs / 391,939 views
as firoze shakir photographerno1
I link
hate comments
racial profiling
shia bashing
from incorrigible
haters of humanity
no happiness bring
broken heart broken soul
almost a broken wing
the curse of the flickr
comment box
ensuing pain and stink
a bloggers life
totally going out of sync
think flickr think
comment moderation
not blocking
the need of the hour
a single note I sing
on the edge of insanity
almost on the brink
my hopes day by day
on my karmic
consciousness shrink
shattered battered
shipwrecked
on a flickr page
I sink

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Overcoming Pain..

They do it for Goddess Maryamma
I do it for Hussain .
overcoming pain
two parallel paths of spirituality
crisscrossing the heart and the brain
linking the flesh with the soul
an immeasurable chain
a stranded moment in unity remain
a spiritual journey beyond
materialistic profit and gain
visiting us our children's children
again and again
human humility without being vane
hussain is humanity
is our refrain

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Thursday, May 14, 2009

Yes I am Human..

I appreciate all your comments on this Maryamma 2009 set at Flickr of over 450 images shot in 2 hours, , and after I have posted all this , I shall lock up the comment box, not because I dont like your comments , I do it simply because I know some people may find this injurious to their sensibilities, to their faith.

I shot this as a pictorial subject and I cannot be prejudgemental to somebody's culture or rituals that are part of their spiritual ancestry..and spiritual heritage.

This is sacrifice but differs from the Muslim Qurbani, this is in answer to a comment earlier..the Muslim Qurbani or sacrifice is performed keeping a tenet called Halal..the animal neck is cut with compassion.. only such meat is edible for Muslims or else it is considered Haram, in local lingo it called Jhatka which is not allowed in Islam.

But as a photographer I shot truthfully, I have a great respect for the Tamil Hindu community, I have made some great friends ,I am in gratitude for the hospitality shown to me, I shoot pain as I see it on the viewfinder of my soul..I love shooting blood and gore, which are part of the earliest rituals, that have tempered down over the ages..
As a Shia Muslim from Mumbai ,just to experience the angst and spirituality of this community I might pierce my cheeks with a 18 feet rod ..I know it will be painful, I might not be able to shoot pictures with the rod in my mouth , but I shall give it a try..dying has never bothered me I have seen Death face to face many times and he just brushed past ..no my turn had not come as yet..when it does I will be thankful that my term on Earth is over..

This is where the photographer and the blogger in me takes a back seat, I will become Human..and seek my personal Nirvana through the cosmic consciousness of my mind..

I shot a young kid at Juhu Beach last evening with a rod between his cheeks , he was watching me shooting his picture , nonchalantly , I searched for myself in his eyes that were like ponds and I saw myself resurfacing as a better man..he in my eyes became the Father of Man and I became a little Child.

He was at home with the integrity of his Faith..he had found Truth without having to struggle hard like me , I who flitted like a butterfly from the Holy Koran, to Bible to the Ramayana and the Mahabharta and finally reached a home truth that took 55 years..what can we be if we cannot be human.

More important than just being a good Hindu or a good Muslim if every community promotes the essence of good humanity without religious bigotry and prejudice that exists in Christians too..this world would be the next alternative to Paradise.

But we have destroyed this planet with our self centered religious idolatry..

I am not an atheist nor can I be an agnostic..but yes I am human..

I trust in God as he placed a trust in me..

I am happy with the message of Shiasm given to me as a pledge in my mothers womb..

Shah ast Hussain, Badshah ast Hussain
Deen ast Hussain, Deen Panah ast Hussain
Sardad na dad dast, dar dast-e-yazeed,
Haqaa key binaey La ila ast Hussain

Loosely translated

Ruler is Hussain, Emperor is Hussain,
Faith is Hussain , guardian of faith is Hussain .
Offered his head and not the hand to Yazid.
Truly, the mirror of faith is Hussain

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