The Curse of the Hijras of Mahim

The Curse of the Hijras of Mahim, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

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I waved out to her ,she waved back, we had once met at Haji Malang, her story is full of sadness , once upon a time she was the most sought out bar dancer till Mr RR Patil had this profession banned according to him at that time bar dancing was synonymous with organized crime, , she is now forced to beg on the streets and they both were still cursing him for their present situation and penury..they told me.
They also told me that their curse is so powerful that even God cannot save you...
and they continued , this beat belongs to them stretching from Mori Road till St Michaels Church..The one in the red saree was the bar dancer naturally and had undergone a serious operation .

Here in Mumbai they dont make money at Badhai as the Delhi hijras doo, for the hijras it is tough life caught between begging and prostitution like the devil and the deep sea.

Nothing has been done to alleviate their problem by the state government here in Maharashtra , the only place in India where they live with dignity and respect is Tamil Nadu..Hijras are human but are made to live inhumanly , people care more for dogs stray cats than they do for Hijras or the transgender..

The Hijra is abused by all forces that work overtime against his existence, and its really sad, for weeks on end I never shot a Hijra and than like the heavy down pour they fell into my cameras lap..

I was restricted in my shots as Marziya my grand daughter was with me.. but Hijras dont intimidate her , inherently she understands they are different , she in a strange way understands their pain...

They both were friendly, the camera did not bother them , but they were not allowing the road side sellers to get away without paying them their hafta.. a kind of protection money to save them from curses..and to bless them with good sales.

This stretch has mostly Muslim women consumers in burkhas buying the stuff on the roads on Wednesday the day of St Michael Novena Mahim.

I met another Hijra too , she was more tougher and more aggresive towards the sellers... she acknowledged my presence and had met me at Ajmer she told me..

And this reminds me that my Peer Saab Fakhru Miya from Hujra No 6 Ajmer is in Mumbai for spiritual guidance .. for a few days ..

Peersaab too has a lot of Hijra followers who seek his blessings and his antidote against demonic possession..Peersaab performs exorcism to get rid of the evil within man woman hijra or a child.