The Bawas of Mumbai

The Bawas of Mumbai, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Okay let me make this simple for you all those dressed like him and me are known as Bawas .. mendicants souls you will find at Dargahs ..or behind the Dargahs at the Dhuni the Holy Fire .. smoking away .I dont smoke or drink.. its totally photography which can be injurious to your wife's health.. photo blogging the next stage is coming closer to the Family Court at Bandra East for the final papers ..Luckily I have been saved the ignominy of the Family Court ..

December will see the season of Urus starting with the Mother of all in Mumbai - The Maqdoom Shah Babas Urus at Mahim.. a great place for pictures even if you stand on the streets and shoot the sandals on the main day.

.I am a well known face barefeet so you will find me sitting with the Bawas, but than I give all the offerings that is given to me to the head guy.. most of the older women touch my feet pay me alms and seek my blessings this is India the land of Love in spite of political disillusionment..

I have received invitations from Senior Inspector Liaqat Shaikh of the Urus committee. I shot the sandal of the Mahim police last year , where the head honchos place flowers on the tomb of the Holy Saint..

Only after the cops have made the offerings others can proceed..

Urus time for me is bonding with the Bawas , most of the ones I knew have passed away but the legendary ones are Hassan Ganda, Farukh, Shahenshah Baba..and I have not taken Marziya here ..

As it is wife was complaining just te other day , every time Marziya sees an elephant on the streets she starts shouting Ganpati , Marziya has seen more Ganesha pandals than elephants , Marziya has not yet seen the Mumbai zoo..luckily she has not missed much..the animals outside the cages are the wort specimens..

I digress Urus is the time at Mahim of celebrations, and Sakibs sandal where Firoze Rafaee does crazy feats I always shoot..than if you get out of the main dargah and go towards the Mahim beach you will find the Holy Shrine of Baba Khizar.. the salt water had turned sweet here ..you will find crazy malangs too .. dont miss it..

The security at the Dargah has been revamped and most people hate cameras and photographers beats me..

After the Urus of Makhdoom Shah Baba gets over begins the other famous one of Fakhruddin Shah Baba a three day affair ..there is a Dhuni here too..

And there are other Urus too but the most sensational is the one up the Malangad mountain the Haji Malang Urus..I have no words for this one just see my pictures at Flickr..