108,222 items / 704,888 views
Apni Taqdeer Jagate hain Tere Matam se
Khoon ki Rah Bichate hain Tere Matam se
Apne Izhare Aqidat ka Salika yeh hai
Hum Naya Sal Manate hain Tere Matam se
This was sent as a SMS message to me by Munna Kama of Kaisar Bagh..
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Hum Naya Sal Manate Hain Tere Matam Se
Phir Saal bhar ke baad Gam-e- Shah Ayega, Zinda jo Rahega wohi ye Gam Manayega
Phir Saal bhar ke baad Gam-e- Shah Ayega, Zinda jo Rahega wohi ye Gam Manayega, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
"Rahe to Agle Baras Hum hai aur ye gam Phir Hai,
Jo Chal base to ye Apna Salaame Akhir Hai."
Phir Saal bhar ke baad Gam-e- Shah Ayega,
Zinda jo Rahega wohi ye Gam Manayega
Peeto Saro ko saiyade wala chale gaye
Hum bekaso ke gham ka sahara chale gaye
Veeran har makaa huwa maula Chale Gaye.
Alvida Ya Hussain Aye Hussain Alvida
Saal bhar Apni Aakeh bhigoege hum
Dekh kar Behte Pani ko Roege hum
Aye Garibul Watan Aye Hussain Alvida
*Karbobal ke Payase Mehmaan Khuda Hafiz*
*Aye Jaane Nabi Dee ke Sultan Khuda Hafiz*
**
*Ainda Saal phir hum zinda agar Rahege*
* Mazlumiyat pe Hoge Kurbaan Khuda Hafiz*
**
*Har bhool har Khata ko maula Moaaf Karna*
* Mushkil humari karna Asaan Khuda Hafiz*
**
*Jee bhar ke rona paye hum hai Shahe Dee Par*
* Pura huwa na dilka armaan Khuda Hafiz*
**
*Veeran ho rahe hai ab hai Azaa Khane*
* Jaate hai karabala ke mehmaan khuda Hafiz*
**
*Yeh Majlise ye Maatam Aeyge yaad jab bhi*
* Dil me Uthega Ghamka tufan Khuda Hafiz*
courtesy nasir jahan..
Ghame Hussain Se Badkar Koie Gham Nahi
108,179 items / 704,503 views
naye saal main ap
khushiya manate hain
khuda ap ko salamat rakhe
ham naye sal main
apne imam ko apne
ghar ke imambade main
bulate hain ansu bahate hain
ghame hussain se badkar
koie ghama nahi
hum apne ghame ko
yunhi bhool jate hain
apne khoon ko seench kar
hum apna gham bahate hain
The Sleepers
108,092 items / 704,317 views
These are young men , kids that lie on the path of the Alam , and the Alambardar or the carrier of the Alam will gently pass over them , this is a unique emotion , and signifies that the person lying on the floor will be under the protection of Hazrat Abbas ..
I shot more of this within the Bargah..
Hamara Gham Tum Kya Janoge
hamare ansoo
onse tum hame
pahchanoge
hamara gham
ghame hussain
tum kya janoge
The Shia Kids of Hyderabad
bold brave
iron clad
every child
every lad
the shia kids
of hyderabad
bought into
the arena
of pain
by his dad
the razor blade
his launch pad
a poetic pause
reverberating
ya hussain
on my keypad
Allah Humma Lanat Qatalatal Husain
107,959 items / 703,339 views
inshallah
our curses on the killers
of imam hussain
will never end
everytime
we drink water
curses to yazid
we send
hussain
is humanity
a thought
we befriend
we neither bow
we dont bend
we bleed
the skies
with the chant of
Allah Humma
Lanat
Qatalatal Husain
we rend
Hussainyat
with the last drop
of our blood
we defend
to the lovers
of imam hussain
our hand of friendship
we extend
The Rose Water Sprinkler Guy
He is a brave kid moving into the area of the matamdars who cut themselves with a frenzy, he sprinkles the rose water the only cooling remedy..no ointments no anti tetanus shots ..the daggers are merely washed in water and everyone uses it, I too used the same dagger after a person had cut himself..
Shooting the Bargah is an experience of a life time, in the back ground the nohas of Anjumane Parwane Shabbir continue.. and in reply the chest beatings with the blades begin..women sit at two ends of the Bargah and on the hot terrace roof top.. a lady looked like a foreigner head covered silently shot the rituals below..
The covered Alam of Hazrat Abbas has taken the shape of a human body..you can check the pictures I shot..they say the elephant that carries the Bibika Alam cries too, I shot a lot of pictures to captures a tear..yes photography is capturing pain suspended in a drop as it rolls down the cheek...
Yes laughter clubs tout laughter as a good tonic , I found crying more powerful and holistically healing the wounds within...our faith has a drop of tear as a bedrock of our struggle against Yazidiyat..
Yazidaiyat is like a sequel of a horror movie it continues to live and bomb mourners in Ashura processions , using coward as suicide bombers , face covered like a woman in a hijab..if Islam is threatened - it is the Rogue Mullah to blame ..he instigates the crazy minded kids brain washes them for his own vested interests..he hardly cares for the Holy Koran kept in Shia mosques , he cares for nothing only the virgins in the designer mind of his heaven..this is the flip side of Misplaced Martyrdom..
And eunuch silence in the community prevails as it was when he gave his head ..and his familys lives to the wanton lust of Yazid..even his head cut refused to bow before the Son of Satan.. Lanatullah Yazid..
Shah Ast Hussain, Badshah Ast Hussain ,
Deen Ast Hussain, Deen Panah Ast Hussain ,
Sar Dad, Na Dad Dast, Dar Dast-E-Yazeed ,
Haqaa Key Binaey La Ila Ast Hussain
Blade
107,944 items / 703,305 views
cutting open
their chests
with a blade
hyderabadi
matamdars
in puddles of blood
as they wade
ya maulah
unafraid
choreography
of pain
flesh flayed
time ages
but ghame hussain
will never jade
from the tears
of princess fatima
the shias were made
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
The Grief of a Grand Father
I liked him the moment I saw him, I tried to reach out to him , as he stood in a corner softly beating his chest to our lingering lyrical loss of our beloved Imam.
As a photographer through his picture I bought out the noble ancestry of pain , a pain the Shias call Ghame Hussain..
As a grand father I saw him vividly and than while I am writing text I am hit hard in the guts, feeling the pain of another grand father in Mumbai who took his two grand children , girls aged 7 years and the other one and a half year at a Goregaon Mall ..he was using the escalator and his feet slipped thereby the little one falling to her death at the feet of the elevator..this is also human pain,and I can understand his shattering grief and the family's irreparable loss ..
Yes being a grand father is a tough one ..as a Shia need I say more..
Imam Hussain was no ordinary grand son either.,..
The Hyderabadi Blade Matam
107,930 items / 703,248 views
The largest consumption of razor blades in a single day that could be a Guinness World record is perhaps Ashura day in Hyderabad , at the Bargah and on the streets by mourners following the Bibi Ka Alam.,.the streets are littered with them, and as they go on losing the sharp edge , more blades are given to the mourners by the Anjumans and private donors..
Normally the blade is broken in half and slipped between the two fingers beating the chest..to the chant of Ya Hussain Katle Shor..or Ya Sakina Ya Abbas ..
Others tie the blades on short wires and their effectiveness on human flesh is as damaging as the more expensive flagellating blades.
After this gets over at the Bargah the kama matam or cutting of the heads start..shooting all this getting a right place I kept moving into puddles of blood..I am barefeet like the rest of them..
I shot this event in Ashura 2003 but not for so long, Hyderabad has a strong hold on me , and I cant explain this in simple English..
I was here from 8 am till 3 pm..shooting non stop..
The Hyderabadi Shias Are A Unique Race
The Hyderabadi Shias
are a unique race
doing the blade matam
with souls ablaze
men children in unison
a heritage of their birthplace
every stroke hands apace
every heart is ashura
every soul is karbala
the essence of reality
to showcase
ghame hussain
a 1400 pain
that no yazid
could replace
moharam like this
never happens
in any other place
hyderabad
the city of peace
the city of hope
footsteps trace
Hussein as humanity
they embrace
Allah Ho Akbar
Allah Be Praised
یاحسین یاحسین یاحسین یاحسین
کـل یـــــوم عــــاشـوراء کـل ارض کـــربـــلاء
يــــــا أبــــــــو الأحــــــــرار یــــــاحـــــســیـ
The Shias of Hyderabad
107,900 items / 703,013 views
From 8 Moharam till Ashura - the Shias of Hyderabad dont sleep as some thing or the other is always happening , some majlis , some ritual , and these carry on back to back.
The night before Ashura there was a procession at the Shia cemetery Mir Mousavi which got over pretty late , and early morning the following day people were either going to the Bibi Ka Alawa or coming to the Bargah for Ashura 2009.
The Hyderabadi Shia is a rare breed for him Ghame Hussain is the ultimate , his life his familys life revolves around this which collectively is known as Azadri e Hussain.
The Hyderabadi Shia is a peace loving , law abiding and stays on his side of the fence.
His black clothes are his brandy equity..his curfew pass so to speak, he is never hassled by the cops at all.
They know his motive his life's goal is Moharam and Azadari..the month of sublime pain for the Shias all over the world.
His cry of pain Ya Hussain Katle Shor
Bastard Dont Shoot My Picture
He is an Anglo Indian man , a street dweller , he lives off the streets, penury poverty reduces man to a speck on the pavement , everybody sees him , but it is Xmas time no one has time for him , or his lack luster existence , I shot this before wishing him Merry Xmas and he hit back with filth and foul words, not that it bothers me , but its a sad state I owe my upbringing to my life spent with Anglos..most important was the Rhubottom family..a very cultured family that lives at Strand Cinema with their members in UK America and Canada..
I knew Allan Gill a great friend and dress designer , he touched us all but than was in a big rush to get back home on the other side of no man land..he died in misery too and it was my other nice friend Bipin Tanna who took care of him till he breathed his last.
Ashura at Bargah Hazrat Abbas Diwan Deodi 2009
Ashura at Bargah Hazrat Abbas Diwan Deodi 2009, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
I am posting the Ashura in Hyderabad 2009 pictures first , this was shot at Bargah and here the events start unfolding from 8 am , first the nohakars recite the nohas than begins the blade matam, zanjir and kama matam..
To shoot this in entirety I missed the Bibi Ka Alams departure from the Allawa to the various streets of Hyderabad, I caught up with it about 5 pm..However I had shot this in 2003 when I came here both for Ashura and Chehlum.
The Bargah is a very famous Shia citadel of Hyderabad, and Mr Baqar Saab and his family Hyder Raza and Imran had invited me here in sheer humility and love of Imam Hussain.
Al the events re elaborate , of heritage and ancestry of a unique culture not fund anywhere in India , though it is reminiscent of the traditions of Deccani charm and culture pertaining to Shiasm as practiced here.
After this I will post the Bibi ka Alam procession and take you back till the events of 8 Moharam that I shot in my three day stay..
Message of Imam Hussain is a message of humanity and a message of Peace..
Moharam a 1400 year old pain is nothing but a warning against Terrorism, a terrorism created by the progeny of Yazid in modern times that loves targeting Shia Ashura procession as in Karachi Pakistan..this is the vilest act , and totally unpardonable as a coward law and machinery watches from a safe distance ..as I am apolitical as regards to all this I share the grief of those who lost their lives and I have just these few words to say...
ALLAH HUMMA LA'AN QATLATA HUSAIN (AS) WA AWLADIL HUSAIN (AS) WA AS-HABIL HUSAIN (AS).
Shah Ast Hussain..Moharam in Hyderabad 2009 Ashura
Shah Ast Hussain..Moharam in Hyderabad 2009 Ashura, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
107,875 items / 702,792 views
I start a new intense series at Flickr , Moharam in Hyderabad 2009.
I have cut my head in most of the cities of India , but Hyderabad is a city I will never forget , as a Shia and as a photographer blogging pain.
I arrived barefeet in Hyderabad on 8 Moharam .. I stayed for a single day at Hotel Charminar , at Dewan Deodhi close to the Bargah of Hazrat Abbas.
I left the hotel the same day a friend Naqi bhai put me up in his house as it is close to the other Dargah of Hazrat Abbas called Choti Bargah..where I have a lot of dear friends well wishers , specially the kids who were there taking care of my simple needs tea and water..
I must mention no cooking takes place in a Shia Darga or at a persons house for 10 days food comes as Niyaz and there is far too much of it it is spread around.
I met my dear patron Nawab Shariyar Saab and his family at Shariyar Palace and tasted the Hazri here ..this on 8 Moharam morning too..
I shot 8 Moharam at Hussaini Kothi in memory of the soul of dear departed Nawab Rashid Ali Khan Saab the patriarch who passed away.
Hussaini Kothi is another memorable experience of old time Shia Nawabi charm Adab and Tehzeeb..and these are all blue blooded Nawabs, but they bend and salute each person that comes to their majlis ..I shot their kids ding this Adab a part of their Nawabi Tehzeeb and salutation..found also among the Nawabs of Lucknow and Mehmoodabad
I had to abort the Hussaini Kothi shoot my battery and charger failed ..I had to go buy a new battery at the Kothi market the same day.. but I had shot quite a bit of footage.
I had also carried my film camera F100 just in case..
On 8 Moharam night I shot both the Dargahs when the Alams are taken into the crowd and put to rest.
On 9 Moharam I shot a majlis of Iqbal bhai a unique house majlis capture..
On 9 Moharam late night I shot the procession at the Shia cemetery called Mir Mousavi Deira ..I had never shot this before ..when I had shot Moharam in Hyderabad 2003 both Ashura and Chelum.. I was back here after six years.
On Ashura I shot the entire proceedings from Baragh.. I cut my head but the blade was not effective..
I went to shoot the Bibi ka Alam when it had passed Charminar, this is the greatest moment of Shia pain, in every area the Alam arrives on elephant , the residents cut their heads like raw onions, scourge their backs and the quintessential Hyderabadi blade matam.
I took a dagger during this procession with my Nikon dangling round my neck leapt into the air and with several blows had cut my head , the picture I asked a bystander to shoot after my kama matam.
A little ahead I hit my head again with my hands to start the bleeding allover and did the Tandav on the Soul of Shimr on the streets of Hyderabad.
I aborted this procession , I had lost lot of blood could barely walk back to the Choti Bargah and at 8.30 pm again walked in the same condition to a Shia enclave for Shamey Ghariba ..this was in total darkness and flash was not allowed..
The tabaruk was the best here rice and curry and puddi.. made of dahi and chillies.
this trip I did not shoot the Imam Bargahs but connected with Sadik Bhai the Irani group head who with other Iranis feeds the poor and the devotees at Hussain Tekri Jaorah..this was at Darbare Hussain the Irani Shia strong hold in Hyderabad old city.
The only crazy incident that happened here was at the Choti Bargah, I was shooting some street urchins when a man out of the blues pulled my camera luckily it was around my neck before I could respond he had my neck in a vicious grip and continued strangling me , my other hand being useless and I was carrying a satchel that had the Nikon 80- 200 lens and my F 100 - I tried to bear it out rather than resist and damage my cameras ..he was biting my hand too, luckily my host and other Shia youth came to my help.. it turned out he was a mad man under drugs..the cops as usual arrived late and I refused to press charges..
This is the flip side of street photography and it can happen to the most street savvy person..
This is a set of 3500 pictures or more, the blood had seeped into my camera lens so see it as is where is ..
And God willingly I will shoot the Hyderabad Chehlum, with my American friend Dr Glenn Losack MD from New York Manhattan.
I have shot a family of tribal thieves, sorcerers Hindus who have converted with their entire community to Shiasm..
I shot a guy Rajesh from Latur a devout Hindu who comes to serve at the Choti Bargah ..he is a cobbler by profession , and takes care of the devotees shes and slippers , now hear this whatever he earns he buys food to the poor , and I am crying as I dont think anyone could be more poorer than him , yes this is Maharashtrian humility making me proud of my roots as a Mumbaikar in Hyderabad.
On Ashura he had cut his head too he wears only black clothes does matam on the streets at Civil Court , Chatta Bazar where the dargah is situated
I do not wish to bore you with text.. and I will avoid it ..only where it is necessary..
Read this as an Introduction to my set Moharam in Hyderabad 2009
Merry Xmas Dr Glenn Losack MD..From Bandra Hil Road
Merry Xmas Dr Glenn Losack MD..From Bandra Hil Road, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
These are pictures I shot before I left for Hyderabad to shoot Ashura - Moharam .
I had last shot Hyderabad Moharam Ashura and Chehlum in 2003..
Shooting Moharam in Hyderabad is shooting the pain of the Shias of Hydserabad and how it affects the surroundings too..
I dedicate the Mohram series my next lot to Dr Glenn Losack MD from Manhattan New York, as he was far too keen to come and shoot Moharam in Mumbai or any city of my choice, but he was held back due to unavoidable reasons..
Perhaps we will shoot Chehlum together in Hyderabad God willingly..I missed Glenn as I cut my head twice on Ashura day once at the Bargah of Hazrat Abbas and the other more lethal one behind the Bibi Ka Alam,,there was no one to shoot me when I did Tandav on the soul of Shimr on the Streets of Hyderabad..
I have shot over 3500 pictures in three days from 8 Moharam to Ashura, I arrived from Hyderabad this morning at 5 am.
The Moharam in Hyderabad it is unique memorable mind blowing and happens nowhere else with this raw and wild intensity of a passion of pain called Ghame Hussain.
Besides street photography my chosen genre I shoot blood grime and gore embedded in the soul of Man..
I arrived in Hyderabad barefeet with merely the humility of my camera lens to capture a canvas of Shia pain..
Katle Hussain asal mein marge Yazeed hai
Islam zinda hota hai har karbala ke baad
Politics and Jesus Christ at Mahim
107,856 items / 699,096 views
they plead to
the new born
when they
lose steam
selling people
paper thin dreams
politics and Jesus Christ
on Xmas eve at Mahim
nothing has changed
so it seems
every new term
of ministerji
another new
scheme
for the builders
new pipe dream
bandra worli sea link
death down stream
system sucks
no esteem
eunuch silence
empty
voiceless
throatless
screams
a bounced
cheque of hope
time wont redeem
Merry Xmas Janta
another new theme
Sunday, December 27, 2009
8th Moharam Nawab Kothi Juloos
Hussaini Kothi is an abode of the scions of the erstwhile Nawabs of Hyderabad.Here the Alam of Hazrat Abbas carried by the youngest Nawab on horseback moves around the grounds, after a majlis, than some scourging , this is an awesome Shia event n Hyderabad city.. speaking of old time Hyderabadi Tehzeeb Adab, and Azadari e Hussain.
Moharam in Hyderabad - Hussain Kothi 2004
These are pictures shot in 2004..I had gone to celebrate Moharam in Hyderabad.
On 8 Moharam, there is a huge procession at Hussain Kothi ancestral seat of the Nawabs .
One of the scions of the Nawab carries the Alam Abbas on a horse.
Than chants of Ya Sakina Ya Abbas..
This is an unforgettable event in the Azadari of Imam Hussain.
I had accidentally called this place Nawab Kothi - this is actually Hussain Kothi and these are blue blooded nawabs and the young kids carry the heritage of their ancestry..
I am back here and shot this segment Moharam in Hyderabad 2009
I shall post the pictures once I reach Mumbai after Ashura.
The hospitality shown to me by Ghazanfer son of late Nawab Rashid Ali Khan, and his uncles cousins , relatives has really touched me deeply..
"Islam Zinda Hota Hai Har Karbala Ke Bad..."
Azadari e Hussain .
The hosting of majlis matam juloos or processions is the basic ingredient of Shiasm.
This is what separates us from the rest of our Muslim brethren, though we believe in Allah Hi Holy Prophet , His Holy Book.
We also pay tribute to the Ahle Bayt..and Ale Mohomed , the heritage of the Holy Messenger of Islam.
For two mont eight days the Shias mourn for Imam HUssain his progeny, the carnage at Karbala this mourning binds us all, globally, we maybe part of a nation but we are part of a spiritual nation without borders called Hussainiyat.
On Ashur 10 day of Imam Hussains Martyrdom the Shias carry Tazias to the cemeteries, bleed , and remember the sacrifice of Imam Hussain..the Saviour of Islam..
In the words of Mohammad Ali Jauhar,
Qatal Hussain asal main marg Yazid hai
Islam Zinda hota hai har Karbala kay bad.
Khawaja Moinuddin Chisty’s powerful verses epitomise the reverence and devotion of Muslims towards Imam Hussain:
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
Razar Rumi has given a beautiful definition in his blog post, that I quote several times , so awe struck I am..of Shah Ast Hussain
Motherhood The Source Of Our Shia Ancestry
ankhen bandh
mohabat e hussain
dil main samaya aya
hussainiyat
jo meri maan ne
ansoo on se sajaya hai
meri virasat
ghame hussain
mai basaya hai
Friday, December 25, 2009
Santa Claus Comes To Bless a Shia Blogger
This is my dearest friend Darryl Loyola multi faceted personality , he came to my shop to bless me , and hope that my new year starts with a bang.. though he gave me a wink, and said that I should make sure I dont bang the wrong one ..
Darryl and I go a long way back, he is outstanding, a very human loving two legged creature and Marziya would have freaked seeing him like this..
I have to catch a train this is my last written blog..
My Moharam uploads will continue I have instructed Assad..
Cradle of Ali Asghar at Dongri
107,453 items / 695,545 views
The New born child is placed in a replica of Ali Asghars cradle for good luck and as divine blessing..
Moharam in Mumbai 2009 Kaisar Bagh
This is perhaps my first and last segment of Moharam in Mumbai shot on the eve of 7 Moharam..I leave tomorrow morning to shoot Ashura in another city..
This evening I shot some scenes of the euphoria of Moharam at Bhendi Bazar, some pictures of Maulana Athar Saab Mirzas majlis at Moghul Masjid and finally the procession kama and zanjir matam at Kaisar Bagh..I will post the Kaisar Bagh sequence first and later on my return after Ashura I shall post the rest..I was barefeet , and shot from within ground level of Kaisar Bagh, I dont shoot from the dais anymore.
Habib Nassar was at Kaisar Bagh shooting the blood and gore like me I was tired and totally drenched but it is not that tough anymore Munna Kama and his volunteers are very supportive of my picture taking...
I shot the Dargah Hazrat Abbas at Dongri .
Dongri and Moghul Masjid area are two places you feel the intensity of Moharam..
I also met the new trustee of Moghul Masjid Mr Jalili he had some important guests including the Consul General of Iran..
Thursday, December 24, 2009
The Shia Barefeet Blogger of Mumbai
This is my right hand that I accidentally cut with a sword during Chehlum in Delhi , it is permanently out of order ,I cannot bend it and looks more like the hood of a Cobra snake..
picture was shot by my dear friend Subash Solanki of Subash Electronics..
I type with a single finger of this injured hand and I shall use the sword to my head this Ashura again but not in Mumbai.
Fuck Shoes
The Bandra Cobbler gives my patent leather feet a shoe like shine for Rs 5..with polish Rs 7.. now go eat your heart out...
feet porn
to amuse
my feet
I abuse
walking barefeet
a path I choose
Merry Xmas
Fuck Shoes
Moody Blues
Peace Hope
Harmony
to infuse
a blog
adding
cultural news
mutual coexistence
no hate to spew
A Shia Pandit
An American Jew
both Indian
at heart
its totally true
at Flickr
in full view
Yeh Hai Hijda Huzoor
apni phooti
kismet se
koson door
halat se
majboor
sadgi bina
ghuroor
adhura admi
khab uske
chakna choor
hai bakhtoor
hai bakhtoor
Marziya's Play School Xmas Party
107,230 items / 694,076 views
Marziya is the youngest kid in her playschool, the other one is her childhood friend Mehrin Mukadam, Mehrin is a few months older than Marziya and have grown in the same surroundings..Mehrins father Tehsin and Marziyas father Asif are also very old friends going back to school and college times.
The Xmas Party was held before Marziya left for Lucknow before the Xmas holidays and as the lady who runs it is a Shia the party had to be done before Moharam.
She had asked me to shoot a few pictures , but when I dropped Marziya at the party took a few pictures , she informed me Santa Claus was coming between 12 and 1 pm I could not wait that long I had a meeting at Lokhandwala and so I rushed towards my workspace.
I returned from Lokhandwala pretty late and these pictures I am posting today at Flickr.. watching Marziya only on a computer screen hits me real hard..but as they say absence makes the heart grow fonder..
I am also wondering that her father in Karbala for Ashura must be missing Marziya more than me as Marziya woke up at Namaz time along with her dad and it would be several hours before she went back to sleep..she would wake us all up in the bargain too..
Marziya does not mix with the other kids , she is friendly with them but her world is different from theirs , her world is the beggars on the streets , the friendly cops at the Bandra Police Station the Umbrella lady of Bandra Reclamation , the Leper lady of Boran Road , Lucky the Labrador..the goats of Bazar Rad .Appu the limbless at Mahim Church..Hafiza Bi and blind Ismail Chacha and last but not the least the Bandra Bazar Fish Market and Mangla the Koli woman..
Nikon D 80 and Me..well she is embedded in both our souls too via Facebook Flickr and Twitter and her own website on Word Press.
I almost forgot she is a two year old cyber child , you have watched her grow and she is also a part of you as she is ours..yes you are family too..and I am crying all alone in the silence of my house..
Ek Pyas Aisi
107,168 items / 693,997 views
ek pyas aisi
jo kuch
kehti nahi
sukha gala
chup
rehti rahi
ma ek yad aisi
tute
ghade
se behti gayi
kya kya sitam
sehti gayi
do lafz
pyar
ke kehti gayi
unki batey
dil o dimag
mein rehti rahin
woh hain wahan
aur hum
hain yahin
dedicated to a son yasoob abbas
I wrote this as father and shot this as a poet
The Shia Barefeet Blogger at Moghul Masjid
107,168 items / 693,997 views
The aura , the spiritual ambiance of Moghul Masjisd mesmerizes and catapults the human soul.. towards God, and God lives at Moghul Masjid and you need eyes of poet to see him too ..his beauty reflected in the fountain among the fishes living in peaceful coexistence..
I have been enamored by Moghul Masjid it draws me in , it brings out the photographer in me.. and when I poetize it, it transforms and metamorphoses me as the Shia barefeet blogger of Mumbai..
You have to see Moghul Masjid beyond its architectural beauty and grace , move through the winding corridors of you mind till you find God deep in the caverns of your heart.
Maulana Athar Saab Mirza and Maulana Yasoob Abbas
Maulana Athar Saab Mirza and Maulana Yasoob Abbas, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
Father and son grieving for the loss of the most important pillar of their life - Maulana Athar Saab Mirza's wife passed away last month..mother of Maulana Yasoob Abbas ..I shot this in low light to show you the emotional gloom in their life..but than as Shia no pain is greater than Ghame Hussain..
Moghul Masjid - God Lives Here
107,121 items / 693,837 views
when you are down
depressed sad and morose
filled with uncertainty and fear
come to moghul masjid
god lives here
within the sounds
of your heartbeat
as hope
he will appear
your pain
your sadness
inshallah
will soon disappear
like the fishes
in the fountain
go about life
with cheer
reflecting
ghame hussain
god embedded
in a tear
a mother who lost
everything
that she held dear
tilawate koran
truth reciting
prayers
on a spear
moharam
a pledge
ya hussain
a tryst
with humanity
a thought sincere
moghul masjid is under a new trusteeship.. a new hope for a heritage mosque a pride of our shia ancestry..
Bandra The Garbage Queen of Mumbai
107,114 items / 693,703 views
Sorry if my title hurts you, it is intended to hurt and hurt hard..but this is the truth , and this is on a road that connects you to Bandra Hill Road and Bandra Waterfield road, some top cops live here , this is an area that borders a police residence too and you see this day in and day in full public view ,, and this poetically inspired me to shoot more garbage sites..till the comatose conscience of the newly elected leaders of our political system wakes up, mind you where the minister stays you will never find such over dramatic scenes , the only place where this is an exception is where the corporator of Bandra Bazar Road Mr Rahebar Khan lives..it is the worst the stink the filth and the fulsome air of death.. dead fish , dead meat and dead conscience of the locals who tolerate at all this..
Welcome to Bandra -The Garbage Queen of Mumbai..
Marziya Shakir and the Bandra Police
107,109 items / 693,618 views
These are pictures shot before Marziya left for Lucknow, Marziya does not get scared of cops , and she has a special regard for the Bandra police , her favorite is Uncle Prakash George Senior Inspector and Constable Ganpat , whom she has met at all the political rallies I shot as a blogger .
Marziya is a favorite of the cops too at the Bandra Police Station , they all know this kid and her crazy grandfather who walks barefeet most of the times..
When ever a police van passes our area it stops to wave out at Marziya who waves back at them..she calls them Police Uncle..
I dont know if she knows what the police are all about, and I am sure the police personnel too have daughters or grand daughters like Marziya , and I am sure beneath the khaki wardi and the stress policemen are human too, human faults and frailty are part of our existence..
Than for a moment I think of a 14 year old girl allegedly molested by a Senior Police person , intimidated as the newspapers report, her family goes through hell , and finally she commits suicide..and the political system its patronage allows the cop to rise and rise and rise..After 19 years he is imprisoned for 7 months I am not finding fault with the verdict I am finding fault with the system that destroys everything that Justice stands for.. and the person even after this is defiant enough to say he will go for appeal.. and a friend in Australia fighting to keep the soul of her dead friend alive,,
So maybe we should not paint all the cops with the same brush..I am stunned by my own silence and Marziyas reverence for the Bandra cops..
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Shah-e-Mardan Sher-e-Yazdan Quwat-e-Parwardigar Lafata Ila Ali La Saif Ila Zulfiqar , originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1 ....
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Dargah of Hazrat Syed Ali Mira Datar Unava Gujrat , a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr. HAZRAT SYED ALI MIRA DATAR'S G...
