Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Rebuilding Behrampada

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Photo Blogging The Soul of a Disaster

This is the new home , and such cluster of homes are coming up to house the homeless of Behrammpada who lost everything in the recent fire , after the fire came the onslaught of rains and as soon as the rains subsided came the dreaded swine flu, many families I met had one or two members at Bhabha Hospital and were in tears when they talked to me of their trials and tribulations, I shoot pain as I see it on the viewfinder of my soul.. and this pain hits hard like a bludgeon.


The kids had already stopped going to school , most of the people had small scale factory units at home, embroidery workshops , tailoring and garment factories all wiped out..

Now their bread winners do menial jobs and with the recession life is all the more tough.

But what keeps them happy is that Allah provides , he is answerable to their prayers , they seek his Intervention and Mercy.

They were also excited though living on the streets Holy Ramzan was round the corner and much charity would come from the Muslim aid agencies.

I dont have a reporters bent of mind , I shot pictures and listened to them with the inner depths of a pedestrian poet..

I did not come here barefeet , as I was worried about my feet one rusty nail prick and me and my diabetes would be over forever.

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Rebuilding of Behrampada

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Memories of the fire still prevail , some of the houses that came under of the fury of the disastrous fire are still there reminding man of his mortality , the children run about on the heaps of mound playing blissfully , it is their mothers that pierece your soul with haunting accusing eyes.

A woman screamed out at me to come and shoot her house , her plight , they thought I was a foreigner , and would help them too..

I was shooting this with an escort given to me by Ilyas Bhai , otherwise people get aggravated seeing you shooting their loss and misery , rightfully so.

I know everybody is trying to do something to alleviate the plight of these homeless people, I spoke to Shabbir Shaikh Saab the Municipal Corporator of Behrampada , representing the Samajwadi Party, he is hopeful that most of the homeless will have new quarters latest by this Idd.

People who live now on footpaths , at the mercy of the rains , swine flu , see a a glimmer of hope and I spoke to a few of the houseless , they were all praise for the aid agencies and above all they trust Shabbir Shaikh Saab their young dynamic leader for all he has done for them...

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Rebuilding a Dream - Rebuilding Behrampada

I start a new series at Flickr I had shot these pictures about a week back but was unable to post them .

My good friend Ilyas Bhai along with the Behrampada rebuilding committee and MAHADA are reconstructing and rebuilding the homes that were destroyed in the recent fire..

People have faced the fury of the fire the ferocious rains , they live on the street under the skywalk bridge and in makeshift shelters .

Thie task of rebuilding is on a war footing as the Holy month of Ramzan begins in a few days , some will be given keys to their new homes some will have to wait , pictures I shot are of Makrani Gully the worst hit by the fire..

I would have worked on these pictures in B/W but I have no time and things are not OK my end.


The Muslims are a defiant resilient race , by defiant I mean in terms of calamities that strike them , they take it in their stride , and pray to Allah , he is the Provider and they completely depend on him, he opens the doors and Help comes in form of government and individual aid.

It was sad shooting these pictures again , people still sitting on mounds of the cemetery that their houses have become.


Being Muslims is one aspect these are law abiding nation loving Indian citizens ..
They are the same people who removed dead and injured bodies during the Train Serial Bomb Blast at Bandra Station , the Behrampada and the Navpada Muslims.

I hope like all of you that they begin resurrecting their lost hopes and lost dreams.



And I am in tears as I write this as prose that reads on my soul as sad poem of fate and its ugly turn of events in a single night , everything went up in flames.

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The Gay Parade on Hold

I have perhaps another 700 pictures of the Gay Parade Mumbai 2009 to upload and post at Flickr and than cross blog most of it to my hijdaeunuchblogs.

Its a tiring enterprise so I am taking a break, also I am warned not to post links to Facebook so you will have to check it out at both these places Flickr and Wordpress.

In the mean time I start a new series rebuilding of Behrampada , the work is being handled by the locals of the area with the help of MHADA and my good friend Ilyas Bhai is in charge of the project.

Ramzan starts in a few days and the people are still homeless living under the bridge and under a canopy of makeshift shelter till they get back their lives and homes together.

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I SHOOT LAXMI BETTER THAN OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS MY ONLY MOMENT OF CONCEIT

88,224 items / 534,810 views

even a stray dog
comes on heat
i am only a fucked
pedestrian poet
a blogger of mumbai
barefeet
my karma as a lover
of beauty
i could never cheat
born from the womb of defeat
memories of failed opportunities
bitter and sweet
I SHOOT LAXMI BETTER
THAN OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS
MY ONLY MOMENT OF CONCEIT
in all humility
of my tumescent heart beat
my hijra guru
androgynous goddess
complete
from flickr
to facebook
on the wings of a tweet
a positive spam poet
links links links links
buried my ass in concrete
their anger
neurotically
robotically
symbolically
on my soul excrete
two straight lines where
a crooked line meets
disabled delusions
of dementia
drumbeat
facebook
swine flu
ill treated
without receipt.
control alt delete

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Furious Physician We Cant Ignore

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we are caught up
on different shores
where mankind
is treated
as pubescent whores
political warlords
with each war scores
pimping
the soul of humanity
at its core
a tired god
who silently snores
the ear cleaner digs
some more
as he enters
the corridors
opens the doors
cleans
the window panes
of your brains
computer store
furious physician
we cant ignore
dreaming of the skies
sleeping on the floor


to cousin glen furious photographer

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Farewell Shaheen

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Muskan and Me

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The Swine Flu Mask at the Gay Parade

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Muslim Supporters at the Gay Parade

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What Man Put Together Let No God Put Asunder

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Facebook Flu Mask

Hi,

Our systems indicate that you've been misusing certain features on the site. This email serves as a warning. Misuse of Facebook's features or violating Facebook's terms of use may result in your account being disabled. Thanks in advance for your understanding and cooperation.

Please refer to www.facebook.com/help.php?page=421 for further information.

The Facebook Team

My reply to the Facebook Team

I am shocked at your insensitivity , I am not abusing any person, I am not selling any commercial commodity I am showcasing the Hijra cause through Facebook , nothing else , I find this warning an insult to me as a blogger and a decent human being and as a person who follows Facebook guidelines.
Thank you for not seeing the difference between a blogger and a positive spam.

I will not be posting any more links at Facebook..

I wont be accessing Facebook either..

I think you should see case on its individual merit and than take a decision instead of a general robotic view..

I thank you and wish you the very best.

I think Flickr is the only place that is more bloggger friendly and broadminded than you guys pretend to be..and this is my honest appraisal as a Facebook user..

A person who sent me abusive threat on my Facebook mail is condoned by you but a person who is peaceful is targeted for posting links of blogs from Flickr surprises me and my moderation as a blogger photographer and a pedestrian poet.

You have to learn to be more understanding and human ..is all I can say .

Thanks
Firoze Shakir
Photographer no1
Mumbai
18 August 2009

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FACEBOOK DOES NOT KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BLOGGER AND A POSITIVE SPAM LOL !

88,224 items / 534,810 views

Hi,

Our systems indicate that you've been misusing certain features on the site. This email serves as a warning. Misuse of Facebook's features or violating Facebook's terms of use may result in your account being disabled. Thanks in advance for your understanding and cooperation.

Please refer to www.facebook.com/help.php?page=421 for further information.

The Facebook Team

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I SHOOT LAXMI BETTER THAN OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS MY ONLY MOMENT OF CONCEIT

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FACEBOOK IS WORSE THAN BLOGSPOTS WORD VERIFICATION...IT CONSIDERS ME POSITIVE SPAM..YES FACEBOOK SUCKS

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Laxmi Narayan Tripathi and Anand Grover

Warning! Your account could be disabled.

You are using this feature to spam other users. Continued misuse of Facebook's features will result in your account being disabled. If you have any questions or concerns, you can visit our FAQ page.

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Hijra Goddess Laxmi Narayan Tripathi

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Laxmi Narayan Tripathi My Hijra Guru

88,212 items / 534,786 views

Laxmi Narayan Tripathi the Hijra icon is my Hijra Guru..

She is recovering from a serious viral infection , she had burning fever , and against her doctors advise she made it to the Queer Azadi Gay Parade 2009 to walk beside Celina Jaitley ..

I spoke to Laxmi last evening and she was still surprised how she had walked in pain from August Kranti Marg to Girgaum Chowpatty..

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Muskan and Me

Muskan is a hijra or transgender , we are close friends she oozes oomph .. she is a chela ogf my hijra guru Laxmi Narayan Tripathi..and I had done a daring feature on Muskan at her house in Thane.

We share a unique bond and Muskan is a Maharashtrian Hijra..pucca Mee Mumbaikar..next to me and Muskan is the tall angry hijra , she was upset her cute poodle of a toyboy was lost in the crowds ..she kept calling him out Tommy Tommy ..but Tommy had finally broken free and I knew he was in the arms of crossdresser Connie..Ha Ha Ha

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Trying To Tear Her Blouse

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to find the address
of her androgynous house
she neither man nor woman
me a itinerant louse
my testicular hijra
poetry
bound to a keyboard and mouse
my passions my angst
my sorrows my terrifying tears
wont douse
life a curtain of despair
behind a whorehouse
a gay parade
a cause
searching for a rebel
to espouse

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Fawzan Hussain and the Barefeet Blogger of Mumbai

This picture was shot by senior photographer Mr Gautam Sen..and the hero of this frame is Fawzan Hussain , a very simple humble photo journalist, a renowned journalist, he merges with the back ground he shoots..

We keep meeting at cross roads of life , we met at Dadar at the Dahi Handi and here we were shooting the gay struggle and ethos.


Fawzan shoots with two cameras.. he is fluid when he takes his shots and I observe him very closely to learn what makes him tick, and I do this with my Sufi bent of mind and soul.

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The Disciple and the Guru

Mr Gautam Sen is a senior photographer , a very humble down to earth person I have tried to emulate since the time I began photo journalism, Gautam Da is a remarkable man, a selfless soul helping guys like me on the streets of photography, he is unlike the modern brat of a new breed of photo journos , who carry conceit , arrogance and attitude , I have met a lot of then , have had skirmishes too..and they hate bloggers like me, for reasons I cannot fathom..all they have is a high end Press Card,,,and high end company sponsored cameras and lenses.

This photo was shot by another humble low profile photographer Fawzan Hussain from Srinagar.


Gautam Da is what dreams are made of ..he is the soul of humility at all times.

I had not seen him since a very long time ..so this was a pleasant meeting indeed

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Ashok Row Kavi and the Barefeet Blogger of Mumbai

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I have About 750 Pictures of the Gay Parade Mumbai 2009 remaining to be posted..

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The Hijra From Hijra Gully No1

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It was two years back I had taken Dr Glenn Losack MD to the most famous Hijra address Hijra Gullly No 1 Kamatipura.

Most of the Hijra dancers at the Gay Parade were from this area, most of them knew me as some worked at the Mumbai Cages streets..

Hijras have elephant like memories , you may forget them but they wont forget you ever, they will never forget the good you did to them , similarly they remember the bad you did to them too..


I have met Hijras who have been very kind to me , Madhurima Ma , Baby and the late Ragini Naik , respected me as I respected them..the hijra can read your inner mind and the darkness of your soul.

I have a Vardan , a blessing from God I shall always meet Hijras ..and I dont run after them , they literally fall into my laps of photography.


As I write this I have pictures of the beggar hijras on my comp that I shot a few days back and not uploaded at all.

I met Anamika the sensual hijra from Mulund , she was with me at the Maryamma feast at Mahim, I was to pierce a 18 feet rod through my cheeks ,last minute I shelved the thought keeping this ritual for my friend Glenn , I want him to shoot me when I pierce the rod into my cheeks..
Glenn has shot me slashing my head open with a dagger .. during Chehlum Moharam

The pictures I shot of the beggar hijras was with Marziya my grand daughter ,, she stood next to them and was curious about them but not scared....these are unique pictures.


Marziya knows how to put the memory card in the slot of the camera Nikon D80 , she knows how to put the card reader in the front port of the comp...she watches what I shoot and I make it a point show her my shot.. on the monitor ..

Laxmi Narayan Tripathi called me this evening she had running fever but had attended the Gay Parade , she left immediately , as she has just come out from hospital , she is recovering from a viral infection..


The only regret Laxmi has is not having met Marziya and Marziya will be 22 months in a few days.
Shaheen Muskan were all there at the Gay Parade last evening..

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Back Off She Said ..

back off she said
lover boy
for me you are
now
dead
i have another new
toyboy
to share my bed
some good head
hard as rock
cool as lead
an arsenal
some war head
loaded
with a lot of
daddy's bread
who cares a fuck
if he is not
well read
there is much
to learn
between A and Z
stuff your hijra poetry
use it as a pillow
for your death bed
shaking her ass
fleetingly
she fled

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The Hijra Tantric Bare Back

my libido
bursting
through the seams
i could not hold back
simmering sensuality
of her flesh
her hair swept back
the hijras tantric bare back
androgynous
sex filled power pack
just in time
i tried to pull back
orgiastic crescendo
some sweet flash back
memories of bed sheet
seminal stained lilac
that woke me up
from my idyllic reverie
with a thwack
searching for
tantric hijra sex
like a needle
in a haystack

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