Flying On the Wings of Angels

Flying On the Wings of Angels, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

deleted desires
of a losing mind
searched for her in
the darkness of an
abyss left behind
a comma
a distraction
a moment undefined
a fill in the blank
little dots
on a shaky line
broken wings
searching
for an angel
sweet and kind
life an aberration
come to a grind
cyclical sorrows
that on her soul
unwind
internet wires
of passion and doom
interwined

Lord Shiva

Lord Shiva, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

a life giving force
a running river
into your soul
he flows
your fears
your anguish
he completely
overthrows
where there
was a parched soil
now a new hope grows
holding you
by his hand
he is very close
nanga parbat
with his feet he froze
the only power
no other power
can oppose

Dedicated to my Naga Sadhu Guru
Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj of Juna Akhada..

The Message of Shri Saibaba of Shirdi

The Message of Shri Saibaba of Shirdi, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

94,875 items / 580,661 views

touching the soul of every community
beyond caste color or creed
essence of a peaceful humanity
from bigotry from narrow mindedness
of your soul you must be free
touching the right chord of spirituality
serve mankind thereby serve god
a path beyond mortality
to those beneath you
the downtrodden the poor the needy
with open hands give charity
heal their wounds repair
broken fences with love
a message of shri saibaba of shirdi
if you close your eyes for a second
within his lotus feet lies
the soul of immortality

A Photographers Assistant

A Photographers Assistant, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

94,847 items / 580,583 views

she knows the camera
the computer the monitor
and the mouse
this photographers assistant
22 month old lives
in the heart of my house
a learning innocence
a growth without a grouse
a photographers assistant
in my minds school house

Divinity and Innocence

Divinity and Innocence, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

holding
a little child's hand
a childs
world without a fence
divinity and innocence
captured by my third eye
embedded in my camera lens
a pictorial thought of peace
beyond sensibility and sense
a Muslim child a Hindu goddess
holding eternity in suspense

Evil Exists

Evil Exists, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

94,837 items / 580,568 views

evil exists
in the heart the soul
in the fists
evil a satanic mirror
hate promoting
reflecting arrogance
in bits and bits
with love
goodness
it coexists
as an aberration
to human thought
our lives it destroys
towards a path
of global peace
it does not fit
but finds solace
in a soul egoistic
as I poetically
think of it
two sides of a wick
the wise man
is also the child
of a dimwit
reptilian overtures
in a snake pit

dedicated to prabhat za my friend from Nepal..

A Poem In Flesh and Clay

A Poem In Flesh and Clay, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

The Source of Life - Mother

The Source of Life - Mother, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

A Sculptor A Poet and a Child

A Sculptor A Poet and a Child, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

94,824 items / 580,462 views

Me with Marziya and Jiten the owner of CJ Arts..

In the Eye of a Goddess

In the Eye of a Goddess, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

in the eye of a goddess
lies spiritual solace and peace
as you beg for forgiveness
on your knees lost
in transit your soul on lease
humility the core essence
truth your mouthpiece
ticking away like a heart beat
your mortal timepiece

dedicated to mr shyam shroff

Sculpted Spirituality

Sculpted Spirituality, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

94,816 items / 580,411 views

sculpted spirituality
a poem in clay
within the soul
of silence
a goddess
shows the way
hope hidden
in the seed of a prayer
her divine touch
tells you she cares
your burden
she shares
your enemy is her enemy
she certainly will not spare
close your eyes
think of her
she is always there

The Goddess Comes to Life

The Goddess Comes to Life, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Lighting The Path Durga Ma

Lighting The Path Durga Ma, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

The halogen lights are used to dry the idol of Goddess Durga Ma , time is short and the rains have not been too favorable..decorating the Goddess is the toughest task , minute details go into play..and though the Bandra workshops are not as large as the Lalbagh ones yet you cant miss the grander here..

I was asleep this afternoon , and saw the form of a Goddess in my dreams , when I opened my eyes I saw my grand daughter Marziya , so I took her along with me and the humility of my camera.. to shoot this short series and share it with all of you..

I am enamored by both Lord Ganesha and Durga Ma I have always been at their call, I ask nothing from them , as my Faith provides for me.I shoot these gods and goddesses to bring home to you the aura the ethos of the people of Amchi Mumbai ..

I am deeply touched by people who touch my feet to thank me for giving them instant darshan .All religiosity in spite of the unanimous diversity ..speak of the truthfulness of binding humanity.How can you ever be religious if you are not human at all..a God that is appeased by killing other human beings is not the God I follow or will ever follow.

And because God is human and forgiving he expects humanity to follow the humility of his godliness too.

Jari Mari Temple SV Road Bandra

Jari Mari Temple SV Road Bandra, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Goddess Jari Mari is an avatar of Goddess Parvati.. and is worshiped by most of the Maharashtrians here in Mumbai.. The vegetable vendors of Bandra Bazar Road are her devout followers.I have been fortunate to post her festival procession pictures of her Palki here at Flickr..Chintan and Jiten my two friends are members of this temple trust.. Story goes there was a pond here where the washermen washed clothes her statue was discovered from this pond and the British gave land to build this temple on Bandra SV Road.

Next to this erstwhile Temple of Goddess Jari Mari are the two workshops of CJ Arts and Kedar.
They allow me to shoot their workshops , speaks highly of their love for the barefeet Muslim Blogger of Mumbai.

Durga Mata Arrives at Mumbai 2009

Durga Mata Arrives at Mumbai 2009, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

94,807 items / 580,333 views

I start a new series at my Flickr photostream, before the advent of Navratri ..the birth of Durga Mata at the Bandra workshops , a divine birth from the skilled hands of devout artisans, who recreate this divine goddess for all.

This set is dedicated to a very dear friend Monsoon Lover aka Sudip Da.
I open the comment box for him.

I took my grand daughter Marziya along with me who kept calling this Goddess Ganpati..as there were a few Ganesh idols too.

Marziya took a brush and painted the idol of Goddess Durga assisted by the artists at work here.

This workshop belongs to my friends Jiten and Chintan.

The workshop next to this belongs to Kedar both in the proximity of Jari Mari Mandir.

About Goddess Durga Mata.

Origin of Durga - The Mythology



www.durga-puja.org/origin-of-durga-the-mythology.html

Devi is the great goddess of the Hindus,the consort of Shiva and she is worshiped in various forms corresponding to her two aspects: benevolence and fierceness. She is Uma, "light"; Gauri, "yellow or brilliant"; Parvati, "the mountaineer"; and Jagatmata, "the-mother-of-the-world" in her milder guise. The terrible emanations are Durga "the inaccessible"; Kali, "the black"; Chandi, "the fierce"; and Bhairavi, "the terrible."

Descent of the Goddess
Durga, a beautiful warrior seated upon a tiger, was the first appearance of the great goddess. The circumstance of her miraculous arrival was the tyranny of the monster-demon Mahishasur, who through terrific austerities had acquired invincible strength. The gods were afraid of this water-buffalo bull because neither Vishnu nor Shiva could prevail against him. It seemed that the joint energy of Shakti was only capable of vanquishing Mahisha, and so it was the eighteen-armed Durga who went out to do battle.

Battlefield
She went to battle on her ferocious mount lion, armed with the weapons given to her by the other Gods. Durga is one of the angry and aggressive aspects of the goddess Shakti, whose role in Hindu mythology was to fight and conquer demons and also personify the Sakti or female aspect of any male deity. In the battle, she fought and killed the evil Mahishasura and restored heaven to the Gods. Since then the goddess is invoked for protection from the powers of evil. Durga Puja is observed in her honor, to celebrate her victory over evil.

Revered Mother
She has been worshiped from about 400 AD, but probably earlier, to the present. Her literary references are chiefly the Ramayana and Mahabharata, epic and Puranic texts, and she is mentioned by name in Vedic literature. In general, Durga is regarded in northern India as the gentle bride epitomizing family unity while in southern India she is revered more in her warrior aspect.