The Winding Trail..

The Winding Trail.., originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

100,342 items / 611,516 views

her world
veiled
walking
the winding
trail
from one house
to another
from one shop
to the other
her destiny
her tale
Muslim
macho society
mullahcentric
the poor Muslim
woman has failed
cornered
deprived
frontiers
with tired legs
they want her
to scale
beyond
the death of
her hopes
lies the hard hearted
Muslim Male
begging
for self respect
house arrested
in a jail

I shoot the sorrow of the Muslim female and this is not about the hijab, I have nothing against the hijab, my family wears it,.it is her unchanged life . of pain and despair..

Waiting For Good Days To Come

Waiting For Good Days To Come, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

100,342 items / 611,433 views

strings of silence
we strum
following
a silhouette
within
a poem
of good days
elusive
playing
hide and seek
as our
respective
soul goes numb
bollywoods most wanted
exiled
from filmdom
an eternity
of sartorial
dilemma
ad naseum
the call of uhuru
death
of individual
freedom
beyond
the mind
beyond
the flesh
a matrix
of confusion
unsolved
problem
waiting
for flowers
that wont blossom
waiting
impatiently
holding
a drowning straw
of good days
to come


dedicated to nabila khanam

The Cat's Tragic Diwali Tale

The Cat's Tragic Diwali Tale, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

100,299 items / 610,695 views

lighting the path
all over bazar road
nobody heard his wail
crackers tied
to his tail
the human
festive season
to regale
his soul
with extreme
cruelty
they did nail
smoke fire to inhale
happy diwali
to you and yours
after a few
hits views
this pedestrian story
will soon become stale
this is his calm
his patience
in detail
as he sits
dreading
the next diwali
the cat
with a lizards
cut tail
pain
overblown
from a thumbnail

I saw this cat in the morning near my shop, as the lady who feeds cats pointed out his misery to me, I called for my camera and shot a few frames.

The Hijra's Second Chance

The Hijra's Second Chance, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

100,298 items / 610,577 views

on shards of glass
on embers of coal
they dance
wanting society
to accept them
as humans
they deserve
a second chance
man loving man
ardh nari nareshwar
a spiritual romance
a few coins
thrown at their face
not even
a kindly glance
miscarriage of birth
karma in a trance
a beggars bowl
no advance
a deadwood future
the state wont finance


dedicated to Kalki Subramaniam.. my facebook friend..activist and a lot more..

Hijra The Missing Link

Hijra The Missing Link, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

100,298 items / 610,577 views

two parallel lines
on the brink
hijra the
missing link
no voter rights
neither man nor woman
a system
to hoodwink
a finger
without ink
into the depths
of depravity
they sink
begging alms
prostituting
their androgynous souls
a poison
day in day out
they drink
the filth
the stench
the stink
like the aravanis
of Tamil Nadu
blessed by God
and the State
Maharashtra
mai baap
at sachivalya
too must rethink
better opportunities
jobs in sync
the hijras are human
ghungroos on their feet
on the soul of androgyny
as they clink
basic rights that shrink
broken headlights
that blink
born a man
he chose the color
pink


a link sent by Stephe Androgyne online

Daily News & Analysis, India
www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_eunuch-seeks-right-to-vote...

Eunuch seeks right to vote in Maharashtra Assembly polls

PTI

Sunday, September 13, 2009 11:53 IST

Mumbai: An eunuch has moved the Maharashtra State Human Rights
Commission (SHRC) seeking the right to vote for his community and
transgenders in the forthcoming state Assembly polls.

In the four-page complaint, Laxmi Narayan Tripathi termed the denial
of Right to vote as gross violation of Human Rights in the state.

Supported by a group of four law students, Tripathi demanded that the
state government should extend the fundamental right of voting to
eunuchs and transgenders.

"There is a gross violation of the human rights of eunuchs in
Maharashtra. We are not provided with ration cards and not permitted
to vote," the complaint said.

The SHRC has issued notices to the chief secretary of the state
government with a direction to ensure that departments concerned with
ration cards and voter ID cards file their reply to the complaint by
November 4.

The commission has also directed the state government to suggest in
their reply affidavit steps being taken or to be taken with this
regard.

"Tamil Nadu government has already issued ration cards to the eunuchs
of that state. It is the only state to have recognised eunuchs as a
different sex," said the complaint.

Tripathi further said that eunuchs in Maharashtra are deprived of
life, liberty and dignity.

"If we (eunuchs) are not given a chance to lead a normal life then we
are left with the ultimate choice of begging or prostitution to earn
money," the complaint states.

The commission had directed the state government to file its reply to
the complaint by August 24 but the government failed to do so
following which they have been given time till November 4.

The students -- Niraj Marjadi, Dharampal Dave, Jay Vakil and Kushal
Mehta -- had earlier this year, filed an RTI application before the
Maharashtra State Election Commission seeking to know the rights
accorded to eunuchs in the state.

"However, the election commission returned the RTI application back
saying that they cannot reply to such applications," Dave said.


Dedicated to the spirit of gutsy Laxmi Narayan Tripathi my erstwhile Hijra Guru..