The Birth of a Koli Marziya Shakir

The Birth of a Koli Marziya Shakir, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

A child is a product of his or her surroundings , Marziya Shakir has grown with the Kolis of Bandra Bazar Road in the laps of her favorite koli Aunty Manjula , who lives at Worli Koliwada but sells fish at Bandra Bazar Fish market.


Now 2 years old Marziya leads by my finger to the fish market we beat our stress here , yes we both love fish to eat and fish smell soothes our hearts and souls.

Marziya does not get scared of fish, she has touched most of them , and because I grew up among the fisher folks and Tandels of Sassoon Docks at Colaba , my grand daughter takes after me.

Bandra Bazar Fishmarket is the filthiest and ugliest most neglected fish market of Mumbai and I hope when I am dead and gone and Marziya comes here with her children to refresh memories of her dead grand father the condition of the market and the Kolis of this Bazar would have improved hopefully.

I am crying as I write this sometimes when my family was undergoing hard times at Wodehouse Road where we lived as children, our Koli bai would bring in fish and give it to my mother and not take any money from her , I never forgot those days and because this one Koli woman changed my life and the way I see and shoot Life today.
I now am happy that Marziya too feels love for them.

But does it matter whether I am a Muslim or Manjula my adopted sister is Koli.. we are Mumbaikars.. and that joins us to our cosmic Karma and Dharma too.