Chor Bazar Faces Introduction

Chor Bazar Faces Introduction, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

This is a short segment a set at Flickr of faces that you get to see at Chor Bazar flea market, beware take their permission before you shoot them , as they take offense it is against the religion to be photographed , so say the very conservative.


Some of these pictures are a bit shaky as I did not seek permission and shot them rapidly..
The Chor Bazar is a haven for buyers and sellers , the Chor Bazar that you see on Friday,.

On Friday the main shops are closed so the hawkers and vendors sell their wares on the lanes that make up Chor Bazar, basically two, Mutton Street and Chimna Butcher street .

I have had a very god relationship with the denizens of Chor Bazar, and if you use tthe camera as I use it , you will see the poetry of life dramatically wanting to be seen and noticed..Its a pity I stopped visiting Chor Bazar , this was my Friday regimen I first went to the Kamatipura Flea market than walked barefeet to Chor Bazar..

I am well known in this area is an understatement, I am a human antique shop myself , I do not wish to sound boastful what I wear as jewelry on my body maybe perhaps one of its kind only.. I took pains to design it, and I am not a jewelry designer , I am not any thing I pretend to be I am a hoax but my shadow calls me original.

My poems too are constructed from recycled words , my pictures are ordinary, I saw them placed on the streets , you saw them too, but I captured them with thee vision and imagery of a poet ..a photographer bought up on technique, Fucked F Stops maybe brilliant with his shots but may lack poetry in some cases.

Street Photography for me is the Mother and Soul of Poetry of Lifes Human Comedy , yes I have been bought up on Balzac Dostovesky Dickens writers who used the camera of their minds to describe their characters and the lanes they wrote about, that is why even after their death they are remembered...I call them photographer novelists.

Chor Bazar is not a haven of Thieves , yes stolen goods come here to be sold and mind you everyone gives hafta for the activities they do, this is the soul of the Indian street ethos Corruption.

When I was on my drinking diet , I would sit with a can of beer and watch the deals the Chor Bazar road sellers cracked , Firoze Gold Tooth my chor bazar friend and road side shop keeper has seen those days of my life , and they were sad elusive days without Hope.Though I have not touched a drop since 10 years or more.

During the Friday Namaz time a few road side guys shut their shop and go for their prayers ,there is brisk business after namaz and at about 6 pm they start folding up.

Mostly the unsold goods are taken away by the Chor Bazar shop keepers that will be sold as a lot to another Friday road side seller .. this is life of the street bazar.

There are very rich guys here at Chor Bazar, guys who have visited Italy France USA UK and their trips , are like going for a monthly home town visit.

There are guys from all over the world who come to buy antiques , but there are guys from Zurich who come to buy the stuff sold on the road.

Now because the road side stuff sells like hot cakes , the big dealers loan their unsold stuff from their shops to these guys.. This is Chor Bazar and nobody will tell you the intricacies as I tell you..this is a world apart and now beware this is a Nasha an addiction , if it touches you , you cant give it up at all.

My mother loved the Chor Bazar and would wander through the lanes , but would avoid the lanes I visited.. my mother Shamim Shakir without a camera came here to get peace of mind from hectic domestic chores 7 kids and a wayward husband , finally after she ate khichda she would go to Hazrat Abbas's Dargah at Pala Gully and become one with the spirituality within.


There was a time I was so obsessed with Chor Bazar I would tell Firoze Gold Tooth my friend that if I died my last wish was that my Janaza be carried through the lanes of this unique area and I thought a kindly god listens to a poets plea would see that I died on a Friday flea market day...so I could see all my friends one last time.. and I knew I did not owe any money to the Chor Bazar dealers ..I could write a short story here but of late my daughter has taken up the task of filmy story writing . I am sure she will do a great job .

This post was just a few lines but I have expanded it like a Google Buzz Blog.,



But one last thing I must add there are urchin kids predominantly Muslims who scavenge the area I shot a picture of a group of urchins , and there was pretty pretty girl , I never ever saw her again yes Chor Bazar is a land of distant dreams and sad memories.

Manjula Singh commented on your wall post:

"Thanks Firoze. Your photo blogs are awesome!"

And I dedicate it to my Facebook friend Manjula Singh









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