The Hijra At The Booze Shop

The Hijra At The Booze Shop, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

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I can spot a hijra from a mile, and I can sense the presence of the hijra, it has become a part of my nature as a street photographer shooting the hijra ethos.

This was near my workplace and after taking this shot I waited for her ,it turned out she knew me , most of the Bandra hijras know me and most have seen me at Haji Malang amidst hijras.

Very few know that I am a disciple and friend of Laxmi Narayan Tripathi and last night she called me we were to attend Sakibs wedding at Juhu , but I reached the venue late she had already left for Thane.

I carried my camera shot a few frames of the couple..it is because of Sakib I met Abhijeet Ketkar one of the khadims of Haji Malang , who puts me up in his lodge without charging me a single cent.

Even my food is free and Abhijeet and his brother Kumar are now like my extended family.

I document the hijra as a genre of social photography too, I dont have a sponsor or a grant from any social organization so sometimes financial constrains do not allow me to move out of Mumbai and shoot hijra events.

Heen Hijra from Peela House had invited me many a time but I could not go and she would bear the expenses she told me , but I said no.

Heena's guru is a hijra lady called Laxmi and is connected to Ma Madhutrima a top Hijra person head of hijra affairs of her community.

Ma Madhurimas guru was late Naik Ragini whose pictures I shot a few months before she died.I also attended her Chalisva function at Park Site .

Baby Guru of Park Site Vikgroli is the chela of Ma Madhurima.

My dear friend activist social reformer Santosh Shetty is the foster son of Ma Madhurima.



I am invited to various hijra conference outside Mumbai , but I politely refuse I dont have time and the work I do requires my presence too.