The Poor Mans Batawada Some Stray Thoughts

The Poor Mans Batawada Some Stray Thoughts, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

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Sitting on the streets mother and child are having their morning meal, batata wada pav.. and the little one is really hungry I took two hurried shots so as not to disturb the privacy of a poetic moment that I normally shoot without rhyme or reason.

This guy who sells batata wadas does good business actually all the guys selling foodstuff do good business on this stretch this is the road opposite Bhabha Municipal Hospital touching Water field Road on one end and Hill Road on the other end.


Now let me tell those of my foreign friends who have not visited Mumbai even those who see me in their dreams from time to time ..Waterfield Road has no water no field and Hill road has no hill unless you spot a few loud hijras carrying hillocks on their chest.


Next to this place where the lady sits is a huge gargantuan tree I call the Fat Lady of Hill Road people sit and eat under this tree.

A little ahead is a stall of a herbal medicine man who gives you pan to get rid of Jaundice it works effectively.

So it is through this road Marziya and I walk home cutting into Boran Road to Bazar Road.

And now I must take you back to a thought there are a few friends I eagerly wait to see in Mumbai and the list keeps on growing .

Because Glenn Losack is family and god uncle of Marziya we wait for him , he is getting a nice point and shoot camera for Marziya though with a disclaimer when she grows up when she gets the National Photography Awards at the age of 97 and when the Hindustan Times journo ask her who taught her photography she must mention his name first than mine.

Randy Der Joel is awaited too but wife is worried about his huge dog called Hanu.. we dont take kindly to dogs with dripping saliva.

Fred Anthony Posey Roland Luthi Michel Portier William Poznack and the Facebook bunch are meeting at Cafe Leopold .

June-Ruth A. Canonico is the very lucky one she meets me in her dreams luckily it is not Idd Day or the Indian photojournalists would love to to shoot us a white woman and a brownish burnt black man at Bandra Idd Station Idd Namaz for a new set of Idd hugging pictures.

Specially when I am told Ruth is a ex basketball player 8 Ft 9 inches taller than me in height and intelligence too.

Her message to me for posterity.. with no strings attached .

Strange as it may seem, Firoze, I dreamt last night that I met you! I cannot recall exactly what happened or where...I think India, where I have never been! I was so happy to meet you, but also very careful to be respectful, and not impose a hug on a Muslim man! Aren't dreams funny?

And I have a great respect for my Facebook friends the only place on cyberspace where I interact and respond to comments.

At Flickr I have shut myself off for good.
I have choked strangled squeezed to death my testicular comment box.

And in my next blog I will tell you a new story of a lady who has fallen in love with me she thought I was more lonely than her she approached me , she is from Quebec Canada she says .

Now Randy is a worried man..but the person who has fallen for me is more blacker than I am and hope she is not connected to the Nigerian Mafia who are gunning for my attitudinal multifaceted multi colored ass.

Lastly I am waiting for my Buzznet friends Benn Bell Xris Aljie Yorik Friar Drunk Debbie and Jamieshaef Obqupunx13, Silver Debbe Funksteena Paxgitmo Waza Duck etc

Oh where have they all gone.


Tom Andrews how the fuck did I forget him..