Mr Razvi and Me

Mr Razvi and Me, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

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Mr Razvi lost his young daughter recently , and has not yet got over her loss , she was a very brave girl who fought a terminal disease valiantly , an I was at her funeral I shot the pictures of her grave that was dug up showing you a reality of life called death.

One of his relatives was upset that I was documenting the event only the gents the majis , but Razvi Saab had given me permission as he wanted her memories of Rehmatabad be kept alive, and I wonder do we really die..we just leave our footprints on the sands of time and move into the next courtyard .

Razvi Saab is a courageous father , a very down to earth humble man , very proud of his Shia ancestry and we really are bound as fathers in the timelessness of life.

I sometimes wonder why people get upset at photographers who dont sell pictures , or use it for self promotion or to get fame or popularity ,my pictures you will never see in the newspapers either , it beats me I have thus kept away from all Shia majlis in Bandra , I have decided not to shoot ..I wont shoot the Ashura in Mumbai I will leave tomorrow to a city at the flip of a coin..I will let you know once I reach my destination .and shoot Moharam in that city..

And sadly there are more bigots in my own community than in my neighbors , so I am perhaps the only Hindu Shia born in India who shoots Hinduism as a message of peace of my cultural inheritance calling it a thread Hope and Hindutva.. and it is true that my Flickr photo stream might have more images on this faith a thought that upsets the bigots the narrow minded and the myopic Muslim.

But as my camera belongs too me, my vision my own , my soul not for sale I shoot what my heart tells me to shoot...and Hindustan for me is Humanity and Yes Hussain lives in it ..Verily every land is Karbala and every day is Ashura.

And I am proud of the saffron in my soul yes I am a Hindu Shia ..also known as the Shia Pandit of Mumbai.