Tuesday, February 2, 2010

The Lady Boys at Haji Malang 2010

Over the years I have been shooting the ladyboys who come to Haji Malang to titillate frolic and fun..they have a huge following of studs and and even older men seem to like their vulnerability and their fragility.. they know me and invited me to their room to shoot the expressiveness of their androgynous sensuality, they are not hijras but bond with them on their own terms..

I was so busy that I could not do justice to their demands of shooting them , I prefer daylight and flash kills me and my subjects too, immediately after this I shot my Hijra Guru Laxmi Narayan Tripathis mehfil ,I have kept the pictures on hold , it was about 3 am than I rushed to the Haji Malang Dargah to shoot the Dhamal..I was awake all night and must have slept just for half an hour..

But I was able to shoot what I wanted to shoot , hijras pursued me to shoot them instead of me begging for pictures..I had come of age and got the respect from the hjras documenting their lives with the poetry of my pictorial soul...

I shall avoid text in most of my pictures...I have to work on Laxmis Jashn pictures as I shot them in low light without flash..


This time the hijras blatantly pulled off their clothes to scare the young studs to shoo them away , but I would not shoot them or the stud boys.. I use my minds editorial constrain , shooting hijras in the raw is not my passion nor my drive..nor my inclination

I am a poet and I used my camera instead of my pen.. not willing to go from bad to verse.....

I follow my heart and my soul has never let me down..

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Abhijeet Ketkar Sakib and Me Haji Malang

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Climbing Haji Malang Barefeet

I gave my camera to guys who could not shoot straight with their mouths leave aside a Nikon D 80.. but I needed to show and document my barefeet climb to Haji Malang over rough jagged stone terrain, but as they say Faith moves mountains and it did..

On my return I walked down the mountains barefeet..

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I Shoot Hijras

I shoot hijras as a nature photographer shoots migrating birds like flamingos in flight ..
I shoot hijras I show you their misery despair pedestrian plight morning day and night
I shoot hijras so a comatose holier than thou government will scrap article 377 alright
I shoot hijras better than other photographers up close without giving them a fright
I shoot hijras poetize their lives testicular tragedy fucked fortitude on my website
I shoot hijras thanks to my hijra guru Laxmi Narayan Tripathi Haji Malang at midnight
I shoot hijras to prove god robbed them of their androgynous birthright an eternal fire that man dressed as a woman loves to ignite ...same sex lovers beneath a winding sheet seminally stained tantric throes and delight

dedicated to laxmi narayan tripathi..my hijra guru metrosexual hijra goddess all bright

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Climbing Haji Malang Barefeet

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This is humility and people who love kissing the ground with their bare feet ..walk up the mountains to touch a paradise called Haji Malang.

You leave your car , your motorbike your arrogance your conceit your attitude at the Malangad foothills to connect with the Sufi Shrine of Haji Malang.


There is a palanquin for the disabled and the sick, for the lazy rich, it a costs bomb.. the distance is over 7 km.

I had bought Dr Glenn Losack MD from Manhattan New York to this Holy place two years back , of course those days I did not know the owners of this mountain the Ketkar family , Kumar and Abhijeet are the ones I know and connect with , they are my host and take care of me as their family member speaks volumes about their humility too, they dont charge me a cent for lodging or boarding ..

And I blog about the mysticism , the androgynous get away for the Hijra spirituality..Haji Malang is made up of various Chowks of spiritual hierarchy, I am close to the Malangs , the Rafaees and the Siddis..

Climbing the Malangad mountains does not tire me I shoot pictures of the monks bawas on the way up, the beggars the most leprous unique lot, other pilgrims ..this is a spiritual territory and landscape for the Hindus Muslims and other communities too..

I have been shooting this place since 2005 or earlier..there are Mandirs too in this region and an influx of Naga Sadhus.

The place is a hill station , the water freezing cold but I would sit under the tap and be transported to the waters of Hardwar and the Maha Kumbh..

Almost everybody knows me here and calls me Bawa or Photowale or Camerawale Bawa..but the most touching was the tribals who would kiss my hands and touch my feet.. and thereby purify me and my restless soul.

I was mostly with the dread headed Malangs of Haji Malang , they are from Karnataka close to Gulbarga Dargah.

I felt peace in their presence , I sat with the Siddi head and my friend Altaf Siddi was there too..The Chancawalli Rafaees were there but most of the bawas are at the Chand Shah Wali Urus their home base near Powai.

They did a great dhamal..there is another Rafaee lot and these guys were awesome too.

I shot the Hijra Sandal of Gopal Haji and Babita the Najafgarh hijras.. my German friend Dorothea was not there ..but I met another wonderful person a very close friend of my Hijra Guru Laxmi Narayan Tripathi..photographer Anita Khemka ..

I connected with Heena Hijra of Peela House had lunch at Ma Madhurimas house , the hijras at Haj Malang were not in large numbers as most of them were attending the Hijra Sammelan at Hyderabad.

I met Mona the child eunuch with her eunuch sibling Nandini, these are very touching pictures I shot of a dance and song recital at their house..


I met a young Hindu boy a devotee of Haji Malang Baba who had chopped his little finger and offered it to the Holy Saint , I did not shoot any tonsure rituals this time ..


I could have stayed a few hours more shot the Sandal of Sultan Shah Baba but I was missing my grand daughter Marziya Shakir so I chose to come down..and return home.

I did the Kaif at the Dargah of Sultan Shah Baba in the style of the Whilrling dervesh of Turkey it just came and this was a trance with a mourning element as I am a Shia and in a few days I will be celebrating Chehlum in Mumbai..the 40 th day of Mohram ..

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HIJRAS AT HAJI MALANG 2010 Dedicated to Laxmi Narayan Tripathi My Hijra Guru

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This is my new set at Flickr.com that I begin today, and this set Hijras at Haji Malang 2010 is dedicated to my Hjra Guru Laxmi Narayan the uncrowned Queen of the Hijras at Haji Malang..nobody can touch her for her dignity her grace and the way she carries herself..

This was the first time I climbed the Haji Malang Shrine a very rough terrain , barefeet and I came down barefeet too..

These are pictures shot of her Jashn a Mehfil of Hijra Nights of passion dance and delight, first I shot it in dim light as Hijra Gurus hate flash that disturbs their dance rhythm..I have shat a 14 GB card in two days I floated between the Hijras and the body piercing Rafaees and the Malangs of Haji Malang..

This is also a tribute to my well wishers friends Kumar and Abhijeet Ketkar who are my host and dont charge me a cent for lodging and boarding , they are the Hindu Khadims of Haji Malang and Sakib my florist friend from Mahim..who made this trip possible.

The person in the foreground is a rare Hijra beauty called Khushi she is different from the Khushi ..I shot last year with Kamni Hijra of Delhi at the same venue..

So I shall call this Khushi , Khushi from Mumbai , she was the toast of the mountains and the young studs that came to watch her blew a bomb showering a lot of money on her and another trans gender called Kareena Hijra...a very rare hijra beauty too..

Khushis dance will put any Bollywood choreographer to shame I can say this without hesitation , she is a born dancer , born with trinkets to match her dainty feet and has a nubile and sexy body to match..you will never know she is a hijra unless someone tells you.. she could easily be a top fashion ramp model.. she is quiet , not loud , reticent and she has the male bastion of hijra lovers by their balls.. she knows it and I know it too ..

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My Uploading Problems at You Telecom Continue Unabated

Having a Cup of Tea at Agri Dhabba Malangad


I will begin my Haji Malang journey having some snacks or tea at this stall..I have been following this regimen every time I climb the mountains to reach Haji Maang.

This time I climbed Malangad barefeet..

On my return from Haji Malang I had my lunch here with a cup of tea.

I have sent a message to You Telecom regarding my unresolved Uploading problems that I copy and share with all of you..

My message sent to them last night

I was out of Mumbai for two days , and I have returned last night from a photo shoot , I tried to upload a few files to Flickr.com but I was in for a shock, my uploading problems continue unabated , you have done nothing to resolve it, the visits of your technician have borne no fruits and I doubt I can take this anymore ..

I appeal to you as an old existing customer of You Telecom to please do something about this , I cant go on whining and complaing like a dog and honestly your You Telecom Customer Care Sucks ..you know there is a problem of connectivity that affects my batch uploading but you dont want to spell it out..


I am therefore blogging my problem so someone without deaf ears on the top of the You Telecom hierarchy can listen to my plea and take action right away..

As Ever
Firoze Shakir 237303

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Traveling Barefeet to Haji Malang

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I start the story board of my Haji Malang trip 2010 at Flickr..this set does not include my hijra pictures shot at Haji Malang..

I will be posting that separately at Flickr and my Hijdaeunuch blogs..at Wordpress.

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My Haji Malang 2010 Urus Series -Dedicated to Marziya Shakir

These are pictures shot by Marziyas mother the moment I reached home barefeet from Haji Malang after 2 days..I shot my two favorite subjects the Hijras at Haji Malang and the Dhamal .I shot the Malangs of Haji Malang walking on burning fire of lit agarabattis..this was an astounding and memorable ritual

.I climbed the Haji Malang mountain known as Malangad barefeet and came down bareefeet too ..

And my grand daughter rushed into my arms , my wife was not at home..the first thing Marziya wanted to know was whether I had bought her anything .. I had not ..there was nothing that Marziya would have liked not even at Kalyan station.


And this new series shot on a 14 GB card is dedicated to Marziya Shakir 2 year old..photographer from Mumbai..

All pictures at Flickr ..
Name of set Haji Malang Urus 2010..though I was not there at the time of the Urus due to work commitments..

I reached Haji Malang on 30 Jan 2010 and returned this evening at 7.30 pm 1 Feb 2010..


I will be creating a separate set of the Hijras at Haj Malang 2010..

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I Come Back From Haji Malang Urus 2010

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As mentioned earlier this was a sandal that passed Bandra Bazar Road during the celebrations of Maulana Baba Urus Bandra Compound .

I came down with Marziya and shot a few pictures , I had to hold her tight as the crowds kept pushing us , in this crowd I made Marziya shoot the sandal too, you will have a tough time finding out the ones she shot and among those I shot,,and crowds dont intimidate Marziya at all.

The Rafaee acts wee directed by a Rafaee master called Nasir Bhai of Dongri..

I have just arrived from Haji Malang I missed the Urus but shot the Hijras and the Dhamal last night ..

Tonight I was the Urus of Sultan Shah Baba but I left the Malangad mountains at 2 pm and reached my house at 7.30 pm , I walked the mountains barefEet both ways while going up and while going down..And I did not carry my diabetic medicine other ..but I did the Whirling Dervesh Kaif for the first time in my life it just came out of the blue when the Qawal recited Bhar Dhe Jholi Meri Ya Mohmed Tete Ghar Se Na Jaoonga Khali.. I fell on the floor outside the dargah and came into my senses later after sometime..

I shot the Mehfil of my Hijra Guru Laxmi Narayan Tripathi two nights back and she has taken a solemn vow to visit and see Marziya ..and I presented her a unique silver stick this morning..

Kamini was not there but a new Khushi Hijra took everyone breath away ..there was her partner called Kareena hijra and both are amazing mind blowing dancers ..

Last night I shot the Sandal of Gopal Haj and Babita and the Hijras of Najafgad. and at 11.30 pm I shot the Siddi Dhamal, hardcore body piercing of the various Rafaee chowks..I presnted two silver rings to both Malangs of Karnataka, who are heads of their Chowk at Haji Malang

I came down the Malangad mountains with Sonu Hijra from Arab Gully.,.she has promised to introduce me the mot famous hijra mujra dancers of Mumbai..

So wait and watch..

I came down skipping the Sultan Shah Baba Sandal at Haji Malang to see Marziya..

And I must mention my Haji Malang shoot was only possible because of Kumar and Abhijeet Ketkar Hindu khadims of the Holy Shrine..and my florist friend Sakib.

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