The Enchantress

The Enchantress, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

born
a confused
complicated man
in a womans dress
the cross dresser
the enchantress
finding solace
in another mans nest
thirsty lips
nectar to caress
unknown zone
her web address

To Be Or Not To Be

To Be Or Not To Be, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

a broken branch
of a banyan tree
uprooted
from the soil
of his fucked destiny
the cross dresser
at crossroads
hawking his soul
almost free
to be or not to be
a drop of tear
rolling
down the cheek
of humanity

The Cross Dresser Comes Alive

The Cross Dresser Comes Alive, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

his androgynous soul
sculpted by a butchers knife
writhing serpentine
the cross dresser comes alive
in a man made man eating man world
neither man nor woman
the cross dresser learns to survive
passion pathos and drive


I met him much before he decided to come out of the closet and he was the one I loved to shoot , this time he accosted me to his room to shoot him and his other girlie gang of cross dressers..

The young studs, the lukhas hunger for them and I see it through my minds eye..I dont prejudge people I know and told to me in confidentiality , those patrons that love sleeping with boys and the hijras ..I believe you are the master of your mind you have to be what you want to be..

I forget that I am a photographer shooting the destiny's child , I capture them in words in textures like an artist captures idyllic dreams on his canvas.

And I must confess I dont hunt for pictures , my camera lens has lost its libido and lustiness for the flesh be it man or woman it now shoots the slithering whispering woeful silence of a cross dressers soul....searching for Dorian Gray in the mistiness of the magical mirror that refuses to age from one generation to the next.

Kumar Ketkar Hindu Khadim Haji Malang

Kumar Ketkar Hindu Khadim Haji Malang, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Surjit the Sweeper of God

Surjit the Sweeper of God, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

114,939 items / 748,941 views

He is a khidmatgar, a Hindu lad, he voluntarily cleans the Dargah surroundings, I did not inquire much about him , but Abhijeet my friend and the Khadim of the Holy Shrine of Haji Malang told me that he had cut off his little finger as a humble offering to the Holy Saint..

Sometimes Indian humility can even bring tears to the eyes of the Lord.

He was reluctant to show me his little finger but consented when Abhijeet Ketkar requested ..I took this shot to share his humble story with all of you,,,

Surjit the Sweeper of God

Surjit the Sweeper of God, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

He is a khidmatgar, a Hindu lad, he voluntarily cleans the Dargah surroundings, I did not inquire much about him , but Abhijeet my friend and the Khadim of the Holy Shrine of Haji Malang told me that he had cut off his little finger as a humble offering to the Holy Saint..

Sometimes Indian humility can even bring tears to the eyes of the Lord.

Unki Chati Pe Mera Visiting Card Hai

Unki Chati Pe Mera Visiting Card Hai, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

unki chati pe
mera visiting
card hai
zindagi aaj kal
naram garam
kabhi soft
kabhi hard hai
bagair muskurahat
ka chhera
mere badkismati
ka reward hai
enka chahnewala
mumbai ka
ek diehard hai

The Unfortunate Cock

The Unfortunate Cock, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

bought
to the holy shrine
to be sacrificed
for mans shortcomings
animals birds
pay the price
as time flies
man searching
in blood
for his chosen
paradise
man
born
with a soul
of a mice
everything
he tries
born on earth
with dreams
to fuck
virgins
in the sky
truth
altered
to suit
each and
every lie god
alone 'knows why
born to live
lives to die

Where We Are Going We Do Not Know

Where We Are Going We Do Not Know, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

like wretched weeds
on the soul of humanity
we grow
where we are going
we do not know
the flame of a candle
they love to blow
although
we are hijras
a field of sorrow
we plough
from the face
of the earth
our kind
they want
to overthrow
from the gutter
of life into a
menstrual sewer
we flow
pretending
to be mothers
sisters
wives
in our
corner
we glow
stalked for eternity
by a bad karma
fucked fortitude
plucked upper lips
made up eye brow
hijras at a slaughter house
waiting for death
while society
pleads
to spare
the holy cow
says the
overzealous
religious bigot
hijra
jao
ma chudao

A Pilgrim Word Pressed

A Pilgrim Word Pressed, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

barefeet
kissing the soul
of mother earth
you rightly guessed
through the humility
of a photo blog
god blessed
you are what you are
in whatever way
you are dressed
poetic postures
word pressed

The Birth of a Child is a Blessing in Disguise

The Birth of a Child is a Blessing in Disguise, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

The lady is a Christian from Mangalore her husband Devender Shetty is a Hindu, this couple had met me during the Lal Bagh Cha Visarjan procession and remembered me alright.

The lady according to her story had climbed the mountains barefeet when she was 5 month pregnant, her husband had accompanied her and she had asked Haji Malang Baba for a healthy child that they would place at his feet when they came here next..

So they have according to the wish or mannat bought the child to fulfill their vow, the mother like me walked barefeet .

Taking turns with her husband in carrying the child they reached the top and I met them when they came the following morning to place the child at the Shrine of his patron Saint.

This is the universal magic of Haji Malang cross border spirituality , armed with faith adding to peace that is the birthright of all Indians.Irrespective of caste color or creed they come to a Sufi Saints kingdom child father and mum, enslaved to a divinity that blesses them with spiritual freedom...a part inclusive of total sum..

So as a photo blogger I too come and shoot these people , his people, people of my cherished country and share their tales their tears and after shooting them I sit in a corner and cry too like them..photography makes you a mind reader too incidentally .

Yes they touch me before they become thematic to stories in my pictures,

I am writing this at a cybercafe as there is a ladies majlis at home , the majlis centers around a little child her fathers apple of his eye Bibi Sakina the same ancestry as the Holy Prophet of Islam..Bibi Sakina suffered and died unsung in a dark cell..during the regime of accursed Yazid the Umayad Caliph of his time.

My daughter Samiya started the tradition of Bibi Sakinas Taboot that will be carried around my house by the Shia ladies of our area and leading the pack will be my two year old grand daughter Marziya Shakir carrying the Alam Abbas..

And I am crying as I picturize the moments away from my house at this cybercafe, and add it to this story of a Mannat or wish, as photography does not really need a camera it needs emotions and hearts touching souls million miles away from this computer...

Yes the power of a photo blog cuts through water and ice.

The Ritual of the Fasting Malang

The Ritual of the Fasting Malang, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Every year during the annual Urus of Haji Malang Baba, a Malang from the Malang order sits on the Gaddi or royal seat for three days in one position, for three days he does not eat or drink and ignores the call of nature completely.

On the final day he is bought out by the various chowks , his fast is bought to an end , his underwear is checked for urine drops, if there is a trace he will be debarred from sitting on the gaddi in future..

His fast broken than outside the dargah he is given a bath, dressed , this is the second time I shot this event .
After this ritual there is a Qawwali programme that comes to an end at the time of the azan.

The next night is the dhamal of the various Sufi orders , and this is a must see , hardcore body piercing cutting the tongue, piercing the eyeballs and sword fencing to inflict pain..without bleeding of course.