She Is Shooting a Street Photographer With Her Camera Eyes, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
She Is Shooting a Street Photographer With Her Camera Eyes
She Is Shooting a Street Photographer With Her Camera Eyes, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
The First Print of Lalbagh Chya Raja Coming Out Of His Pandal
The First Print of Lalbagh Chya Raja Coming Out Of His Pandal, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
The first print of Labagh Chy Raja coming out of his Pandal is photographed and printed at Ganesh Color Lab Lalbagh.
I Continue With My Lalbagh Chya Raja Visarjan Pictures
I Continue With My Lalbagh Chya Raja Visarjan Pictures, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
147,143 items / 1,125,504 views
After I had finished shooting Lalbagh Chya Raja pictures at the gate I came near Ganesh Color lab and shot some Ganpatis moving towards their Visarjan journey..
This is an extremely long series and I went to the terrace of Ganesh Color Lab and shot the Lalbagh Chya Raja from the top I missed my Nikon 80 - 200 lens I had sold off to make my trip to Ajmer during the Urus.
I now shoot with a single lens 18-70,Nikon digital.
This was the only year that I did not run after Lalbagh Chya Raja he was always behind me as I walked in the procession along with him more as a devotee than a photographer.
I still have a lot of back log to post but I think I will complete this set ..about 8 GB .
Kali Mata
from wikipedia
Kālī (Sanskrit: काली, IPA: [kɑːliː]; Bengali: কালী), also known as Kalika (Bengali: কালিকা, Kālikā), is the Hindu goddess associated with eternal energy. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "the Time" or "Death" (as in time has come). Hence, Kali is considered the goddess of time and change. Although sometimes presented as dark and violent, her earliest incarnation as a figure of annihilation still has some influence. Various Shakta Hindu cosmologies, as well as Shakta Tantric beliefs, worship her as the ultimate reality or Brahman. She is also revered as Bhavatarini (literally "redeemer of the universe"). Comparatively recent devotional movements largely conceive Kali as a benevolent mother goddess.
Kali is represented as the consort of Lord Shiva, on whose body she is often seen standing. She is associated with many other Hindu goddesses like Durga, Bhadrakali, Sati, Rudrani, Parvati and Chamunda. She is the foremost among the Dasa Mahavidyas, ten fierce Tantric goddesses.[1]
Etymology
Kālī is the feminine of kāla ("black, dark coloured").[2] Kāla primarily means "black," but also means "time." Kālī means "the black one" and also "time" or "beyond time." Kali is strongly associated with Shiva, and Shaivas derive her feminine name from the masculine Kāla (an epithet of Shiva). The early Sanskrit dictionary, the Shabdakalpadrum, states: कालः शिवः । तस्य पत्नीति - काली । kālaḥ śivaḥ । tasya patnīti kālī - "Shiva is Kala, thus his wife is Kali."
Other names include Kālarātri ("black night"), as described above, and Kālikā ("relating to time"). Coburn notes that the name Kālī can be used as a proper name, or as a description of color.[3]
Kali's association with blackness stands in contrast to her consort, Shiva, whose body is covered by the white ashes of the cremation ground (Sanskrit: śmaśāna) in which he meditates, and with which Kali is also associated, as śmaśāna-kālī.
Kālī is frequently confused with the word kali, as in Kali Yuga or the demon Kali. However, the words Kālī ("black, time") and kali ("weak, crude, inarticulate") are etymologically unrelated, and the goddess Kālī is not associated with Kali Yuga in Hinduism.
Origins
Hugh Urban notes that although the word Kālī appears as early as the Atharva Veda, the first use of it as a proper name is in the Kathaka Grhya Sutra (19.7).[4] Kali is the name of one of the seven tongues of Agni, the Rigvedic God of Fire, in the Mundaka Upanishad (2:4), but it is unlikely that this refers to the goddess. The first appearance of Kali in her present form is in the Sauptika Parvan of the Mahabharata (10.8.64). She is called Kālarātri (literally, "black night") and appears to the Pandava soldiers in dreams, until finally she appears amidst the fighting during an attack by Drona's son Ashwatthama. She most famously appears in the sixth century Devi Mahatmyam as one of the shaktis of Mahadevi, and defeats the demon Raktabija. The tenth century Kalika Purana venerates Kali as the ultimate reality or Brahman.
According to David Kinsley, Kali is first mentioned in Hinduism as a distinct goddess around 600 CE, and these texts "usually place her on the periphery of Hindu society or on the battlefield."[5] She is often regarded as the Shakti of Shiva, and is closely associated with him in various Puranas. The Kalika Purana depicts her as the "Adi Shakti" (Fundamental Power) and "Para Prakriti" or beyond nature.
In Tantra
Kali Yantra
Goddesses play an important role in the study and practice of Tantra Yoga, and are affirmed to be as central to discerning the nature of reality as are the male deities. Although Parvati is often said to be the recipient and student of Shiva's wisdom in the form of Tantras, it is Kali who seems to dominate much of the Tantric iconography, texts, and rituals.[6] In many sources Kali is praised as the highest reality or greatest of all deities. The Nirvana-tantra says the gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva all arise from her like bubbles in the sea, ceaselessly arising and passing away, leaving their original source unchanged. The Niruttara-tantra and the Picchila-tantra declare all of Kali's mantras to be the greatest and the Yogini-tantra, Kamakhya-tantra and the Niruttara-tantra all proclaim Kali vidyas (manifestations of Mahadevi, or "divinity itself"). They declare her to be an essence of her own form (svarupa) of the Mahadevi.[7]
In the Mahanirvana-tantra, Kali is one of the epithets for the primordial sakti, and in one passage Shiva praises her:
At the dissolution of things, it is Kala [Time] Who will devour all, and by reason of this He is called Mahakala [an epithet of Lord Shiva], and since Thou devourest Mahakala Himself, it is Thou who art the Supreme Primordial Kalika. Because Thou devourest Kala, Thou art Kali, the original form of all things, and because Thou art the Origin of and devourest all things Thou art called the Adya [primordial Kali]. Resuming after Dissolution Thine own form, dark and formless, Thou alone remainest as One ineffable and inconceivable. Though having a form, yet art Thou formless; though Thyself without beginning, multiform by the power of Maya, Thou art the Beginning of all, Creatrix, Protectress, and Destructress that Thou art.[6]
The figure of Kali conveys death, destruction, and the consuming aspects of reality. As such, she is also a "forbidden thing", or even death itself. In the Pancatattva ritual, the sadhaka boldly seeks to confront Kali, and thereby assimilates and transforms her into a vehicle of salvation.[8] This is clear in the work of the Karpuradi-stotra[9], a short praise to Kali describing the Pancatattva ritual unto her, performed on cremation grounds. (Samahana-sadhana)
He, O Mahakali who in the cremation-ground, naked, and with dishevelled hair, intently meditates upon Thee and recites Thy mantra, and with each recitation makes offering to Thee of a thousand Akanda flowers with seed, becomes without any effort a Lord of the earth. 0 Kali, whoever on Tuesday at midnight, having uttered Thy mantra, makes offering even but once with devotion to Thee of a hair of his Sakti [his female companion] in the cremation-ground, becomes a great poet, a Lord of the earth, and ever goes mounted upon an elephant.[8]
The Karpuradi-stotra clearly indicates that Kali is more than a terrible, vicious, slayer of demons who serves Durga or Shiva. Here, she is identified as the supreme mistress of the universe, associated with the five elements. In union with Lord Shiva, who is said to be her spouse, she creates and destroys worlds. Her appearance also takes a different turn, befitting her role as ruler of the world and object of meditation.[10] In contrast to her terrible aspects, she takes on hints of a more benign dimension. She is described as young and beautiful, has a gentle smile, and makes gestures with her two right hands to dispel any fear and offer boons. The more positive features exposed offer the distillation of divine wrath into a goddess of salvation, who rids the sadhaka of fear. Here, Kali appears as a symbol of triumph over death.[11]
In Bengali tradition
Kali is also a central figure in late medieval Bengali devotional literature, with such devotees as Ramprasad Sen (1718–75). With the exception of being associated with Parvati as Shiva's consort, Kali is rarely pictured in Hindu mythology and iconography as a motherly figure until Bengali devotions beginning in the early eighteenth century. Even in Bengali tradition her appearance and habits change little, if at all.[12]
The Tantric approach to Kali is to display courage by confronting her on cremation grounds in the dead of night, despite her terrible appearance. In contrast, the Bengali devotee appropriates Kali's teachings, adopting the attitude of a child. In both cases, the goal of the devotee is to become reconciled with death and to learn acceptance of the way that things are. These themes are well addressed in Ramprasad's work.[13]
Ramprasad comments in many of his other songs that Kali is indifferent to his wellbeing, causes him to suffer, brings his worldly desires to nothing and his worldly goods to ruin. He also states that she does not behave like a mother should and that she ignores his pleas:
Can mercy be found in the heart of her who was born of the stone? [a reference to Kali as the daughter of Himalaya]
Were she not merciless, would she kick the breast of her lord?
Men call you merciful, but there is no trace of mercy in you, Mother.
You have cut off the heads of the children of others, and these you wear as a garland around your neck.
It matters not how much I call you "Mother, Mother." You hear me, but you will not listen.[14]
To be a child of Kali, Ramprasad asserts, is to be denied of earthly delights and pleasures. Kali is said to not give what is expected. To the devotee, it is perhaps her very refusal to do so that enables her devotees to reflect on dimensions of themselves and of reality that go beyond the material world.[14][15]
A significant portion of Bengali devotional music features Kali as its central theme and is known as Shyama Sangeet. Mostly sung by male vocalists, today even women have taken to this form of music. One of the finest singers of Shyama Sangeet is Pannalal Bhattacharya.
In Bengal, Kali is venerated in the festival Kali Puja - the new moon day of Ashwin month which coincides with Diwali festival.
Mythology
Slayer of Raktabija
In Kali's most famous myth, Durga and her assistants, Matrikas, wound the demon Raktabija, in various ways and with a variety of weapons, in an attempt to destroy him. They soon find that they have worsened the situation, as for every drop of blood that is spilt from Raktabija, the demon reproduces a clone of himself. The battlefield becomes increasingly filled with his duplicates.[16] Durga, in dire need of help, summons Kali to combat the demons. It is also said that Goddess Durga takes the form of Goddess Kali at this time.
The Devi Mahatmyam describes:
Out of the surface of her (Durga's) forehead, fierce with frown, issued suddenly Kali of terrible countenance, armed with a sword and noose. Bearing the strange khatvanga (skull-topped staff ), decorated with a garland of skulls, clad in a tiger's skin, very appalling owing to her emaciated flesh, with gaping mouth, fearful with her tongue lolling out, having deep reddish eyes, filling the regions of the sky with her roars, falling upon impetuously and slaughtering the great asuras in that army, she devoured those hordes of the foes of the devas.[17]
Kali destroys Raktabija by sucking the blood from his body and putting the many Raktabija duplicates in her gaping mouth. Pleased with her victory, Kali then dances on the field of battle, stepping on the corpses of the slain. Her consort Shiva lies among the dead beneath her feet, a representation of Kali commonly seen in her iconography as Daksinakali.[18]
In the Devi Mahatmya version of this story, Kali is also described as a Matrika and as a Shakti or power of Devi. She is given the epithet Cāṃuṇḍā (Chamunda), i.e. the slayer of the demons Chanda and Munda.[19] Chamunda is very often identified with Kali and is very much like her in appearance and habit.[20]
Shiva in Kali iconography
In both these images she is shown standing on the prone, inert or dead body of Shiva. There is a mythological story for the reason behind her standing on what appears to be Shiva's corpse, which translates as follows:
Once Kali had destroyed all the demons in battle, she began a terrific dance out of the sheer joy of victory. All the worlds or lokas began to tremble and sway under the impact of her dance. So, at the request of all the Gods, Shiva himself asked her to desist from this behavior. However, she was too intoxicated to listen. Hence, Shiva lay like a corpse among the slain demons in order to absorb the shock of the dance into himself. When Kali eventually stepped upon her husband she realized her mistake and bit her tongue in shame.[33]
The Tantric interpretation of Kali standing on top of her husband is as follows:
The Shiv tattava (Divine Consciousness as Shiva) is inactive, while the Shakti tattava (Divine Energy as Kali) is active. Shiva, or Mahadeva represents Brahman, the Absolute pure consciousness which is beyond all names, forms and activities. Kali, on the other hand, represents the potential (and manifested) energy responsible for all names, forms and activities. She is his Shakti, or creative power, and is seen as the substance behind the entire content of all consciousness. She can never exist apart from Shiva or act independently of him, i.e., Shakti, all the matter/energy of the universe, is not distinct from Shiva, or Brahman, but is rather the dynamic power of Brahman.[34]
Kali in Traditional Form, standing on Shiva's chest.
While this is an advanced concept in monistic Shaktism, it also agrees with the Nondual Trika philosophy of Kashmir, popularly known as Kashmir Shaivism and associated most famously with Abhinavagupta. There is a colloquial saying that "Shiva without Shakti is Shava" which means that without the power of action (Shakti) that is Mahakali (represented as the short "i" in Devanagari) Shiva (or consciousness itself) is inactive; Shava means corpse in Sanskrit and the play on words is that all Sanskrit consonants are assumed to be followed by a short letter "a" unless otherwise noted. The short letter "i" represents the female power or Shakti that activates Creation. This is often the explanation for why She is standing on Shiva, who is either Her husband and complement in Shaktism or the Supreme Godhead in Shaivism.
To properly understand this complex Tantric symbolism it is important to remember that the meaning behind Shiva and Kali does not stray from the non-dualistic parlance of Shankara or the Upanisads. According to both the Mahanirvana and Kularnava Tantras, there are two distinct ways of perceiving the same absolute reality. The first is a transcendental plane which is often described as static, yet infinite. It is here that there is no matter, there is no universe and only consciousness exists. This form of reality is known as Shiva, the absolute Sat-Chit-Ananda — existence, knowledge and bliss. The second is an active plane, an immanent plane, the plane of matter, of Maya, i.e., where the illusion of space-time and the appearance of an actual universe does exist. This form of reality is known as Kali or Shakti, and (in its entirety) is still specified as the same Absolute Sat-Chit-Ananda. It is here in this second plane that the universe (as we commonly know it) is experienced and is described by the Tantric seer as the play of Shakti, or God as Mother Kali.[35]
Kali and Bhairava (the terrible form of Shiva) in Union, 18th century, Nepal
From a Tantric perspective, when one meditates on reality at rest, as absolute pure consciousness (without the activities of creation, preservation or dissolution) one refers to this as Shiva or Brahman. When one meditates on reality as dynamic and creative, as the Absolute content of pure consciousness (with all the activities of creation, preservation or dissolution) one refers to it as Kali or Shakti. However, in either case the yogini or yogi is interested in one and the same reality — the only difference being in name and fluctuating aspects of appearance. It is this which is generally accepted as the meaning of Kali standing on the chest of Shiva.[34]
Although there is often controversy surrounding the images of divine copulation, the general consensus is benign and free from any carnal impurities in its substance. In Tantra the human body is a symbol for the microcosm of the universe; therefore sexual process is responsible for the creation of the world. Although theoretically Shiva and Kali (or Shakti) are inseparable, like fire and its power to burn, in the case of creation they are often seen as having separate roles. With Shiva as male and Kali as female it is only by their union that creation may transpire. This reminds us of the prakrti and purusa doctrine of Samkhya wherein prakāśa- vimarśa has no practical value, just as without prakrti, purusa is quite inactive. This (once again) stresses the interdependencies of Shiva and Shakti and the vitality of their union.[36]
Gopi Krishna proposed that Kali standing on the dead Shiva or Shava (Sanskrit for dead body) symbolised the helplessness of a person undergoing the changing process (psychologically and physiologically) in the body conducted by the Kundalini Shakti.[37]
Caught In The Karmic Chakra of Doom
i smashed
the ill fated window
of my minds room
i woke up
from the dead
my memories
i could not exhume
over the horizon
like a silhouette
of pain misery
they loom
i try to sweep
them from time
to time
using
my camera
as a broom
Clarence Gomes and His Wife Bandra Samachar
147,038 items / 1,125,151 views
Clarence Gomes works for NAB and is a savior to blind people and is my Savior too.
He is a Roman Catholic I am a Shia Muslim.
We became friends because of St Peter our patron Saint .
Clarence used to publish a local paper Bandra Samachar and he used my picture to highlight social issues and problems of Bandra
This is about 11 years back he trusted me and gave me a Press Card for his paper that he will bring back after a long gap.
The Bandra Samchar Press Card is not as influential like the HTA or DNA now you wonder why I dont really talk of Times Of India Press Card .. it is a piece of Shit as even their peon shoots better pictures on his mobile phone and he was there shooting Lalbagh Chya Raja Visrajan with a greater passion than their highly over rated photo journos.
Who eke out shit pictures day in and day out for a living, reflections in trumpets and I dont want to go into details or I will be puking all over my shirt front.
Shooting for fuck sake is not photojournalism you need divine passion poetry and pathos to shoot life and touch the chords of humanity..Our first learning book of photography was the newspaper .now it is blogs bloggers shoot pictures a million times better than these high calibrated photo journalists of Mumbai who arrange pictures mercilessly killing the meaning of street photography.
I dont talk of all photo journalists but a large number of them their attitude , their egos more boated than fish fucked in an oil spill.
And so Bandra Samachar a non profitable an inconspicuous Press Card took me to places I visited in India , be it Moharam photography or exorcism at Hussain Tekri or the Hijras in Ajmer. or the Athvi of Sulaiman Bhai erstwhile Raja of Mehmoodabad. Kumbh Battis Shirala snake festival bullock cart races and all in all 147,038 blogs / 1,125,158 views at Flickr tells my story and the story of a Bandra Samachar Press Card.
I cannot enter the Press Club of India with a Bandra Samachar Press Card but does it matter.
I respect senior photo journalists touch their feet give them respect and emulate them be it Mr Mukesh Parpiani Mr Loke Senior of Navkal earlier PTI.
Sudhakar Olwe Satish Malavade Nitin Sonawane Gautam Sen Sahara Anil Bhartiya my guru and many others.
And my favorite nowadays is this diminutive bundle of creativity Pratik Koli.
So seeing the crass in photo journalism makes me shudder in pain so I am lucky I switched from Times of India to HTA and DNA .. I only read my neighbors Midday which is nothing but a country cousin clone of Mumbai Mirror..it saves money.
So I have trained my two and a half year old grand daughter Marziya Shakir who also wears a Bandra Samachaar Press card when she shoots the streets with me on her god father Dr Glenn Losacks Nikon D 80 that he gave her as her Hanukkah present when she was a year old.
And because I dont have to earn cookie points nor do I earn money through my blogs or pictures I post what I want when I want I dont have to go under an editors desk to lick him up for a single picture that will die away as soon as it is born.
So I kept my Lalbagh Visarjan pictures on hold I walked with Lalbagh Chya Raja a shradalu or a devotee shot when I got the opportunity and left the moment I had finished shooting the Muslims felicitating the Raja at Do Tanki.
I still have to post the backlog of my Dahi Handi pictures shot at Vartak Nagar Thane Juhu Gauri Visarjan and GSB Wadala Ganeshotsav Samiti pictures.
Flickr uploader is not the fastest thing in the world.
So believe me it is how you shoot what you shoot and a Press Card hardly makes a difference and if you want you could shoot the CWG Games without a press card ..and by chance if you resemble Mr Kalmadi as a photo journalist your chances of shooting the Games are over the moment the security catches up with you take my advice .
How I Cooked My Blogs - 147,040 at Flickr
147,040 items / 1,125,127 views
Honestly it is tough explaining to people what is blogging.
Blogging is not a newspaper picture or a newspaper story you read forget and throw it away.
The blog is there just a Google Search away unless deleted or page cant be displayed.
Blog is different thing to different bloggers .. A photo blog is my souls survival it originates at Flickr than I bookmarklet it thanks to Jonathan Keebler whizkid via Flickr to Facebook to my album at Facebook,
Only picture the text I copy paste from Flickr.
Than I cross blog a few of them to my web presence at Blogspot as PhotographerNo1 and Firoze Shakir Poet.
I cross blog to Wordpress Photographer No 1.
I have a Kumbh Mela site at Blogspot that I have changed it to Hope and Hindutva.
I cross blog to Marziya Shakir on Wordpress her picture posts.
Than I blog my Hijra pictures to Hijda eunuch blog my Hijra blogs on Word Press.
And finally on Twitter.
I was adding links lately at Indi Blogger I gave it up..
My average viewership at Flickr per day is 15000 - 12000.
I dont see the blogstats at Wordpress or Blogspot.
And Facebook is just learning about blogging so the blog stats will come much later.
And now for the culinary curious the item in the vessel is Bitryani masala that goes into making Dum Biryani..which differs from my Dum Madar Blogs.
Or perhaps they are same.
I have added a page on Marziya Shakir at Flickr.
Marziya Shakir on my Flickr set is a 11000 picture series from the second day of her birth till current date.
And I thank all of you here at Flickr and Facebook Twitter other websites for giving this blog a chance of survival and hope.
This is my 147040 photo blog at Flickr in about 3 years.
Thank you Dr Glenn Losack for the pro membership or all this I would be blogging at Blogspot instead of Flickr.
Satyanarayan Puja At Ramesh Garuds House Bandra
Satyanarayan Puja At Ramesh Garuds House Bandra, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
147,040 items / 1,125,111 views
There are a few house Ganpatis I shoot every year when I shoot the Ganpati pandals one of them is the Garuds the Pamaks and Farzans house ganpati.
I shoot this simply to show you the hospitality of the house that brings in Lord Ganeshs their faith their love and the sadness when the Lord leaves their house to go back to his own house in the sea.
So I blog and through my blogs take you time and again into a journey of life in a city called Amchi Mumbai.. a city that can make you or break you within seconds.
A city of hopes dreams and disillusionment.
I have blogged Bandra my immediate surroundings the lives the people the cats dogs goats .. the faceless fervor in the nooks crannies I have blogged filth garbage apathy and sometimes the eunuch soul of the people who stay here.
Nothing changes not the filth the garbage openly displayed for all and sundry.
And because a good photographer shoots good things of life as a photo blogger I shoot the underbelly of pain the beggars and misery and more pain.
I shoot crap I shoot shit I am known in colloquial undertones as the Rastachap Photographer of Bandra.
Roadside photographer as compared to street photographer.
With dark clouds looming in the horizon of my own life my blogging too is coming to the end of its shelf life.
And this is a fact, i now realize as my wife says you shoot the same things over and over again dont you get sick and tired.
Actually I shoot because I have a camera that is attuned to a poets soul, I shoot life as it shoots me.
I shoot simple ordinary mundane things things you dont shoot with a Mach 5.
But come what may I could never shoot cinematographic life with a mobile phone.
It just would not fit in on my mobile phone the first phone I have not changed since 4 years.
So I taught Marziya the importance of shooting pictures on my own Nikon D 80 , and as she has been away for over 3 weeks my life has lost its color and mirth.
Marziya will be 3 years old in Nov, and when I give Marziya my camera she will not take it without first pacing the long strap around her neck.
She knows how to hold the camera firmly in her hands as though she is holding the breath of her life , she learnt to feel the camera its contours the buttons as I would blindfold her and than ask her to shoot.. So she ended up teaching me photography.
About Satyanarayan puja from Wikipedia.
The Satyanarayan Puja is a Hindu religious observance. It is a ritual performed by Hindus before/on any major occasion like marriage, house warming ceremony etc. It can also be performed on any day for any reason.It is believed the ceremony originated in Bengal as Satya Pir ritual performed by all communities (Hindu, Muslim and buddhists) and later in 1800s morphed into Satyanarayan puja.[1],[2],[3]
The Satyanarayana Puja is usually done on the Purnima day of every month (the day of the full moon) or a Sankranti. It is also done on special occasions and during times of achievements as an offering of gratitude to the Lord. These occasions include marriage, graduation, new job, and the purchase of a new home to name a few. In addition, it is said that a devotional performance of this puja will bear children to couples trying to start a family.
The puja starts by a prayer to Lord Ganesha, to remove all obstacles that may occur as a result of incorrectly performing the puja. This is done by chanting all the names of Lord Ganesha and offering prasad (a food offering, usually consisting of one of Lord Ganesha's favorite foods - modak, a sugar and coconut mixture, or ladu) and the showering of flower petals.
Another part of the prayer involves a prayer to the Navagraha's - the nine important celestial beings in the universe. They consist of Surya (the Sun), Chandra (the moon), Angaaraka/Chevaai (Mars), Budha (Mercury), Guru aka Bruhaspati (Jupiter), Shukra (Venus), Sani (Saturn), Rahu (the head of the Demon snake), and Ketu (the tail of the Demon snake).
The rest of the puja consists of worship to Satyanarayana, an extremely benevolent form of Lord Vishnu. First "panchamritam" is used to clean the place where the deity is placed. After placing the deity in the correct position, Satyanaraya swami is worshipped. Names of Satyanarayana are chanted along with offering of a variety of prasad (including a mixture of milk, honey, ghee/butter, yogurt, sugar) and flower petals.
Another requirement of the puja is that the story of the puja be heard among all those observing and partaking in the pooja. The story involves the origin of the puja, the benefits of it, and the potential mishaps that may occur with the careless performance of the puja.
The prayer concludes with an Aarti, which consists of revolving a small fire-lit-lamp in the vicinity of an image of the Lord. After the puja is over, participants and observers of the pooja are required to ingest in the prasad that was offered and blessed by the Lord.
It is told that Satyanarayan Katha is in REVA volume of Skanda Purana. But this volume is devoted to pilgrimages on the valley of river REVA. In Satyanarayana there is no Reva river. In original Skanda Purana there is nothing like Satyanarayana. Recent Skanda Puranas added it with clear note of its new addition in Skanda.
The Satyanarayan Puja is performed in reverence to the Narayan form of Lord Vishnu. The Lord in this form is considered an embodiment of truth. This puja is conducted to ensure abundance in ones life. Many people carry out this puja immediately after or along with an auspicious occasion like a marriage or moving into a new house or any other success in life. It is believed the ceremony originated in Bengal as Satya Pir and was later adapted into Satyanarayan puja.
The Satyanarayan puja can be performed on any day. It is not a puja confined to any festivities. But Poornima (full moon day) or Sankranti are considered to be most auspicious day for this puja.
Performing this puja in the evening is considered more appropriate. However one can do it in the morning as well. On the day of the puja, the devotee has to fast. After bathing the person can begin the puja.
* 'Sinni': A special type of food offering, which is prepared by mixing unboiled milk, flour, sugar, smashed bananas, and other flavours like cinnamon etc., or optional garnishing like groundnuts, cashews, cherries, crushed coconuts/fruits etc.
* Kumkum powder, turmeric powder, rangoli
* Incense sticks, camphor.
* Thirty betel leaves, thirty betel nuts, two coconuts.
* Five almonds,
* Flowers to offer
* One thousand tulsi leaves; banana tree as a canopy[2]
* One square shaped wooden platform
* Two copper jars, two plates.
* One shawl
* A mixture of milk, curd, honey, sugar, ghee to make the panchamrita, Sandal paste.
* Akshat (rice grains) with kumkum powder.
* Attar, Indian perfume.
* Two flower garlands, conch shell, bell, a cloth, a ghee lamp and an oil lamp.
Gow muthra(Cow Urine)
Hiten Fat Boy
147,040 items / 1,125,108 views
Sometimes God adds sadness to mans life he overcomes it or goes down facing it.
Sometimes through pain God shows a path of life, and pain is the chapter in the book of life that one remembers nostalgically ,
Hiten is a sad story of life and because it is a personal story of pain I am under an oath of silence I cannot reveal his pain , but it is an immense pain an immense loss.
I have been shooting Hiten since the time he was a tiny tot fat chubby and I shot him as he grew up, shot his sister Sakshi too, and I shoot kids as residual hope , kids are indeed true representatives of Gods alignment with man.
You may call a man a Hindu or a Muslim or a Christian but a child is a child is a child .
The Child carries the heritage of Man.
Hitens story is known to me and his relatives and it touches us all.
One day perhaps but not now..Hiten is perched in the hopes of his fathers arms.
Hiten and my grand daughter Marziya are friends but she thinks he is too small and I have shot them together too.
With this I have posted a part of my back log of 92 street pictures and a few pandal pictures .
This Is Street Art ,,
146,951 items / 1,124,782 views
I am now uploading the next lot of 92 pictures shot before the Visarjan..
I shall post the Lalbagh Chya Raja Visarjan pictures after this..
I Take Leave of GSB Seva Mandal Ganpati
146,949 items / 1,124,747 views
I had shot 888 photos in a few hours ..I reached home at 2am.
This ends the series at Flickr.
The Muslim Blogger In The Court of Lord GSB Seva Mandal Ganesha
The Muslim Blogger In The Court of Lord GSB Seva Mandal Ganesha, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
146,949 items / 1,124,699 views
Most of my pictures in front of the Lord GSB Ganesha were shot by a Maharashtrian photographer bhakt Raghuveer.
I am thankful to him, as he shoots me every year as I shoot him every year too.
I have known him since three years but never knew his name one is so engrossed shooting the beauty of the Lord of the GSB Community.
And I shoot without holding anything back, I shoot the myriad moods of Lord Ganesh as every mood touches my moods too.
I shoot impulsively I shoot poetically and emphatically.
I shoot Faith barefeet whether it is mine or yours..
I give respect to your faith I get respect for my own Faith too..
does it matter
whether you are a hindu
or i am a muslim
he is eternity
we both
in our diverse ways
part of him
a stream
of peace hope
brotherhood and humanity
we both swim
faith that binds
us in a single hymn
keeps us fit
our soul trim
faith
the hope
the end of the tunnel
when lights go dim
My Camera Was Willing But My Flesh Was Weak
146,907 items / 1,124,627 views
I was barefeet in real bad shape I shot this till late night and only had a sip of water till the time I was here I was offered food as I was about to leave but I let it pass my soul had eaten enough through images and poetic thoughts ..of peace hope and humanity.
I am a diabetic and suffer from diminishing eye sight so most of the time I shoot with my eyes shut.. perhaps it is your eyes that make me see light in the darkness of my soul.
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Shah-e-Mardan Sher-e-Yazdan Quwat-e-Parwardigar Lafata Ila Ali La Saif Ila Zulfiqar , originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1 ....
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Dargah of Hazrat Syed Ali Mira Datar Unava Gujrat , a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr. HAZRAT SYED ALI MIRA DATAR'S G...
