Shooting The Soul of The Bandra Slums

Shooting The Soul of The Bandra Slums, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

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I had a lot of pictures in my camera I have just downloaded to my computer I was too lazy to get them on the Internet.

This Indraji Nagar Bandra close to my house , my short cut to my work space cutting through a narrow path and coming out near the transit camp , Bandra Jain Mandir finally towards Bandra Hill Road.

This is high up the ladder slums as compared to the slums in the Bandra Eat area, and maybe these cheek by cheek houses dark dim are not as gloomy as one finds in the east..Hindus Muslims live peacefully in harmony over here..

On my way to work I pass Iqbal Bhai Slumdog caterer who allows me to savor his fare , last evening I had Koliwada Rawas fish , he would have given me some more but the guy had counted the number of fish pieces and given it to Iqbal bhai for frying only..

Last week I ordered Mutton Khichda a kilo I paid him Rs 500.. so I have a good relationship and he likes me because I shoot his pictures too..he is one of the best caterers this side of Bandra.

Its the slum kids who wait for me both morning and afternoon to be photographed and made famous on the Internet.

The goat in the picture is being fattened for Bakra Eid...

This is a very quite peaceful slum a few ladies brawls that adds to the poetry of my life too.. there are no hijras in this slum but they are at Lal Mitti.. I have not seen their shanties though I know most of them specially Reshma Hijra who was actually a boy known as Asif..

Her specialty is dancing at Muslim weddings in the slums..


The Bandra West slums on my side are quite different from the slums known as Shastri Nagar near the Bandra Bus Depot and Bandra West Railway station..I have shot this slum during Ramzan.. from the outside without going in the dinghy bylanes.

Slum photography is a unique opportunity to capture the soul of those living on the edge...