Are You A Hijra?

Are You A Hijra?, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

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The hijra by this act of piercing his cheeks with a 21 feet rod takes on the avatar of the goddess.. people seek his blessings touch his feet and holistic bliss prevails.

Being in Mumbai with chains on my feet, held captive due to turbulence and trials of my own fate I am lucky as a poet I get to shoot all this.. and Mother Marriammen calls me without her blessings I could have never reached Sion Koliwada I did not know the date this ritual takes place but all in all I was destined to shoot it..


I dont know a single soul here at Sion Koliwada a call from a friend Sam Bajaj and I came rushing here barefeet and shot it till the very end.

I dont envy photographers who go to shoot wildlife nature , those who shoot fashion I am happy shooting my culture as a Hindu Shia.. I shoot the Hindu culture as it is my inheritance of Birth.. I shoot it in sheer humility and I dont ridicule a culture or show it in poor light..

Even shooting hijras is about destiny faith.. you my have camera good contacts but you must be destined to shoot hijras..I have at times forced hijras into the vision of my camera and it is known as Hijra Vardan...they have to cross my path as I cross their path too it is a cosmic connection and not fluke or chance..

I have mobile numbers of a few hijras I met at Haji Malang I never call them I am not a hijra stalker I am not into hijra sex I am not obsessed by hijras but we connect ...

And my pictures are not part of Hijra Coffee Table books the greatest insult to the freedom of the Hijra his trial his tribulation..his fight against a system that treats the hijra a third class citizen..

Hijras is not about cleavage or tits or sexuality I have shot pictures to show you that even hijras can grow tits on a barren body landscape..

The hijra is a congregational creature but he is a loner too.. its his poetry passion pathos I shoot..and than I get a weird message from a fucked Shia mind in my Facebook inbox.. Are You A Hijra and the most fucked message was from a Shia girl.. Are You A Shia..

I am Nothing I shoot nothingness I shoot void vacuous space my religiosity has got nothing to do with what I shoot .. or what shoots me much before I shoot it to...

Yes I am a Hijra in more ways than one I clap my hands with disgust on the face of Stupidity Idiocy and Racism of a narrow pea brained Mind of Man.