Goddess Mariammen And My Nikon D 80

Goddess Mariammen And My Nikon D 80, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

A few years back in the melee my Nikon D 80 slipped from hand and fell about three feet to the ground, I too was crushed by the crowds people walked over my camera I knew I was the end..but head priest Velu picked up my camera placed it at the feet of the goddess and gave it to me it was intact ..


Velu and I became good friends and though he lives in Chennai he calls me off and on..

I carried my monopod this time to use it while the rods were being removed but with the surging crowds and the danger of being pierced accidentally I hardly used it I shot a lot , and yet I could have shot more but I was drenched tired I had not eaten just water kept my spirits up.

I shot from 4 pm to 10 pm the rod removing scenes would have gone on till midnight but I walked away back towards the beach end grabbed a ricksha showered and began posting these pictures of the morning event..

Goddess Mariamman is a favorite of women and the young strapping kids with 18 feet rods in their mouth they dance leap in the air and go into a circular frenzy..

The Tamils dont get tired their energy spiritual and physical is mind boggling, and if they make you their friend than you are a friend of theirs for life.

Not once did I feel like an outsider or a Muslim I was one of them and they took care of me every step of the way.

The hijras that I met at the end would not leave me they kept cribbing and wanted to know why I had removed my hijdaeunuchblogs from Wordpress I told them because of Wordpress Support racist attitude towards an Indian blogger..and this is a fact.. I shall keep it locked till Word Press Support gets back to me and tells me why they had disabled my blogs and than enabled it again..

I think and I reiterate Flickr support is more just , more human and more understanding than any web presence on the Internet , even Facebook Help is not as kindly or supportive as Flickr Support..

And I have become a kind of folklore and celebrity for the net savvy hijda transgender community of Mumbai. so they just came stood in front of me wanting to be shot.

Finally when I reached home my wounded leg was in bad shape my grand daughter Marziya wanted to shoot me she isthe worlds youngest photographer but I was too tired to oblige instead she shot my son in law Assad Dadan.