Monday, May 16, 2011

Marriamma Feast Madras Wadi Worli Seaface 2011

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Milk drunk by the percer but not swallowed is accumulated which he spits in the mouth of the person who has the rod this lubricates the rod makes it easy to maneuver to and fro or move it backward forward..

Even milk is again used for removal of the rod it loosens the grip and comes out in one pull.. there is bleeding that is covered with ah and a scarf tied round the face..

The hooks too are removed by pouring cold freezing water on the back where the hooks are lodged and some hooks require two or three people to bring it out hooks in the mouth are removed by milk..

Removal of rods from a woman's mouth and a childs mouth hits the guts.. you know what I mean .. a lot of possession takes place at the time of removal of the rod...quite frightening I shot it this time..

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Hardcore Street Photography Or A Poetry of Pain

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I will be doing this ritual soon , it has eluded me for reasons unknown to me but not fear or pain..I cut my head three or four times a year during Moharam so pain is not the criteria.. and as I have been shooting documenting this festival in Mumbai for many years now I am aware of its importance to the Tamil Hindu diaspora of believers of Mother Marriamma in Mumbai.

This ritual has to grow become a part of your system and the poetry of life , because I have shot it passionately as passionately as I shoot my own Shia rituals it has entered my psyche too and I am a mystic who understands the power of such rituals part of my cultural inheritance and the heritage of Mother India the country of my birth.

I am known to the Tamils and all the rod and hook piercers and participants know me very well I am part of the canvas of this event wherever I am invited .. be it Nehru Nagar Juhu Mahim Macchimar Colony or Madras Wadi or Sion Koliwada..

I am very close to Davendar of Nehru Nagar Juhu , Laxmi the sister of the high priest of Marriamma Mahim Ganesh and Shanmuhgam of Madras Wadi Worli also Punjabi young guy Sam Bhatia of Sion Koliwada ,.a devotee of Mother Marriamma has been a person who has kept me informed of this event.

Sam Bhatia an event manager cum famous caterer participates in the Chattri ritual or human juggernaut , body pierced with 108 rods in the front back side of the mouth including the tongue sometimes and the cheeks.


I shoot this event like most of the events on an empty stomach a forcible fast and barefeet..here at Worli seaface where the rituals began late but I had come at 4 pm my barefeet got burnt and I still have blisters with pus in them and I am a diabetic..but I defy all thoughts of pain being a beggar poet the metaphor of this event enters my poetic psyche seamlessly and fluidly.

I prefer Mahim Macchimar colony because I feel close to home and I have never completely shot the event at Mahim from beginning to end I tire out and call it a day..

At Nehru Nagar I shoot the removal of the rods and at Worli Madras Wadi too..


But I must tell you if the person piercing your cheek is a novice you are in trouble as one false move your cheeks will be ripped apart leaving a scar a disfigurement for life..so the rod piercer has to be a seasoned hand like Rajah Maharajah Shanmugham Ganesh or Davendar there are others too I dont know by name.


You have to undertake a fast before doing this ritual.. tie a yellow thread with a leaf as a symbol of protection of Mother Marriamma.


This is akin to Thaipussam but not Thaipussam per se.. it is similar yet very different though the origins maybe the same...

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What I Hate About Facebook

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I have posted this as a Facebook fucked note from the only sucker poet of Mumbai.. I am a blogger who seminal like splurts squirt blogs soliloquizes the spectral soul of the poetry of pain , deleted dreams broken dreams at at Flickr.cum..

My Facebook Note

What I Hate About Facebook

1 People Adding me without sending me a message if we dont have a mutual contact..people who add me without a profile photo or adequate profile ..



2 People who create groups and add me without taking my permission or consent I am not a party animal social spiritual .



3 People sending me chain mail.. people tagging me for fuck sake..there should be a reason to tag me..



4 People should remove me from their feeds as I am a blogger who pimps his blogs on Facebook.. I wont stop posting what I post that is the risk you take when you add me I wont post my stuff on your wall unless I shot you..



5 I am a Shia but I am human too I post pictures of every religiosity I shoot, I shoot hijras too I cant stop shooting what you may like or not like, dont click on my links .. I am positive spam to those who who are not aware about bloggers or blogging..



6 Dont try to change me my beliefs .. simply because I wont change my stripes or my spots.. I am a married man but I also fall in love it is the nature of the primal poet in me.. falling in love makes me write a few poems being ditched jilted spurned makes me write more tenaciously and vigorously..I cant help it..



The picture is of my hand that is saying stop it yar.. bahut kha li mar ab ho gaya main hoshiyar.. kuyon kiya muhjse pyar..phir war aur takrar.. iikrar aur inkar.. pyal ki jhankar.. up close so far..



And last I hate Facebook notes as I am a blogger and Facebook should introduce .. Blogs instead of notes and Blog Stats too..

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Cheek Piercing Marriamma Feast Madras Wadi Worli Seaface

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Milk is Used As Lubricant to Move The Rod Within the Mouth

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Cheek Piercing Marriamma Feast Madras Wadi Worli Seaface

185,131 items / 1,463,365 views

I was absolutely close to Shanmugham yet it is not easy to get the shots though this area was not as crowded or congested as Nehru Nagar Juhu piercings at Juhu beach..

There were piercings going on above at the Worli promenade but I preferred shooting dowen below because of lesser crowds though the rocks on this beach were cutting into my bare feet and it hurt me as I took the shots..

It was here when the Tamil drummers arrived and began their hypnotic trance drumming I just fell like a bag of potatoes on the rocks such is the power of the drums ..I was revived with water and ash, and my camera was intact..

I was back on my feet shooting the rituals .. the rituals at Madras Wadi an enclave of slums near the Worli Gutter continued even after I took leave of Shanmugham..now a lot of people know me and I am not a person one would forget easily I was the the lone guy shooting the rod removal rituals at the Maryamma Temple at Madras Wadi/

Because of the heat humidity I had removed my Tshirt sleeveless jacket and all my jewelry too..I shot with a telly and a wide angle lens ..

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Jai Bhavani,Jai Shivaji.. Anhi Jai Poriborton

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MAA MATI MARATHI MAHNOOS

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मी मराठी Mee Marathi,Common Man Mala Pan Poriborton Paije

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Marriamma Feast Madras Wadi Worli 2011 - At Worli Seaface

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This is my new set at Flickr.com I shot this evening at Worli Seaface it is the Marriamma feast of the Tamil Hindus of Madras Wadi Worli .

The starting point is Worli Seaface , last night they had a walk on fire I have not shot the fire walk as yet.

I was invited to this do by my good friend Shanmugham .

I reaced Worli sea face at 4 pm,barefeet and the road tar burnt the cheeks of my feet completely..Shanmugham and his troupe arrived very late at about 5.30 , the rod piercings began on the rocky beach below but a lot of piercings were happening on the promenade my friend Raja the piercer and Maharajah piercer were there too.

I shoot Shanmugham, but once the drummers arrived and began their hypnotic drumming I went into a trance and collapsed on the rocks they revived me with ash and water.

Nothing happened to my camera..

Later I shot the guys with hooks being attached to a crane on a bullock cart , they sacrificed a cock by pulling is neck,, the body they threw over the head of the crowds not before the blood of the cock fell on my right hand I had it cleaned immediately with water.

From Worli seaface I walked with the procession till Madras Wadi a long distance my barefeet were in real bad shape Shamugham carried a bunch of tadgolas attached to hooks on his back... their were guys pulling a car with hooks etc,

At Madras Wadi I shot the Maryamma temple and removal of hooks and rods and than walked a distance took a bus and came home..It was hot and humid I had removed my Tshirt and my sleeveless jacket and shot the procession bare breasted.

I dedicate this set to my dear friend Dr Glenn Losack MD..he would have enjoyed shooting this I am sure.

Spitting milk in the mouth during piercing acts as a lubricant to move the rod and is used for removal of the road too.


There were two Chattri or Umbrella with men within all hooked up like a umbrella.

One of the guys had pierced needles and hung huge meta bells or ghungroos from it a lot of people collapsed it is known as Devi possession or devi or goddess entering the human body.

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