The Beggar Hijras of Turner Road

The Beggar Hijras of Turner Road, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.

As a street photographer shooting the angst of the streets of pain human despair is the genre of my moving images , poetry blogs with or without words.

I am known to most of the hijras of Bandra , most of the beggar hijras from Bandra to Versova know me , and I was once the barefeet beggar poet of Bandra ..
Now I wear Fucked Shoes ..

Begging can be professional or spirituality humility based , and imagine an empty stomach at the mercy of left overs as food , and at the Kumbh I lived with the Naga Sadhus of Junagadh my Naga Guru Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj took me from door to door I begged with them barefeet , and did not carry my camera I was one of them , huddled in a corner a winter chill at Nasik Trimbakeshwar I sat in a corner ate what they ate ..and thanked God for this experience of coming face to face with Hunger a powerful human emotion hunger for food and so much hunger all around ..

I have been close to the hijras at Ajmer and Haji Malang , I saw them beg and this is hijra humility , however rich the hijra begs and what she collects from shopkeepers goes in a pool a langar that feeds the poor of Ajmer at the Urus of Khwajah Garib Nawaz.

Lakshmi of Turner Road is devotee of Lord Ayapa , she is very fond of me , as I have given her sarees trinkets when I had my own workplace down the 28 Road Bandra off Waterfiled Road and now I am once again back on the same road..


Lakshmi Guru beggar hijra in the picture among the traffic is disappointed at not meeting Kim and Viola my friends from Denmark I had told them to pay Rs 500 if and when they took her interview it never happened .Lakshmi will never ask me for money unlike her chelas she knows I am a Dam Madar Malang and she knows I pray for her , some hijras touch my feet in the ricksha.. asking me to pray for them..I do,,,,

Hijras are very powerful personalities complex characters and no ambiguity in their intentions, and I have met so many in life I have lost track, and I meet them in trains and at the crossroads of Life.

I dont run after hijras , I will never run after hijras , but I have the Hijra Vardan I shall meet them , and in some case I can will them to meet me .. as easy as that.

So hijra photography is a thing from within , I shoot hijras as children of a lesser God a god without gender , a god who is nether man nor woman the hijra god of the hijra beggars of the streets .

The upper echelons of prosperous hijra society does not like the exposure of the hijra life online so in most cases a few bigots exist in hijra society too absolutely hating photographers like me .. luckily they can never accuse me of selling my pictures or my hijra stories , and fuck like other of my ilk I am not going to shove a Hijra Coffee Table book up the choked constipated ass of Page 3 denizens .

People like me in India will never be promoted and it has nothing to do with my being a Muslim , publishers dont touch bloggers period .. and bloggers like me definitely cant go under the desk and suck a editor cock..cum what may...I dont know any lady publisher so i cant tell you more on them...


No association of hijras or cultural groups will ever help a blogger in sponsoring camera or help finance his trips .. you have to have fame and acclaim and lick ass to make it to the top..

I am deeply touched by a friend Vesti who gave me a years Pro membership here at Flickr.com..life has not been a bed of roses for me but I am not complaining..

If someone could sponsor me I could go and shoot the Eunuch festival at Koovagam , and show you their lifestyle ..but no such luck.. so I shut my own shop and now work for another person..

I dont know this year if I get to shoot Haji Malang or Ajmer I leave it to Divine Intervention , till that time I shall shoot beggar hijras of Turner Road ..