The Beggar Hijras of Bandra

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

Most of the hijras on this beat know me as a Malang and respect me , but wont stop asking alms I give them generously , and there was a time I gave them old sarees beads etc, and this was possible as I visited the flea market o Fridays in the past a few years back , picked up all this for them , but sadly I discontinued going to the flea market completely..

People dont treat the hijras of this hierarchy , as hijras because many of them are guys wanting to make a fast buck dressed as hijras , even tribal women pretend they are hijras clap their hands beg at traffic signals.

Their guru is also called Lakshmi is a very dear friend of mine and devotee of Lord Balaji..She keeps inviting me to her house but it has not happened I politely refuse her incvites lack of time and inclination..
I shoot hijras thats it , I shoot them as they are and I give them the same respect I would give any other man..or woman for that matter.

But hijras are part of my poetry like feathers of my broken wings .. we cant do without each other ..

Had I gone a bit earlier for the Haji Malang Urus I would have got to shoot a lot of hijras but most of them had left as I arrived late .. and so that is why I aborted my trip.. after shooting the Urus of Sultan Shah Baba.

I document the hijras I do it as their pain has to be showcased and shown to the world and to society that treats them on par as stray dogs .. actually stray dogs get more respect than beggar hijras ..with so many dog activists falling over each other to see they are taken care of and fuck honestly who has time for hijras .. politicians of all hue give respect to dogs pass rules laws for their protection but when it comes to hijras .. of fuck hijras they say..