The Famous Beggar Hijras of Bandra Turner Road

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

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This is for my friend Bas Dickinson, from Tasmania , a friendly Australian with a heart of Gold.
He had come home had meals with me and endeared himself to my family, than I bought him here to the Turner Road Traffic signal I was barefeet hopping on one leg as the heat of the tar road can be very infuriatingly painful.

When I bought him to this famous Bandra Trafic Signal the hijras were not around, but they are there mostly at noon till about 5 pm... working their ass off running after cars when the traffic comes to a halt, pleading begging for alms.Most of the beggar hijras are in bad state smelly , sweaty, but they are polite and not unruly rwdy like other hijras at lesser known traffic signals..
This is a rich mans traffic stop, so this hijra in the yellow saree neatly dressed takes charge , she speaks fluent English, extremely convincing.. I give her money generously and she loves posing for me on the streets.

I shot a lot of frames but you will only see this one , my friends who I have added on Flickr can see all my hijra pictures poems and blogs.


As my workspace is beyond this signal I often meet them , chat with them and know almost all of them by face.. they respect me too.. but they want money and when I am with my wife in the ricksha they manage to get more from her.

My wife is a silent soul she does not talk to the hijras but she gives them money..she gives them hard cash instead of coins so they like her more.

My friend the beggar Laxmi is the guru of one lot of hijras , they work at both ends two different groups, one end is the vehicles going towards Linking road and the other end is vehicles coming from the Linking road side moving to Bandra Hill Road or taking a Left turn to got to town or the station

They have lunch at a nearby Dhabba ..roti or bhurji costing rs 10 .. or tea and biscuits.

They dont eat left overs unless it is given to them by well packed by those who visit Moti Mahal the famous foodie joint or Stomach restaurant.

It is tough in the rains as they have no umbrellas get completely drenched running behind moving cars ..two wheelers etc.


Most of the hijras manning the traffic signals they say are not hijras but guys dressed as women impersonating hijras , so they hardly have the ancestry or lieneage of the hijras .. and are shunned by the hijra community too.

I have shot theMangti or the beggar hijras extensively I prefer shooting them as their life is awaful.. and they are the lowest of the low..
I also shot the train begging hijras extensively I meet them on all my trips..

And of course I have also shot hijra commercial workers in red light areas like Hijra Gully No1 now defunct Shuklaji Street Foras Road and Peela House.


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