Tuesday, September 4, 2012

One Upon A Time at Vasai With The Toilers of The Sea

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I shot this many years back and before the monsoon set in I would go to Vasai to shoot the fishermen Koli community bring in the fishing boats on the shore from the seas..and this a tough herculean task depending on the size of the boats ..

I shot this many a times but could never capture the beauty of the first images I shot here with my photo guru Shreekanth Malushte..

I am indebted to him to have made me shoot all aspects of my life and my surroundings I shot seagulls , wild life in captivity , architecture landscape .. and than finally pegged myself in a slot of street and human photography.

Even my religious sets are part of the gamut of street photography, be it Hope Hindutva Sufism or Shiasm and the 14 Stations of the Cross , including the body piercing series of Goddess Marriamen that I document every year, I was to pierce my cheek to with a 18 feet rod I might do it next year..to show my support to my Hindu Tamil friends followers of Goddess Marriamen ..
All my street ritual photography including shooting Lal Bagh Chya Rajas final journey till the sea I abort my photography at Kumbharwada after shooting the Hindu Muslim amity at Do Tanki.. organized by my dear friend Sajid Bhai..of Hindu Muslim Ekta Commitee..

My hijra sets too are based on the streets and some indoors ..and the Red Light areas of women whoring their fleshy souls on Mumbais mean street are based on the streets too..I could shoot a lot indoors as I am close to the Hijra prostitutes but I chose to let it pass , as my human chronicles of their life would only titillate and not serve the purpose of my documentary.

I dont think I could shoot nature or landscape it does not fit in the poetry of my soul..

I shoot crap shit garbage , the only reality on the soul of somnolent society...our garbage shows the kind of people we are like the facade of a building in Balzacs Human Comedy , Old Goriot showed the kind of people lived within..

My characters my people are Dickensian , my despair my doom shots are all what I read of Zola I was highly influenced by Dostoevsky and French writers .. and my shots are my humble tribute to these literary giants .. including Oscar Wilde and George Gissing..

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Mumbai Police is Human Too

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mumbai police
is human too
believes in god
his godliness
more than
me and you
following the
lalbaghcha raja
as they bid
him adieu
at makhdoom
shah baba
their sandal
is first to
get through
paying respect
to the holy saint
a spiritual
pact to renew
with the help
of the almighty
hardcore criminals
they pursue
no accolades
just brickbats
not even a thank you
but they do their duty
law and order
they imbue
a thankless job they do
underpaid , uncared for
the men in khaki
it is true

then they get beaten up their women molested by a few ..the organizers untouched who started it all no one has a clue political protection coalition compulsions a heady brew .. farewell arup patnaik rajesh sethi ..we will certainly miss you a protest in the holy month of ramzan shames us all muslims of every color sect and hue ..

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BLOOD OATH

beneath the layer of our blood
which breaks the dam with force
karbala the land of a million tears
its source
through various countries
various shores
into the hearts of shias
an ocean of hussainiyat
its course
each year a blood oath
we reinforce
breaking open
a million doors
read our faith beneath
ghame hussain
no greater pain or remorse
we want to live in peace
but yazidiyat
is bent
on settling scores
bombing our holy shrines
our mosques
while the conscience
of humanity snores.

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Muslim Woman in a Mans World

she begs
while they pray
her words
they wont
hear anyway
muslim male
dominated society
mullah powered
fatwa generated
fire and brimstone
a woman has no say
born in a cradle
to her grave
she will go
by the way
triple talaq
a sword hanging
on her head
either way
they slay
a mother
a sister
a daughter
an aunt
she is a woman
you dont
need to repay
a toy
made of
blood
sinews
a bit of clay
her world stark
black and white
no shades of gray

dedicated to fred miller the pune essence

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The Mad Man of Lalbagh


iski
mashuka
ko lekar
bhag gaya
iska dost
ek itifaq
jalgayi
iski duniya
khab ho
gaye rakh
lawaris
gumshuda
durbhag
no future
no hope
no heart
no love
no dimag

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The Mad Lady of Lalbagh



badan pe waqt
ki kharochein
dil be dagh
bujh gayi
jawani
bujh gayi
ag na koie
fikr na
koie soch
ek toota
phoota
purza
na dimag

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The Umbrella Lady of Bandra Reclamation

She lives close to my house, at Bandra Reclamation, her home is her life beneath the umbrella ,I have never seen her standing up, its as though she has been permanently attached to the floor .
I give her money most of the time I pass her by.

Even when there are heavy rains she lives this way..
No complaints, no moans or groans.

Festivals come and go, political bigwigs pass this way, but she has distanced herself from the rest of the world.

Mind you she does not beg at all, if you offer her something she takes it.. with no display of human emotion..

Is she a Hindu ?
Is she a Christian or a Muslim ?
Hardly matters , religiosity has not touched her at all with its poisonous fangs.
She is neither an atheist or an agnostic.

She is a woman the beginning and the end.

She has taken this frugal existence of hers as part of her karma.. is what I gather from her silence and her eternally sealed lips..
Omerta the poor womans code of Silence.

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Mohomed Arif Qazilbash and Me

Shot by my Wife

Mohomed Arif Qazilbash is my wifes younger brother, her only brother , who recently got married into a Mehmoodabad family.

He has a store called Diamond Cassettes at Nakhas Lucknow.

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At The Fair You Get Stories And Good Pictures Too


The most important aspect of shooting the fair is to meet the organizer and tell him you are ding a short picture story and now if you tell Facebook is a plus point, they allow you to shoot and give permission willingly ..and you can spend hours weaving a web around new faces experiences and this is ideal for photo bloggers ..

Though later in life I moved away from this genre and began documenting pain , beggars and transgender.. and God in his humility gave me pictures created situations that I could shoot promote peace hope harmony .. and showcase the angst of my people my surroundings .

And all this was shot in 2008 ..

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God is Not Greedy For Money Gold Or Riches .. Flowers Will Suffice



but you
blackmail him
with your richly
ostentatious
sacrifice
you extort
more for
your own
greediness
your lust
your loaded
dice god
says it is
not nice
god is not
stupid
dumb
please
think
twice
dont
overfeed
him with curds
milk rice
give it instead
to a poor beggar
on the street
she cries
give her
hope
warmth
comfort
she dies

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The Power of Human Eyes

born on the pavement
a ripped umbilical cord
the penniless cries
a drunk father
snoring away
on the garbage bin
a single bed in disguise
mother legs spread wide
hands tied
her first child birth
her broken hearted pride
tears on her parched soul
her only guide
now she has another imp
that lies by her side
sorting the garbage
she takes life
in her stride
praying earnestly
to a god she seeks
who loves to hide
the great divide
life sometimes up
sometimes down
a rollercoaster ride

tears on her parched soul
her only guide

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Welcome To Mount Mary Fair Again This Year



come
photographer
shoot my eyes
my hopes my fears
my molten tears
shoot my begging
mother her plea
no one hears
shoot humans
dont shoot deer
human life is cheap
recyclable a new
birth every year
ashes to ashes
dust on my soul
come smear
dead gone
irani casbah
where does
one drink beer
only yacht remains
memories nostalgia
the early morning
utaras the puking
the udhar ..music
of life played by ear
the hudson gang
peter collins frank
carol 3 cheers

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Sorry You Cant Post Your Shit On My Wall ..

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The Most Neglected Area of Bandra West Is Bandra Bazar Road

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Jai Maharashtra Mee Mumbaikar

She is a vegatable vendor plying her business on Bandra Bazar Road, she has no shop, the politicians that talk of Maharashtrian resurgence have done nothing to change the lt of these enterprising self dependent but poor folks.
There are quite a few of them all devotees of Jari Mari Devi.

I am very fond of this elderly Maharashtrian lady, I have been shooting her pictures since a very long time, she grumbles as to what I will do with her pictures.
She tells me go shoot some pretty lady instead of an old hag like her.
But she is the best of Maharashtra.
She embodies hard work, determination and grit.
She has seen bad times , good times have not yet come to her doorsteps.

Her daughter in law sells vegetables on the same road..

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I Am a Failed Bollywood Actor ..



I acted in Raj Kumar Santoshis China Gate and Rahul Anands serial Ranjish..

That was the beginning and end of my filmy career ...

acting
was simply
not my cup
of tea
grapes
are sour
i agree
so from
designer
to actor
a broken
down tractor
i became a
hobbyist
photographer
a roadside poet
an incorrigible
blogger finally
shooting
sleeping dogs
beggars hijras
liberty equality
a dam madar
malang my
spiritual sanity
i shoot give
respect
to all religion
no religion
greater
than
humanity
i had recently
mortgaged
my balls
a fashion whore
in a fashion store
disharmony
disparity
i gave it up
i am now
my own boss
my time my own
poor but totally free

acting tips i learnt while dressing up shaktiji and dannyji babumoshai kakaji and shatruji

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BOLLYWOOD TIMES

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Daryl Marziya and Sebastian

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Bipin Tanna my best friend

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