Firoze Shakir Poet - Frozen Time: 09/25/12

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

I Can Only Shoot What I Was Destined To Shoot ..Pictures On My Karmic Route

I Can Only Shoot What I Was Destined To Shoot ..Pictures On My Karmic Route, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.

Thank You GSB Seva Mandal Family For Allowing Me To Shoot This Grand Event

Thank You GSB Seva Mandal Family For Allowing Me To Shoot This Grand Event, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.

There are over 500 images remaining to be uploaded I shot from KIng Circle till Dadar I shot a lot there was no method , but I shot every nuance myriad mood of Gsb Lord Ganesha..

I had a problem with my telly lens I shot purely on 50 mm 1.4

I was shooting on Canon EOS 60D ..

My camera too was not working properly the following day I had all my problems sorted out at Canon Service center Natraj Rustomjee but forgot to tell them about the 60 D shutter problem..

I am now leaving to shoot the 7 day visarjan .. I will see the outcome of my camera afte I have shot pictures ...

I thank all the volunteers friends heads of GSB Seva Mandal who let me shoot this grand event and encouraged me , they gave me total cooperation and treated me as one of their own family .. I could not make it the whole way till the end..

And these pictures are my humble tribute to my dear departed friend late Mr Dinesh Pai.. RIP Sir ..

The Chaiwalas of Mumbai

The Chaiwalas of Mumbai, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.

He sits near the fruit stalls of Khar Pali 14 Road and they do brisk business , and as I do not know him I cannot tell you much about him , but there are famous chaiwalas in every street corner , at my old workplace 28 road it was Mohomed Bhai from Kerala , ricksha guys came from as far as Mulund to have his tea,, and this is partly the magic of the brew and the maker of the tea, nimble fingered right amount of milk , sugar and tea combos .

Whatever Mr Lokmanya Tilaks Views About Starting Ganesha Festival. In Modern Times Ganesha Keeps Hope Alive

Whatever Mr Lokmanya Tilaks Views About Starting Ganesha Festival. In Modern Times Ganesha Keeps Hope Alive, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.

My Bandra Blogs

My Bandra Blogs, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.

I live in Bandra ,,
Much before I held the camera in my hand I knew the world I lived in , I had seen it with my camera like eye , retained it on the viewfinder of my cosmic soul..

And I was lucky having worked for Bollywood I knew the importance of the camera and a short stint at Mudra got me in touch with eminent photographers coming from a tailoring fashion backgound I knew nothing about photography,but I tagged along with the art director Mr Gurav and thus got a chance to see great artists at work..the number one master of light Pablo Bartholomew , he allowed me to carry his camera bag his lights and I puppy like followed him to Subodh Manektala but those days I was not at all impressed with photography only the photographer , Pablo visited my house met my wife my son Asif , he shot a bit for a campaign called Scanned Memories ..

Than I met Suresh Cordo Suresh Sheth with Suresh Sheth I went to Agra for Vimal Suiting campaign of Kabir Bedi all clothes styled by me ,.

I met Chippy Nadish Narojee I knew his mom from Burlingtons where I worked in the 70s Jeannie Naorojee was a legend I worked with Mr Callaghan on the QE2 Fashion shows so in one way or other photography germs had invaded my subconsciousness .

It was to get rid of my alcoholism the mind doctor more fuckedin the head than me asked me to take up something more intoxicating than booze I took up photography ..the rest is history 3 gurus Mr Malushte Prof BW Jatkar and Dronocharya Mr KG Maheshwari.. Mr Anil Bhartiya and others who helped me on the way Bhupesh ,Vinay Paralkar..Anil Risal Singh to name a few ..

And today I use my camera to capture humanity ,, my photography is simplifying the essence of the common man and a common factor survival of the unfittest , yes I shoot beggars , my blogs made me a poet too,,,

And I reiterate I am not a photogaphe per se .. only a blogger street photographer

Both my grand daughters one year and 4 are unconsciously bloggers too knowing the use of the camera too ...as one uses a spoon to mouthfeed .. the body and the soul..

The Loban Smoke Guy ..

The Loban Smoke Guy .., a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.

These guys are Miyas Muslims from North India they fumigate the shop with incense loban and get a few coins ..they add to the barkat factor of the shop...and the most famous item they have in their arsenal is coal..coal that has made people multi billionaires .. coal that literally grows on trees instead of Mines .Ha Ha and dont get J ...they are laughing all the way to the bank..Coal Mal.. Gali Gali Main Coal hai .. Bhenji apke beta ka nam kiya hai ..Madan Mohan Koyla ..

The Pheriwalas of Bandra

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

Best time to shoot them is when they are returning with all the goods moving from Bandra west towards Kalanagar bus stand on their way to Dharavi godowns of rich Bhaiyya Miya scrap dealers ..but you will never know they are rich , they wea the same sweaty gunji and torn fade chequered lungi.. all the money has gone back to Pratapgad in Uttar Pradesh..

But this lot the hathgadiwalas really work hard and strike a hard bargain almost all these denizens of recycling know me once I was a regulat all the flea markets where some bought ther stuff to sell..
I gave up Chor Bazar and the Kamatipura Flea Market forever..

I will talk on this more later I am racing against time I type with one fragmented genius of a finger ..

The Dhobis Of Bandra

The Dhobis Of Bandra, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.

Once upon a time .. there was no Bandra reclamation and the entire area till the horizon at the other end was a dhobi ghat and further ahead was the old Bandra abattoir, than came the builders riding on the backs of politicians and everything changed .

Bhaiyyas who gave up their workplace got piddlish rooms in crampy hastly made structures , some did not give in , so they are now found in the slums ,..Bandrra Bazar and Sherly Rajan off Carter road still have dhobis ,I have shot them extensively as a time pass , street photographer , I shoot fo myself.. I shoot to satisy my baser senses that are aesthetic too.. my grandchildren shoot like me .. dont blame me simply because we use the same camera that gives the same pictures we refuse to call it vision , you see our pictures and it is your vision at work.. if we had vision we would be making more money the last words of my wife shaking the imaginary rolling pin on a not so imaginary beggar poets head.

The Bhaiyyas of Mumbai

The Bhaiyyas of Mumbai, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.

Of late I have been documenting the street angst of the North Indian migrant in Amchi Mumbai, I shot him earlier too , but now it is more purposeful, more focused to show you the contribution of this diaspora to Amchi Mumbai,,they are the cogs of a running machinery, inventive hardworking and public friendly,, they are slavish if you find them as patiwalas or hath gadiwalas ..and they are honest,..they are definitely not lazy or laidback and most of them hardly use mustard oil on their heads ..

I have not yet created a set but in all humility I think I hve shot them the most as dhobis , barbers ,presswallahs fruitwallahs, bhaji wallash, fishsellers ,radibuyers, and the list is long of their acquired knowledge of services to society.. rickshawallah cabbies ,telephone internet technicians once yadav the mtnl linesman.. the farmer growing palk soya methi on the tracks , the oil crushers of pydhonie ..the masseurs at the imamwada irani hamam.. the watchman of my building your building too, only this latter lot can be sinfully rude dumb and arrogant , they become the people who are as rude as them ...living in the uncooperative housing society.. I will write more on this later ..got to complete the Ganesha pandal set and get back to GSB Seva Mandal Visarjan kept in abeyance

I met Jesus on the road ..

I met Jesus on the road .., a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.

he chuckled
smiled and said
so you are busy
with your ganesha
uploads when are
you coming to see
me at st peter
where i live
my humble
sweet abode
give a hug to
marziya nerjis
i miss them too
he moved
away in a car
on the other
side of
the road
than i
wondered
more than me
jesus carries
a heavy load
a world
where man
kills man in
the name of
god a world
waiting to
self explode

I am keeping my GSB Seva Mandal Vsarjan pictures on hold to showcase some house ganpatis and pandals that shot..yesterday in the daytime ..before shooting the GSB Ganesha Visrajan.

Mr Jagan Chawla is a very dear friend and almost like a brother once I shot his Ganpati but of late because I shoot the GSB Seva Mandal Visarjan that falls on the same day I am unable to come here .. This picture was shot by his house maid as his son Jugal was asleep.

The maid has never used a camera before .. Bappa Morya Jai Ganesha ..
Mr Jagan Chawlas grandson Rehansh is a year younger than my grand daughter Marziya Shakir.