Thursday, October 18, 2012

Now Only God Knows Why I Meet Hijras At My Shoots


I shot this hijra at Banganga on the top near a Temple , a beggar hijra , humble polite and I shot a few frames , but you will see one as the others I shall remove from public view...

The one place hija pictures are stolen is Flickr.com and you can do nothing about it Yahoo Copyright has no time for human emotions of Flickr members like me whose pictures are on other Flickr members site with my name too .. stolen but shot by Firoze Shakir.

So my Hijra documentary is not for general public and I dont sell my pictures .. and the Flickr Space Ball toll is all bunkum.. you can breach it anytime you want .. and I am a Pro member .. makes no difference ..

But all said and done there is no alternative to photo management .. better than Flickr.

I cross blog from here to my Blogspot site and Twitter and Facebook like famous Pinterest .. I pimp my links manually on Facebook.

A Photographer is Born

123,561 items / 854,355 views

This is the shot I took of Marziya shooting her doll, it was her own endeavor and effort and she did not know I would hurriedly rush remove my camera from the cupboard and take the shots..

And this is Marziya and her tryst with Unlearning Photography.

Shooting pictures is only part of the story of the camera, the camera does not make pictures by itself, I talk of a still camera, it needs a person behind it to motivate it to charge it , the camera is only a means not an end.

A camera brand does not make you a good photographer..before you shoot with a camera you should be able to shoot with your eyes...so if you have a mouth and dont have taste than it is as bad having eyes and not being able to see a picture before you shoot it.
And I am going to make sure that my grand daughter when she comes of age even after I am gone may not need to join a camera club culture and be polluted for life , I am not a fortune teller so I dont know about Marziya future but I can assure you she will be one hell of a photographer ..

I know what you learn and see on the street you cant just duplicate it in a studio..the street is where the action is maybe there is no money, who cares , shooting raw human emotions ,touching and being touched is what street photography is all about.

Street photography holistically heals it brings a smile on the beggars face , who is never going to be shot by the media photographer unless she has been raped ..or is worthy as tomorrow mornings news..'

And fucked pompous pedantic salon photographers wont dirty their pristine salon walls with ugly dirty beggar faces,, and in the first place the Judge wont even give it an Acceptance , he will shout out 3R ..rejected by all three fucked judges who dont know their ass from human emotions..so the dick head in charge of the prints will take a felt pen and on your precious print scribble the judges ire 3R ..It has happened to me at my camera club once so I am not making it up at all.

The only place where your pictures are judged , honestly is the Internet..provided you dont show blood , flowing from heads or backs scourged or hijras , or other stuff that gets on the goat of Wahabbi backed culture police freely available on the net, than you will have to choke your Flickr comment box like I have done for life..

And Flickr with all its technology has not yet come up with a tool for the back up of our pictures and text and Flickr is a million light years away from Comment Moderation..

So I hope when I pass away and Marziya takes over my Flickr account she wont have to pay for the sins of her grand father.. Flickr Photographer No1.

Bloggers Continue Shooting ...

Pitru Paksh Banganga 2012

The Poets Journey Never Ends ...

I Was Now Shooting From The Top Steps Of The Banganga Tank - Pitru Paksh

The Pitru Paksh - And The Girl Is Telling Them Not To Throw The Puja Leaves In The Tank

248,229 items / 2,054,826 views

On the top of the Tank in a makeshift pandal a lady kept blaring away at the North Indian devotees not to litter the Banganga tank , making them aware of the fishes in the tank that die in great numbers due to lack of oxygen when the puja leaves choke the breathing system of the fish and marine life.

This lady is the new corporator Mrs Jyotsana Mehta a Jain , and love of nature animal insects and human beings as their religion pre- empts respect for all living things...I met her later and saluted her for her concern and he arduous task ..of trying to keep the Banganga tank a heritage site clean and green.

My documentary of the Pitru Paksh is not coming here as a photographer shooting a few pictures and rushing to post them on a social networking site ..I did not come here to shoot a fair or a religious mela I came here to showcase my culture showcase Hindu traditions of old and I have been shooting this for last 8 years ..My being a Muslim has got nothing to do with what I shoot... I shoot all religiosity religious seasons that affect my beloved city and my neighbor and me.

Because I am a poet I see pictures differently I feel my pictures before I shoot them and make you feel them too.

And today is my third day of uploading these pictures I have another card to go ...

the poets journey among the living and the dead

Pitru Visarjan Banganga

Rituals for Pitru Paksha

http://www.flickr.com/photos/firozeshakir/8099315816/in/photostream

Pitru Visarjan Banganga

Mama vargadh- doya piturbyo namaha

Shooting Hope And Hndutva As A Message of Universal Peace

Pitru Paksh Banganga 2012

Remembering the Dead ..With Humility Shaved Heads ..

The Spirit of Giving ..For The Dead And The Living

Shooting From The Boat At Banganga

Media In The Boat.. Keeps The News Afloat ..

My Left Leg Had A Massive Swelling .. Later Turned Out To Be Hairline Fracture

Pitru Paksh Banganga 2012

Pitru Paksh Banganga 2012

Shooting From The Boat At Banganga

The Story of a Muslim Beggar Has a Beginning But No End



Muslims would find it impossible to do charity without beggars ..Hindus too ..so the beggar population is always on the rise.. it is easy money but you have to work long hours without rest.. some of the beggars are genuine but mostly it is organized mafia backed professional set up..

Agents hire deformed kids women toddlers and it is a flourishing racket with everyone involved ..there is abuse which goes without saying, young girls helpless women at the mercy of relatives who force them to beg..I am not an expert but I shoot beggars to expose this criminal attitude and apathy.
The local government does nothing be it Ajmer or any other religious town or city big bucks involved... so you know why they hate photographers who shoot and expose this racket.

Fuck who really shoots beggars , maybe a few foreigners but so called maverick Indian fine art photographer would not shoot beggars and I dont blame them..
I am a beggar I shoot beggars .. I live with beggars I eat with beggars.

I have my deformities too all within my scarred soul.

The Muslim Beggar At Ajmer

Muslim Beggars God Forgot

233,905 items / 1,966,452 views

People hate me for two reasons first it is shooting beggars soiling the soul of humanity.. than the second one is my body bleeding Shia pictures.

But they forget it is my eye my camera my pain my world my ethos my backyard I shoot ..

It is another thing they drool over my hijra pictures this time too bad they cant see it I locked them away from lechers and Flickr thieves ..

And both Flickr old and new Uploaders are a pain in my uncompromising ass

There Is Somebody Who Is Making Them Beg

If Wishes Were Horses Than Beggars Would Hide

He Is A Star Celebrity Beggar Child Of Ajmer ..

Even In The Beggar World The Healthy Person Uses A Persons Disability To His Advantage


There is a beggar Mafia that uses beggars for their commercial survival.. and you dont see them , they work through several layers that one layer does not know the other on the top.. a perfect pramid.

Beggars could be a thesis .. beggars is a community and it survives as the demand and supply is replenished rapidly , the kidnapping of kids young boys girls is for beggary or child prostitution.. which is openly done in Goa or Pushkar I am told ..

Making a fast buck so parents with a lage number of kids or kids with deformity give the child on rent to the beggar mafia syndicate , the kids are taken to the various famous fairs urus kumbh..

As this aspect is not part of my photo research I stay away from it , I know most beggars personally , the one guy at Dhai Djinn Ka Jhopda is a very dear friend.

A lot of beggars on the Taragdh trail..but I have a very short time in Ajmer and I am barefeet tire easily I avoid trekking unless required .

Beggars you cant escape at Ajmer and Taragah.. I did not find many at Pushkar ..

I have shot beggars extensively at Ajmer .. and at Ajmer it was either the beggars the bawas or fakirs or the hijras I shot these three communities ..

God Was Kind He Gave Her Two Faces Instead of One

About Pitru Paksh

248,114 items / 2,054,514 views


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pitru Paksha (Sanskrit: पितृ पक्ष), also spelt as Pitr paksha or Pitri paksha, (literally "fortnight of the ancestors") is a 16–lunar day period when Hindus pay homage to their ancestors (Pitrs), especially through food offerings. The period is also known as Pitru Pakshya, Pitri Pokkho, Sola Shraddha ("sixteen shraddhas"), Kanagat, Jitiya, Mahalaya Paksha and Apara paksha.[1][2][3]
Pitru Paksha is considered by Hindus to be inauspicious, given the death rite performed during the ceremony, known as Shraddha or tarpan. In southern and western India, it falls in the Hindu lunar month of Bhadrapada (September–October), beginning with the full moon day (Purnima) that occurs immediately after the Ganesh festival and ending with the new moon day known as Sarvapitri amavasya, Mahalaya amavasya or simply Mahalaya. In North India and Nepal, this period corresponds to the dark fortnight of the month Ashvin, instead of Bhadrapada.

According to Hindu mythology, the souls of three preceding generations of one's ancestor reside in Pitru–loka, a realm between heaven and earth. This realm is governed by Yama, the god of death, who takes the soul of a dying man from earth to Pitru–loka. When a person of the next generation dies, the first generation shifts to heaven and unites with God, so Shraddha offerings are not given. Thus, only the three generations in Pitru–loka are given Shraddha rites, in which Yama plays a significant role.[4] According to the sacred Hindu epics (Itihasa), at the beginning of Pitru Paksha, the sun enters the zodiac sign of Virgo (Kanya). Coinciding with this moment, it is believed that the spirits leave Pitru–loka and reside in their descendants' homes for a month until the sun enters the next zodiac—Scorpio (Vrichchhika)—and there is a full moon. Hindus are expected to propitiate the ancestors in the first half, during the dark fortnight.[2][5]
When the legendary donor Karna died in the epic Mahabharata war, his soul transcended to heaven, where he was offered gold and jewels as food. However, Karna needed real food to eat and asked Indra, the lord of heaven, the reason for serving gold as food. Indra told Karna that he had donated gold all his life, but had never donated food to his ancestors in Shraddha. Karna said that since he was unaware of his ancestors, he never donated anything in their memory. To make amends, Karna was permitted to return to earth for a 15–day period, so that he could perform Shraddha and donate food and water in their memory. This period is now known as Pitru Paksha.[6] In some legends, Yama replaces Indra.[7]
[edit]Importance

Annadaana or giving food to the hungry is a central part of the rituals during these 16 days. On all these days, offerings are made to the departed, including those whose names or manner of death are not known. On these days tarpan, shraaddha and pinda daan are performed daily according to the procedures under the guidance of a priest. Although these rites are to be carried out daily in this fortnight, it is considered that to perform them on the last day i.e. on Mahalaya Amavasya or Sarva Pitru Amavasya is extremely important and sacred. The performance of Shraddha by a son during Pitru Paksha is regarded as a compulsory by Hindus, to ensure that the soul of the ancestor goes to heaven. In this context, the scripture Garuda Purana says, "there is no salvation for a man without a son".[4] The scriptures preach that a householder should propitiate ancestors (Pitris), along with the gods (devas), ghosts (bhutas) and guests.[1] The scripture Markandeya Purana says that if the ancestors are content with the shraddhas, they will bestow health, wealth, knowledge and longevity, and ultimately heaven and salvation (moksha) upon the performer.[2]
The performance of Sarvapitri amavasya rites can also compensate a forgotten or neglected annual shraddha ceremony, which should ideally coincide with the death anniversary of the deceased. According to Sharma, the ceremony is central to the concept of lineages. Shraddha involves oblations to three preceding generations—by reciting their names—as well as to the mythical lineage ancestor (gotra). A person thus gets to know the names of six generations (three preceding generation, his own and two succeeding generations—his sons and grandsons) in his life, reaffirming lineage ties.[1] Anthropologist Usha Menon of Drexel University presents a similar idea—that Pitru Paksha emphasises the fact that the ancestors and the current generation and their next unborn generation are connected by blood ties. The current generation repays their debt to the ancestors in the Pitru Paksha. This debt is considered of utmost importance along with a person's debt to his gurus and his parents.[8]
[edit]Rules of Shradh

[edit]When and where
The shraddha is performed on the specific lunar day during the Pitru Paksha, when the ancestor—usually a parent or paternal grandparent—died. There are exceptions to the lunar day rule; special days are allotted for people who died in a particular manner or had a certain status in life. Chautha Bharani and Bharani Panchami, the fourth and fifth lunar day respectively, are allocated for people deceased in the past year. Avidhava navami ("Unwidowed ninth"), the ninth lunar day, is for married women who died before their husband. Widowers invite Brahmin women as guests for their wife's shraddha. The twelfth lunar day is for children and ascetics who had renounced the worldly pleasures. The fourteenth day is known as Ghata chaturdashi or Ghayala chaturdashi, and is reserved for those people killed by arms, in war or suffered a violent death.[2][4]
Sarvapitri amavasya ("all fathers' new moon day") is intended for all ancestors, irrespective of the lunar day they died. It is the most important day of the Pitru Paksha.[2][4] Those who have forgotten to perform shraddha can do so on this day. A shraddha ritual performed on this day is considered as fruitful as one conducted in the holy city of Gaya, which is seen as a special place to perform the rite, and hosts a fair during the Pitru Paksha period.[3] In Bengal, Mahalaya (Bengali: মহালয়া) marks the beginning of Durga Puja festivities. Mahalaya is the day when the goddess Durga is believed to have descended to Earth. Bengali people traditionally wake up early in the morning on Mahalaya to recite hymns from the Devi Mahatmyam (Chandi) scripture. Offerings to the ancestors are made in homes and at puja mandaps (temporary shrines).[9][10] Matamaha ("Mother's father") or Dauhitra ("Daughter's son") also marks the first day of the month of Ashvin and beginning of the bright fortnight. It is assigned for the grandson of the deceased maternal grandfather.[2][4]
The ritual is also held on the death anniversary of the ancestor. The shraddha is performed only at noon, usually on the bank of a river or lake or at one's own house.[4] Families may also make a pilgrimage to places like Varanasi and Gaya to perform Shraddha.[2][3][11]
[edit]Who and for whom
It is essential that Shraddha is performed by the son—usually the eldest—or male relative of the paternal branch of the family, limited to the preceding three generations. However, on Sarvapitri amavasya or matamaha, the daughter's son can offer Shraddha for the maternal side of his family if a male heir is absent in his mother's family.[2][4] Some castes only perform the shraddha for one generation.[2] Prior to performing the rite, the male should have experienced a sacred thread ceremony. Since the ceremony is considered inauspicious due to its association with death, the royal family of Kutch, the king or heirs of the throne are prohibited from conducting Shraddha.[4]
[edit]Food
The food offerings made to the ancestors are usually cooked in silver or copper vessels and typically placed on a banana leaf or cups made of dried leaves. The food must include Kheer (a type of sweet rice and milk), lapsi (a sweet porridge made of wheat grains), rice, dal (lentils), the vegetable of spring bean (guar) and a yellow gourd (pumpkin).[4]
[edit]Rites of shraddha
The male who performs the shraddha should take a purifying bath beforehand and is expected to wear a dhoti. He wears a ring of kush grass. Then the ancestors are invoked to reside in the ring. The shraddha is usually performed bare-chested, as the position of the sacred thread worn by him needs to be changed multiple times during the ceremony. The shraddha involves pinda-daan, which is an offering to the ancestors of pindas (cooked rice and barley flour balls mixed with ghee and black sesame seeds), accompanying the release of water from the hand. It is followed by the worship of Vishnu in form of the darbha grass, a gold image or Shaligram stone and Yama. The food offering is then made, cooked especially for the ceremony on the roof. The offering is considered to be accepted if a crow arrives and devours the food; the bird is believed to be a messenger from Yama or the spirit of the ancestors.[2] A cow and a dog are also fed, and Brahmin priests are also offered food. Once the ancestors (crow) and Brahmins have eaten, the family members can begin lunch.[4]
[edit]Other practices

Some families also conduct ritual recitals of scriptures such the Bhagavata Purana and the Bhagavad Gita.[4][12] Others may be charitable and present gifts to the priests or pay them to recite prayers for the ancestor's well-being.[12]

Documenting and Taking Pictures Are Two Different Things ..


I shot the Pitru Paksh Hindu religious feast on the banks of the Banganga for 3 hours I had a leg with a suspected hairline fracture I was not sure but I could not and would not miss this shoot ...I have been shooting Pitru Paksh for 8 years now .. I dont know much about the religious aspect so I copy paste the text from other sources but I shoot pictures and I shoot it as passionately as I would shoot my own faith.

I like shooting barbers , the street variety type and I have been documenting this community also for a very long time I call this set at Flickr Barberism.. I shoot religious tonsure too .

Most of my stuff is shot in Mumbai.. lack of financial resources , and no time , keeps me away from moving out of Mumbai.

And I a not interested in landscape or tourist stuff or wild life ..I prefer shooting humanity culture and tribal people , traditions and rituals.

The only person as a photographer on the same track like me though more divinely gifted is Dr Glenn Losack MD New York .. we enjoy shooting beggars , Kumbh and other communities .

I was a passionate shooter of the Hijra community documenting their androgynous angst ..I have over 18000 images blogs of hijra life , hijra children, hijra shamans but sadly I dont think the common public understands the hijra .. for the the hijra is a sex object so I refuse to show my images barring a few to the general public....I shoot less and only close friends people I know personally can see these pictures and blogs.


My granddaughter has been shooting hijras from the age of 3 ... and she knows their angst and their pain.. photography is a inner thing shooting outer things , photography is a mystical holistic science and a spiritual fine art too..

So as a photographer I shoot my own Faith Shiasm for the Non Muslim and my foreigner friends my pictures of my faith are not for proselytizing my faith ..I will be shooting less from now on wards ...personal reasons and only the main days ..Ashura Chehlum and Athvi that too not in Mumbai but other places .

I shoot Sufism connected to do the Chishtiya Order .. and The Dam Madar Malangs the Sufi order of Imam Ali to which I belong .. and I joined this because of m frame of mind that hates theocratic terrorism, and prefers the peace aspect of my religiosity ..I live among the Malangs during the Ajmer Urus .. the other place is Haji Malang Mountains .. I climb the mountains barefeet and this is a place I call home too.

I shoot the Urus of Makhdhoom Shah Baba and Fakhruddin Shah Baba in Mahim simply because I started my journey into Sufism with the body piercing Rafaees .. I know most of them and documented the Chancawalli or Shansawalli Rafaees for a very long time.

I am very close to the Naga Sadhus I have been a student of Tantra under my Naga Teacher Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj.. of Juna Akhada , a very educated pace loving Naga with a lot of Muslim friends who visit him during the Kumbh.. I lived with the Naga Sadhus at their Ashram at Timbakeshwar.. and this is a very sensitive association .. I have not met Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj for a long time now he stays at Dindoshi Shanti Ashram close to Film City.

So shooting these communities showcasing their cause lifestyle is the genre of my photography.. it is not for fucked fame or fucked commercial gain.

My profession is not photography it is merely a hobby on a cosmic plane .

Both my grand daughters 5 year old and 14 month old are fond of the camera ...

Pitru Paksh

Pitru Paksh Banganga 2012

Pitru Paksh At Banganga Walkeshwar 2012

Pitru Paksh At Banganga Walkeshwar ..2012I Paid Rs 20 Share A Cab From Grant Road Station To Banganga WalkeshwarAnd The Sweeper Was Doing A Good Job..Bebo Looked The Other wayMarriages ..Even The Second Time Are Made In Heaven And Solemnized On EarthReligious Tonsure on Pitru Paksh at WalkeshwarShaving The Indian Armpit ..
The Barbers at Banganga on Pitru Paksh.. 2012The Barbers at Banganga on Pitru Paksh.. 2012The Barbers at Banganga on Pitru Paksh.. 2012The Barbers at Banganga on Pitru Paksh.. 2012The Barbers at Banganga on Pitru Paksh.. 2012The Barbers at Banganga on Pitru Paksh.. 2012
The Barbers at Banganga on Pitru Paksh.. 2012The Barbers at Banganga on Pitru Paksh.. 2012The Barbers at Banganga on Pitru Paksh.. 2012The Barbers at Banganga on Pitru Paksh.. 2012Shaving The Mystical Indian ArmpitThe Barbers at Banganga on Pitru Paksh.. 2012
The Barbers at Banganga on Pitru Paksh.. 2012The Barbers at Banganga on Pitru Paksh.. 2012The Barbers at Banganga on Pitru Paksh.. 2012The Barbers at Banganga on Pitru Paksh.. 2012The Barbers at Banganga on Pitru Paksh.. 2012The Barbers at Banganga on Pitru Paksh.. 2012

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