Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Bombay Durgabari Samiti Durga Puja Tejpal Hall 2012

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Bombay Durgabari Samiti Durga Puja Tejpal Hall 2012

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Bombay Durgabari Samiti Durga Puja Tejpal Hall 2012

The oldest traditional simple humble homily evoking the ethos dreams of Bengal , nostalgic 83 year old Durga Puja under the auspices of Bombay Durgabari Smiti...Tejpal Hall Gowalia Tank..close to August Kranti Marg.

I was shooting this puja for the first time but Tejpal hall had some old memories for me I had acted in a play Alibaba and the 40 thieves directed by Dolly Rizvi.. I was a youngster that time.

I took due permission presenting my visiting card at the Information desk, showed them my Press Card .. and met Pradir Chatterji and his 80 year old father , they gave us the backdrop of the festival.

When we began shooting preparations were going on for the Sandhi puja that would begin at 12.17 am.

We were told not to shoot the puja and we left ,, with memories of ambivalence .. but happy we had shot the culture ethos hospitality of the Bengalis..

This is all part of my Durga Pandal set at Flickr.com under a larger set of 44000 images of Hinduism under Hope and Hindutva a Message of Peace Hope and Humanity shot by me in India .. as my Hindu Blogs promoting peace among all communities and Hindu Muslim amity .. as the forefront of my ancestral background of my Indian ethnicity.

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Shooting Hope Hindutva As A Message of Peace And Humanity

177,005 items / 1,387,813 views

nothing greater
than my country
where in a garden
all flowers
bloom grow
freely
the fragrance
of Islam
the sweetness
of Christianity
Hope and Hindutva
a message
of peace and humanity
so many rare flowers
rare orchids in plenty
growing together
letting others
grow beautifully
Mother India
her children
are we
so many
branches
roots
of a shade giving
banyan tree
om mani padme hoon
the light of the bodhi tree
an ocean into
which all rivers flow
in compatibility
trust equality

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Thank You Goddess Durga For Allowing Me To Shoot Bombay Durgabari Samiti Puja 2012


Without your hospitality your noble humanity .. the humility of your loved ones I would have not been able to shoot you and share you with the rest of the world through my blogs...

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Bombay Durgabari Samiti Durga Puja -If Only Durga Put A Bit of Humanity In The People Who Serve Her

I have lived in Colaba as a kid studied at Private European School near Usha Sadan, and finished my schooling from Holy Name High School.. All my life I have had great respect for the Bengalis and their culture my favorite novel was Gora by Tagore.

I began shooting Durga Puja 8 years back as a photo blogger and it began with Abhijeet Bhattacharyas Durga Visarjan at Juhu Beach .. and the Goddess grew on me I shot pictures and the love of the Bengalis for Durga .. and I had great Bengali friends Subir Mukerjee Ronit Roy and stalwarts of Filmalaya studios including late Shomo and Joy Mukerjee .

But the closest was late Mrs Rupa Gupta daughter of actor Mr Asit Sen..

I shot Durga her ethos and my two year old grand daughter Marziya Shakir .. shot Goddess Durga on the Nikon D 80 .. standing on a chair she shot Notanpalli Durga Puja Bandra , I caried her to Ram Krishna Mission she stood on a chair shot the Durga here , and totally tired I bought her to Santa Cruz she shot The North Bombay Durga Of The Mukerjee family .. but she loved shooting Subirda because her gave her chocolates .

This year she has a problem in the hand so I am shooting the three pujas on her behalf.

I shot Notanpalli and the guys all were asking for her and when Sagar Bekal my Facebook Friend who has not shot Durga Puja in his life he is a passionate photographer I bought him to Bengal Club and I have a hairline fracture on my left leg, he asked me if there was any traditional puja and I told him about Durgabari Samiti , but I did not want to go there because of my leg but there was a great urge as they were paying tribute to 100 years of cinema and being part of Bollywood I decided to take Sagar with me by train to Grant Road and by ca too Gowalia Tank Tejpal Hall .


Because I wear a turban sartorially look like Alibaba without 40 thieves I presented my Press Card my vsitng card at the Information Desk gave them my background took permission and began shooting this simple but homily Goddess Durga among her loved ones .

I was luck to meet Pradir Chaterjee a volunteer I gave him my car and we were made to feel t home I wanted to go home it was getting late but Sagar wanted to shoot the Sandhi Puja and Pradir gave us permission for the same , my leg was hurting me , at about 12.10 am, a volunteer asked us to leave and not shoot the puja I said fine while leaving on the doors of the Hall I was accosted by two senior officials of the Durgrabari samiit questioned like a common thief what I was planning to do with the pictures I shot I tried to explain to them , but both were arrogant rude to the core and despite giving my visiting card again I was made to look foolish.. now I also told them I was a Muslim promoting Hindu Muslim amity through my blogs but they kept on arguing with me luckily it was 12.17 time for Sandhi Puja they let me go..

I decided never in my life to eve step at this pandal again.

I had Pradir Chaterjees number on reaching home I sent him a message to the treatment meted to me by the heads of their Samiti was it my dress or my Muslim name I dont know but I am a Durga Bhakt .

And so these are pictures I shot , the heads of Durgabari Samiti wanted me to give a copyright courtesy of Durgabari Samiti on my pictures shot here so I dont use them for commercial gain..

And I almost choked on my blog 44000 Hindu blogs shot by me a Shia Muslim from Bandra because in India you are hardly considered an Indian even if you are an Untouchable ..

I did not want to mention this but I am doing it so in future they dont bully innocent bloggers like me who promote Humanity Though the Goodness of Goddess Durga.


Bombay Durgabari Samiti Puja is the oldest in Mumbai 83 years old..

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The Beggar Hijras Of India ..

249,002 items / 2,057,705 views

Wherever I go invariably I meet hijras I cant escape them, here the hijras who beg in trains were counting the lose change they earned which they exchange for hard notes from the stall.


When I shot this picture 2 frames they turned towards me and gave me two frontal shots .. and I was destined to shoot the anguish despair of the hijras of India .. I dont stalk them but I meet them on the crossroads of the journey of my life .. on my way back I met another one .. and nowadays as I have restricted viewing of my hijra pictures to to the public I dont have the urge to shoot them at all..

The Indian public is too juvenile insensitive apathetic in terms of understanding the hijra ethos for them the hijra will always remain an object to pleasure fuck and move on.. this is what I have gathered shooting the hijra community since 10 years now.

The Hijras are the Untouchables of India .. but are touched sexually all the the time ...

And my hijra blogs are beyond the Iron Curtain .. created by me ...

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The Hijras Of India ..

249,002 items / 2,057,705 views

Wherever I go invariably I meet hijras I cant escape them, here the hijras who beg in trains were counting the lose change they earned which they exchange for hard notes from the stall.


When I shot this picture 2 frames they turned towards me and gave me two frontal shots .. and I was destined to shoot the anguish despair of the hijras of India .. I dont stalk them but I meet them on the crossroads of the journey of my life .. on my way back I met another one .. and nowadays as I have restricted viewing of my hijra pictures to to the public I dont have the urge to shoot them at all..

The Indian public is too juvenile insensitive apathetic in terms of understanding the hijra ethos for them the hijra will always remain an object to pleasure fuck and move on.. this is what I have gathered shooting the hijra community since 10 years now.

The Hijras are the Untouchables of India .. but are touched sexually all the the time ...

And my hijra blogs are beyond the Iron Curtain .. created by me ...

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The Barefeet Blogger Shot By Sagar Bekal

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The Barefeet Blogger Shot By Sagar Bekal

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Kali Mata Temple At Bengal Club Shivaji Park

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The Beggar Poet And Durga

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Every Year These Good People Help Me Share Goddess Durga With You

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Jai Mata Di

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We Are Nothing But Reflections Of Our Parentage


my parents
were muslims
but they said
if you dont
love humanity
how can you
love him
so they
blessed
me with humility
filled it to the brim
than came the camera
i use it as a limb
visuals as holistic
healing hymns
showcasing
the pain of
the marginalized
hopeless homeless
lives dark and grim
against the currents
of hate bigotry
i swim
as the
flame of
life goes dim



picture shot by sagar bekal

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Sagar Bekal My Facebook Friend .. Is A Passionate Photographer


I normally shoot alone I dont allow anyone to trespass the soul of my privacy , but ever since I met Sagar Bekal at the Pandal of Lalbagh Chya Raja Visarjan day, I liked his passion , his helping nature his humility ..he is a very innovative photographer and it is a pleasure to watch him shoot , he is always searching for new perspectives , new positions and he re freshens my own passion as a street photographer and I learn from him ..he is very fast on the move , ..

So when he called me and said that he had never shot Durga puja at all I bought him to Bengal Club in its 77 years of traditional glory..
Than I told him about the oldest Durga Puja of Durgabari Samiti at Gowalia Tank so we decided to shoot that too..

Last evening he came home we shot the Ram Krishna Mission Durga Puja , and from there to Centaur Hotel the Mukerjee family more lavish more opulent North Bombay Durga Puja I met Deb Mukerjee and Ranis dad Ram Mukerjee shot the Dunichi Dance but missed my friend Subir Mukerjee I had done Govindas costumes in his film Rock Dancer.

From here we shot the DN Nagar Durga Puja and parted ways .. I came back to the Bandra Bone setter to get my injured leg in working order for Durga Visarjan.

The Flickr uploader is very slow pathetic and I am way behind ..and MTNL Broadband with linesmen turned internet technicians does not help the worst insensitive service provider in Mumbai.

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Bengal Club Durga Puja Shivaji Park 2012

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