Sunday, November 11, 2012
This Is What Remains Of The Street Slums Near Dagdi Chawl
This Is What Remains Of The Street Slums Near Dagdi Chawl, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.
I have a set on Flickr called Slumbai - Mumbai and most of the pictures I shot from my cab while going to town from Tulsi Pipe Road or while coming back to Bandra ..were of this noisy hustling bustling predominantly Muslim slum.
People busy with their lives , children doing their homework , vendors moving about , as a street photographer I had a fascination for this particular street slum, once I got out of my cab and shot pictures too.
And yesterday while going to town I was in for a shock the entire commune reduced to rubble and as I was sitting on the side of the driver , the slums facing his side I managed to take a few shots I thought I would cover it on my return but it was too dark.
And one more slum bites the dust...perhaps the person who could have helped them is not around my assumption, but I have shot slums burnt by fire natural calamities the next day, never on the on the same day , as a poet a human being I would not be able to watch all this..
I shot the fire at the Badri Mosque Bandra but as a person from Bandra I was beaten by overzealous Bohri youth so I climbed a garage shot the proceedings but also prayed to Imam Ali for their safety .. on the Mullaah Saabs birthday two years back..
I have shot the Gaib Nagar and Behrampada fires and the recent fire at Lal Mitti that was bought under control rapidly efficiently by the Fire Dept and the residents and volunteers.
I have shot a Sai Baba temple demolition at Waterfiled Road a few years back, but God is unfettered by the Municipality he is back at the same place same spot.
And strange it may sound the authorities see illegal slums coming up but hafta corruption prevails , sometimes I am told the slums are protected by the local hoodlum owing allegiance to a political don so what you see in films is what comes from real life into reel life.
And I dont know but in some cases the slum dwellers are given alternate dwellings in the distant slums , they rent it out and again start building slums in public places , it is a vicious cycle and much of Mumbai is a slum...
As a street photographer I shoot all this but I am not aware of the ground reality nor am I a social activist .. I am a documentarist and the happy days of this slums can be seen on my Flickr set.. Slumbai - Mumbai.
Bandra The Aging Queen of the Suburbs
I document Bandra , and all my pictures predominantly are shot at Bandra , Bandra West , and all this comes under Bandra Blogs , this is one man army project that includes pictures shot by my gifted soon to be four year old grand daughter Marziya Shakir, we both shoot the quintessential character of Bandra , the beggars and the street life including the famous feast days of all communities we respect all religiosity,.
Even this namaz is held under the auspices of the Sunni jamat , but I shoot it every year come what may I know most of the people, I shoot Moharam the Shia segment the faith to which I belong and the Hindu Christian angst ethos the Jains Bohras and Parsis .. what affects Bandra affects me too..
I have lived in Bandra since 25 years and the years prior to this were spent at Wodehouse Road Colaba and my mothers house 3 Mohini Mansions at Strand Cinema..But I love Bandra where all communities live in peace close proximity of their individual faith .. share the ambiance and the generated goodwill.
Both my grand daughters were born in Bandra , my daughter too.. the newest one Zaira my youngest son Saifs daughter at Masina Hospital Buculla.,..
From Wikipedia About Bandra
Bandra (Marathi: वांद्रे Vandre), is a suburb located in the north-west of Mumbai, India. It has earned the sobriquet "Queen Of The Suburbs". It is a railway station on the Western line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway. Bandra is a highly coveted location for restaurants, pubs, and high-street stores. It has several restaurants and shopping areas.
The population of Bandra is cosmopolitan in nature. It consists of a fair amount of Hindus, Muslims, Christians (Catholics and others), Parsis (Zorastrians) et al. Bandra is home to numerous churches, including Mount Mary's Basilica. The Parsi fire-temple, Tata Agiary is located on Hill Road. Other famous religious places include the Jama Masjid (mosque) located near Bandra West railway station and the temple of Goddess Jari-Mari, located on S.V Road. A municipal lake, Swami Vivekanand Talao, is located in Bandra. It was closed to the general public in the mid 1990s.
The suburb is also famous for its coastline, with promenades along Carter Road, Bandstand and Reclamation. Many Bollywood actors live along the Bandra Bandstand, Carter Road and in the Pali Hill areas.
The name 'Bandra' is possibly an adaptation of Bandar, the Persian word for Port. Many views exist on the origin and etymology behind the name of Bandra. One view states that it is derived from the name of a Portuguese princess. Another, more plausible one is that it is a corruption of the Persian word Bandar-gah. Bandar is a the word for a port in Iran. Vandre in Marathi and Bandar in Persian both mean port and are derived from the same root word in Sanskrit[citation needed]. The area was under rule the Silhara dynasty in the 12th century. It is referred to as "Bandora" on gravestones in the cemetery of St. Andrew's Church and in the writings of Mountstuart Elphinstone of the British East India Company which describe endeavours to acquire the island of Salsette.[citation needed].
Worli skyline as seen from Bandra Reclamation
A stall on Linking Road
In 1543, the Portuguese took forced possession of the seven islands that made up Bombay. The Portuguese gave the sole ownership of Bandra, Parel, Wadala and Sion to Jesuit priests. In 1570, the Jesuits built a college and a church in Bandra by the name St Anne's (Santa Anna) College and Church. In the mid-18th century, the traveller John Fryer recorded that the Jesuit church, which stood near the sea shore, was still in use[citation needed]
The Portuguese built several churches in Bandra, including St. Andrew's Church, which has a distinctive Portuguese-style façade. Bandra has the unique distinction of having the most Roman Catholic churches anywhere in the world.[citation needed] Six churches with separate parishes lie within an area of four square kilometers. These churches are: Mount Carmel, St. Peter's Church, St. Andrew's Church, St. Theresa's Church, St. Anne's and St. Francis D'Assisi Church. The Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount is affiliated to the parish of St. Andrew's Church, Bandra.[citation needed]
In 1733, Kunbi farmers migrated to this island from Colaba because the fish manure they used was banned. They founded St. Andrew's church and St. Stanislaus's Orphanage.
Bandra remained a village with plantations of rice and vegetables in the low-lying areas of the island until getting connected to Mahim by a causeway in 1845. Many bungalows were built in the decades of the 1860s and 70s. The Pali Hill area, now inhabited mostly by members of the film community, saw the first constructions only in the 1880s.
R. D. National College was originally set up in 1922 in Hyderabad, Pakistan under the guidance of Annie Besant. After the partition of India, it was set up again, in 1949, in Bandra.
Bandra Lake
Bandra Lake, also called "Motha Reservoir" was constructed by a rich Konkani Muslim of Navpada (also spelt Naupada or Naopara), an adjoining village. [1].
The lake was later acquired by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. It was officially renamed Swami Vivekanand Sarovar. Paddle boating facilities and pisciculture activities were operational in this lake during the 1990s. This lake is now a heritage structure of status "Heritage II".[citation
The chapel of Mount Mary, was built around 1640. Lore has it that the chapel was destroyed in 1738 during a raid by Marathas. The statue of the Virgin was recovered from the sea by fishermen and temporarily installed in St. Andrew's church, before being shifted to the rebuilt Mount Mary Church in 1761. To this day, the statue is venerated and many miracles, minor and major, are attributed to the Lady of the Mount. People of all faiths and communities visit the church, giving the place a syncretic nature. The Bandra Fair is held the duration of eight days of the Octave, (starting on the Sunday following September 8) during which pilgrims come from as far North as Vasai, Virar and as far East as Thane throng the church.[2][3]
[edit] Bandra East and West
The part of Bandra located on the western side of the railway line evolved into a fashionable suburb by the middle of the 20th century. Film director, Mehboob Khan, established Mehboob Studio here in 1954. Soon the area was abuzz with film-related activities. A recording studio was set up in the 1970s.[4][5]
The eastern, in the mid-to-late 1990s emerged as a commercial and administrative hub. It houses the Family Court, Bandra-Kurla Commercial Complex, the office of the state housing development authority (MHADA), the office of the District Collector and so on. The residential quarters of the employees of the Maharashtra State Government are also located here.
Like most places in Mumbai, Bandra is split by the local railway-line into Bandra West (PIN code 400050) and Bandra-East (PIN code 400051).
Most roads and places in Bandra possess English names that were given to them during the British rule. They have been renamed over time but many are still popularly known by their old names.
Neighbouring suburbs: Dharavi, Khar, Kurla, Mahim, Santacruz
Arterial Roads: Swami Vivekanand Road (S.V Road), Linking Road, Turner Road (Guru Nanak Marg), Hill Road (Renamed Ramdas Nayak Marg), Carter Road (Renamed Naushad Ali Marg), Navpada Road (Balsamant), Western Express Highway. The Bandra-Worli Sea Link connects the western par of Bandra to Worli by the sea route, thus diverting a lot of road traffic.
[edit] Transport
Bandra Railway Station(2008)
Bandra Worli SeaLink Project
Bandra railway station is connected via the Western Railway and the Harbour Line, which is an offshoot of the suburban Central Railway. It also has a newly built terminus called Bandra Terminus in Bandra (E) from where trains bound for northern and western India are scheduled regularly. The important trains include the Bandra - Indore Express, Bandra - Patna Express, Bandra - Jaipur Express, Bandra - Jodhpur Express and the Bandra - Amritsar Express
Public transport BEST buses, auto rickshaws and taxis are abundant. As you travel southwards, Bandra is the last point upto which auto rickshaws ply. Beyond Bandra, as you enter Mahim, only taxis are allowed to ply.
The Bandra-Worli Sea Link bridge connects Bandra West with Worli located in central Mumbai.
Due to Bandra's central location, most parts of the city are easily accessible.
Jogger's Park: Jogger's Park is a small seaside jogging track where joggers of Bandra congregate. The pretty little park, next to the Otter's Club, another recreation place for Bandra denizens, was where Bombay's first laughing club was launched.
Bandra Reclamation
Mount Mary's Basilica (in picture)
Castella de Aguada , a seventeenth century fort at Land's End, the southernmost point of Bandra
Bandstand Promenade
Bandra-Kurla complex
[edit] Problems
Despite commanding one of the highest property rates in Mumbai and being considered a most fashionable place to live in, Bandra has long suffered from problems of to over-crowding, traffic congestions, haphazard construction of buildings and illegal hawking. Parking space availability is a major problem. Hill Road, one of Bandra's major roads continues to be heavily congested due to illegal hawkers setting up shops on the road itself. Also, the prices of commodities is higher compared to the other suburbs. Demolition of old bungalows along the narrow bylanes for new high rises has resulted in Bandra losing its charm and becoming a display of unplanned constructions leading to a multitude of problems.
The Animal Sacrifice
I am new to photography, but when I did enter the world of image taking my earliest pictures I shot on film were of a Hindu festival and Goddess at Manor worshipped by the tribals who sacrificed goats chicken to her .. I have no records of those pictures shot about 15 years back..
But I was fascinated with blood , I began shooting the animal slaughter during Bakra Idd I shot mostly goat but than was lucky to shoot the more difficult bull slaughter at Behrampada Bandra.
And its been a few years I started shooting the animal sacrifice of the Tamil Hindus during the Marriamman feast at Nehru Nagar Juhu and Mahim Macchimar colony..
I dont glorify what I shoot but I shoot it as a reality of life as a custom ritual of a community ..I dont prejudge , I dont ridicule I write positively that is why I am able to shoot all this without hindrance
And so I shot the bullock cart race in Alibagh Murud Janjira now banned completely , I shot the hijras ,the Naga Sadhus I lived with the Aghoris dead human flesh eating but was not allowed to shoot them..
I have a Naga Sadhu as a Guru and I have a hijra guru too.
Without financial help, without sponsor I have shot shared my pictures of diverse cultures of India online..my only purpose to show educate without going into semantics dialogue or debate..
You dont like what I shoot dont see it , I can only shoot what I shoot with my eyes I could not and will borrow your eyes your narrow mindedness to shoot what I shoot ..
I will appreciate what you shoot , certainly but I may not want to shoot what you shoot ..
This text was for those on Google+ hurriedly arrived from Facebook who love to hurt people by passing spiteful comments on my picture posts ..
I forgive them by simply blocking them forever ..
..
from wikipedia
Animal sacrifice is the ritual killing of an animal as part of a religion. It is practised by many religions as a means of appeasing a god or gods or changing the course of nature. Animal sacrifice has turned up in almost all cultures, from the Hebrews to the Greeks and Romans, Israelites, Christianity, Islam, Judaism and from the Aztecs.
Remnants of ancient rituals of animal sacrifice are apparent in many cultures, for example the Spanish bullfights, or kapparos in Judaism, or ritual slaughter procedures like shechita or ḏabīḥah in Judaism and Islam, respectively.
Animal sacrifices were common throughout the Ancient Near East, and throughout Classical Antiquity.
The Minoan culture of Phaistos on Crete reveals basins for animal sacrifice dating to the period 2000 to 1700 BC.[1]
1652 illustration of the Ashvamedha of Kaushalya in the Ramayana epic
[edit]Indo-European cultures
Further information: Proto-Indo-European religion and Horse sacrifice
Historical Vedic religion: Ashvamedha
Ancient Roman religion: October Horse, Tauromachy, Taurobolium
Ancient Greek religion: Holocaust (sacrifice), Hecatomb
Celtic paganism
Germanic paganism: Blót
[edit]Abrahamic traditions
[edit]Judaism
See main article: Korban
Many Jewish sources discuss the deeper meaning behind korbanot. For example, Sefer Hachinuch explains that an individual bringing an animal sacrifice for a sin understands that he personally should have been sacrificed as punishment for the rebellion against God inherent his the sin, but God mercifully accepts the sacrifice in his or her place. Furthermore, it is considered fitting that an animal is used as a sacrifice because at the moment of sin, the individual in question disregarded his elevated human soul, effectively acting as an animal.
The Samaritans, a group historically related to the Jews, practice animal sacrifice in accordance with the Law of Moses.
Christians
References to animal sacrifice appear in the New Testament, such as the parents of Jesus sacrificing two doves (Luke 2:24) and the Apostle Paul performing a Nazirite vow even after the death of Christ (Acts 21:23-26).
Christ is referred to by his apostles as "the Lamb of God", the one to whom all sacrifices pointed (Hebrews 10). Christ's crucifixion is comparable to animal sacrifice on a large scale as His death serves as atonement for all of man's sins.
Some villages in Greece also sacrifice animals to Orthodox saints in a practice known as kourbània. Sacrifice of a lamb, or less commonly a rooster, is a common practice in Armenian Church. This tradition, called matagh, is believed to stem from pre-Christian pagan rituals.
[edit]Islam
It is considered to be incumbent upon sufficiently wealthy Muslims to sacrifice a large mammal during Eid ul-Adha (the Festival of Sacrifice), which falls during the period of Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). Typically, a sheep or goat is sacrificed, although some sacrifice cattle or a camel instead. The meat is usually given as charity to the poor, in commemoration of the Sacrifice of Ismail, in which God tested the faith of Abraham (Ibrahim) by ordering him to sacrifice his son Ishmael (Ismail). Over 100 million animals are slaughtered annually during Eid ul-Adha across the Islamic world within a 48 hour period.
[edit]Hinduism
Animal sacrifice was common in Vedic religion, the highest or "royal" such sacrifice being the Ashvamedha. The last known performance of the Ashvamedha was that by Jai Singh II of Amber in 1716. The practice of animal sacrifice is rare and distasteful to the vast majority of modern Hindus, however.
Classical (Puranic, Vedantic) Hinduism as it emerged in the medieval period de-emphasizes animal sacrifice, and indeed any meat processing, based on the doctrine of ahimsa. Such practices as are still current are mostly associated with either Shaktism or with local tribal traditions.
A goat about to be sacrificed by a priest in the Durga Puja festival.
There are Hindu temples in Assam, India as well as Nepal where goats and chickens as well as buffaloes are sacrificed. These sacrifices are mainly done at mandirs following the Shakti school of Hinduism where the female nature of Brahman is worshipped in the form of Kali and Durga. There are many village temples in Tamil Nadu where this kind of sacrifice takes place.[2]
In many Shakti shrines of Orissa animals like goat and chicken are sacrificed on Durga Puja in the month of Aswina (September–October) every year. In Sambalpur, this ritual sacrifice is performed in the Samaleswari temple (Pasayat, 2003:67-84).
The three methods used by Hindus to kill an animal are: Jhatka (decapitation with a single blow); piercing the heart with a spike; and asphyxiation.
Animal Sacrifice en masse occurs during the 3 day long Gadhimai festival in Nepal. In 2009 it was speculated that more than 250,000 animals were killed[3] while 5 million devotees attended the festival.[4]
In India ritual of animal sacrifice is practised in many villages before local deities. For instance, Kandhen Budhi is the reigning deity of Kantamal in Boudh district of Orissa, India. She is the presiding deity of Kandha people of this area. She is represented in the natural form of stone under a tree on the bank of the river Tel. Every year, animals like goat and fowl are sacrificed before the deity on the occasion of her annual Yatra/Jatra (festival) held in the month of Aswina (September–October). The main attraction of Kandhen Budhi Yatra is Ghusuri Puja. Ghusuri means pig, which is sacrificed once in every three years. Kandhen Budhi is also worshipped at Lather village under Mohangiri GP in Kalahandi district of Orissa, India(Pasayat, 2009:20-24).
Bali Jatra of Sonepur in Orissa, India is also an annual festival celebrated in the month of Aswina (September–October) when animal sacrifice is an integral part of the ritual worship of deities namely Samaleswari, Sureswari and Khambeswari. Bali refers to animal sacrifice and hence this annual festival is called Bali Jatra (Barik, 2009:160-162).
The Buddha condemned ritual animal sacrifice.[5] The First Precept of Buddhism prohibits any type of killing.
[edit]Far East
Many people, especially the emperor Wang Mang of the Xin Dynasty, offered animal products in ancestor worship.
Buddhism and Taoism generally prohibit killing of animals; [6][7][8] some animal offerings, such as fowl, pigs, goats, fish, or other livestock, are accepted in some Taoism sects and beliefs in Chinese folk religion.[9][10][11]
In Kaohsiung, animal sacrifices are banned in Taoist temples.[12].
[edit]African Traditional Religions
In African Traditional Religions (ATRs), animal sacrifice is regularly practiced. In New World versions of these religions, such as or Lucmi, such animal offerings constitute a portion of what are termed "ebos" – ritual activities that include offerings, prayer and deeds. The blood of the animals is thought to hold "aché", or life force.
Animal sacrifice is also found in the Cuban religion called Palo, which derives from African religion of the Congo, and in Haitian Vodou, a religion that derives from the Vodou religion of Dahomey.
The landmark decision by the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of the Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah in 1993 upheld the right of Santeria adherents to practice ritual animal sacrifice in the United States of America. Likewise in Texas in 2009, legal and religious issues that related to animal sacrifice, animal rights and freedom of religion were taken to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of Jose Merced, President Templo Yoruba Omo Orisha Texas, Inc., v. City of Euless. The court ruling that the Merced case of the freedom of exercise of religion was meritorious and prevailing and that Merced was entitled under the Texas Religious Freedom and Restoration Act (TRFRA) to an injunction preventing the city of Euless, Texas from enforcing its ordinances that burdened his religious practices relating to the use of animals[13], (see Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 110.005(a)(2)).
[edit]New religious movements
[edit]Strangite Latter Day Saints
Animal sacrifice was instituted in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite), a minor Latter Day Saint faction founded by James J. Strang in 1844. Strang's Book of the Law of the Lord (1851) deals with the topic of animal sacrifice in chapters 7 and 40.
Given the prohibition on sacrifices for sin contained in III Nephi 9:19-20 (Book of Mormon), Strang did not require sin offerings. Rather, he focused on sacrifice as an element of religious celebrations,[14] especially the commemoration of his own coronation as king over his church, which occurred on July 8, 1850.[15] The head of every house, from the king to his lowest subject, was to offer "a heifer, or a lamb, or a dove. Every man a clean beast, or a clean fowl, according to his household."[16]
While the killing of sacrifices was a prerogative of Strangite priests,[17] female priests were specifically barred from participating in this aspect of the priestly office.[18] "Firstfruits" offerings were also demanded of all Strangite agricultural harvests.[19] Animal sacrifices are no longer practiced by the diminunitive Strangite organization, though belief in their correctness is still required.
Neither The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints nor the Community of Christ, the two largest Latter Day Saint factions, ever accepted Strang's teachings on this (or any other) subject
The Seeds Of A Slum Are Sown This Way..
This was a huge sprawling bustling hustling street slum , stalls shops homes and prostitution den of the hijras, they solicited openly , one of the hijra lady was a Devdasi known to me I met her often at the Mahim Urus too but she stayed away from the hijra den.. .
Once I walked from Dadar to Bandra shooting pictures of the slums the hijras threatned me I was new to shooting hijras so I buckled to their threats.
And than one day the slum dwellers got a good relocation deal packed out in no time t a distant suburb of Mankhurd I was told...
And this place was cleaned sensitized and it is coming up again gradually such is the urge of Man to own his own home.
The Disabled Beggar Boy of Bandra Reclamation
He is another Dickensian character that populates my real life story he was shot by my one year old grand daughter Nerjis Asif Shakir too..
We are a family of photographers that shoot beggars and showcase their pain to the the rest of the cyber world , the offline world is far too busy humping fornicating scamming to really pay attention to the people I shoot...we specialize shooting Muslim beggars ...and for those duckwits who think people buy beggar pictures ...well I have never had a single inquiry , everyone was interested in my Hijra pictures that I locked up from public view completely .. the Heenas , The Raveenas , Simrins , Khushi and the pretty hijras I shot cannot be viewed at all..
I have kept a few as a landmark to testify that I still shoot hijras that stalk the soul of my pictorial poetry.
This Is Another Sad Case - Madman of Bandra Reclamation
This Is Another Sad Case - Madman of Bandra Reclamation, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.
I have been shooting him for some time now , he looks like an asetic , I know nothing about him , but he is another photo subject.. he does not talk to anyone ...
My 4 year old grand daughter Marziya Shakir has shot him too..
The Madman Of Bandra Bazar Road
I have been shooting him for two or three years now, he is my photo subject, I mostly shoot him in his curled up sleep in a narrow lane that is his nocturnal haunt.
He stares at me but says nothing, when his clothes get totally sooty stained , some good soul give him an old trouser or shirt that too will meet the same dusty fate.
He gets money he buys tea at the Irani which is served to him in a plastic cup on the street .. and this is the story of the madman in my area.. I know nothing about him , never needed to know I shoot pictures help those I can...but he is a burning mountain of lava from within I can feel it so I avoid ..any connection with him... besides shooting his pictures .
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Shah-e-Mardan Sher-e-Yazdan Quwat-e-Parwardigar Lafata Ila Ali La Saif Ila Zulfiqar , originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1 ....
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Dargah of Hazrat Syed Ali Mira Datar Unava Gujrat , a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr. HAZRAT SYED ALI MIRA DATAR'S G...
