After A Long Time I Used My Rusty Camera Today ,,,Thanks To Aviary, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.
I have been churning new thoughts new monochrome images at Flickr via Aviary editing tool , without using my camera since a few weeks ..
I never tweaked my pictures I posted what I shot exactly the way I saw it ..I never delete or correct my pictures .. bad pathetic ugly as is where is .. I shoot ugliness beggars homeless urchins even drug addicts ..I have cut down on shooting hijras because I get tired seeing them by myself.. this segment of transgender documentary is off limit to public and friends even family.
So all these weeks I saw a lot of stuff on the road but could not shoot it as I had stopped carrying my other prosthetic limb called the camera.
But today I took the camera along with me and this beggar lady sits adjacent to the Juma Masjid Bandra SV Road .. opposite the road that takes me to a workshop in the slums in the Bandra compound ..she sits there and people from JJ colony kids from the slum pass this way to school.
Here is one of the exit entry to the skywalk I did not use it I cross the road like others ..people dont bother about the traffic cop it is a path walking across halted cars to get to the other end the slums that I mentioned .. this slums was part of the old Abattoir and is even known as Patel Nagri by some ..the brokers or dalals of cattle goats live here some of them are wealthy ,, and live comfortably ,, they help those in their community..
After the fire in Behrampada , Garib Nagar and the demolition of the Daulat Nagar slums Santa Cruz , demolition of Bharat Nagar , Bandra East bought by rich builders , the work force tailors , embroidery workshops shifted here in the Compound and further at Shastri Nagar Bandra near the Station close to the tracks and very close to the Station Road Sunni mosque where I shoot the Eid Namaz.
This is a predominantly Muslim area , tiny dark dinghy lanes unlit leading into the slums , video dens and what not ..Salman clones , burkha clad ladies .. and a different Bandra than Bandra itself.
This is the most powerful vote bank all Muslim..I thought this introduction was necessary ,the person I was trying to meet was not there the area was being dug so he asked me to meet at Shastri Nagar , so from the Compound I walked through another dark lane , met a Shiv Sena volunteer a Muslim who is a dargah hopper I had tea with him , he had celebrated Eid at Dargah of Syed Mira Datar , after I met my guy I climbed the skywalk from the Mosque end , here beneath the skywalk people were taking drugs , on the steps of the skywalk two gardulas local word for drug addicts were snorting brown sugar openly I shot them from the back , walked up the skywalk till the Bandra Talao shooting drug addicts sprawled on the skywalk.. so what policing are we talking about it is perhaps near Shakti Mills the lost bastion of Baba Kasam Bangali rapist in lock up.
I walked down the skywalk and ended at Sweet Home Aquarium , my friend Naeem Shaikhs aquarium shop , bough bloodworms for my grand daughter Marziya Shakirs fish tank... than walked home climbing 5 floors our lift broke down.. work is going on now showered , fed the fishes and sat to blog all this .. my first shot picture after a very long time...of a Muslim beggar lady there by hangs a tale ..Who is she , I dont know I dont talk to beggars I only shoot them , those I know I sit with them on the road offer them tea and chat about the weather and other such small talk , no Asram Bapu, No Food Bill No Blockbusters and no Twitter Talk No Talk of Mumbai Gang Rape Case ..their world is very limited and they have blinkers they dont even know about the failed Yatra at Ayodhya.. Do Gaz Zameen Ke Upar .. Bad Main Do Gaz Zameen Ke Neeche ..Na Koie Farishta Na Koie Police Unke Peeche ,,,Na Koie Kaffan Na Koie Kafan Ko Kheeche ..Tute Hue Khwab Pathar Ke Galeeche ..
