Wednesday, October 2, 2013

She Was Waiting For Me When I Passed Her By

i gave her
some money
i shot her
picture
i held in
my palm
her little
childs cry
to beg
or not
to beg
or simply
die oh god
why oh god
why ..her
hidden face
her swollen eyes
was her marriage
to a son of a bitch
this sacrifice ..

By -

I Stole The Color From His Soul


i robbed
him of
the splendor
of his existence
dabbed his
destiny in
charcoal
a part of
his sorrow
i made it
whole

By -

I Am Jesus He Said Friend Of The Living And The Dead

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Jesus And Mary


exiled
from home
his birth
his source
he set off
on a journey
hope as oars
jesus made his
home on our
shores people
here he loved
they opened
their hearts
faith reinforced
they loved him
he became
the Life Resurrection
essence and core
he stayed back
never thought
of returning home
he became
a server
servant of
the poor
the needy
the homeless
a healing
force ..wiping
a tear
removing
obstacles
pain fear
remorse

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The Bandra Skywalk

public money
wasted gone
down the drain
a flyover from
mahim to santacruz
would have been
better than this
mindless strain ..
but than as indians
even if we are
screwed we dont
complain ,,,silent
complacent we
remain ,,,thereby
our nirvana of peace
we attain.. even
in politics we have
limited options
either we vote
for the devil
or jump in
the deep sea
the same
corruption
the same
governance
with a brand
new face
new leash
we get
chained
no profit
no loss
no gain
fixed price
no bargain

By -

Gandhiji Ab Nahi Ayenge



unhi ke nam
se unke bacche
lanka main ag
lagayenge
ladai age le
jayenge
yakeenan
garibon
ko unka
haq dilayenge

kya aam admi desh
ko bacha payenge
yeh man ki
kok se anewale
bache bata payenge

By -

Nerjis Asif Shakir 9 Month Old

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The Second Hand Shoe Shop Bandra



His second hand shoe shop is held up by the wall of the Tata Parsi Agiary, and on the corner of Main Hill Road and Chinchpokli Road inner lane connecting to De Monte Street , he lives in the tenements slums of Gonsalves Wadi..

I have known him since we first came to Bandra to stay at Kamla Bai Sadan De Monte street , he has seen my kids grow he has seen me too,as I came at this junction to start my early morning boozing at Irani cafe across the road , or at Yacht the earliest opening booze joint next St Andrew Church, or later at Casbah every night boozing my liver away .. and than as both Irani Cafe and Casbah closed down I moved to another joint close to his cobbler shop Canara booze joint..

So in silence he watched me my life my fall my trepidation my agony my mental chaos than I gave up booze completely he saw me in new light I took up photography as a alternative to booze , a very intoxicating option and when I turned blogger in 2005 I began shooting his Olde Shoe Shoppe as I called it , we were both friends admirers of late Head Priest Mr Vaziddar , that bound us completely along with Marziya my grand daughter about 18 months old I passed his shop to take Marziya to her nursery, though I moved away about 5 years back to Bandra Reclamation he continued to be my friend and again as I pass him everyday to my workplace he feels happy I shoot him his family..

I internationalized him his shoes , he did great business when guys bought shoes from him to hit college principals politicians but now the fad has gone even second hand shoes are expensive to throw on the face of scams and corruption.

Now his clients street kids, drinking kids from the nearby pub and Bollywood hung up guys girls by his stuff.Even Bollywood strugglers who want to step into Sharukhs shoes buy footwear from him..

His collection is amazing and filmy .. all old shoes from film production he buys in bulk, but he buys a shoe trunk , Amitjis shoes from Hum , Silsila , and most of his hit movies lie with him , on the other side but not facing each other are Kolhapuri chappals of Mr Rajesh Khanna including the flat mojdi like leather slip ons, Mithundas old films including some fancy stuff of Disco Dancer ..


Crazy boots with heavy elevators of Govindaji Chichi.. all dancing boots , he has stuff of Mr Mogambo late Amridsh Puri Saab.. , shiny suede boots of Mr Rajnikants old Hindi films , and the list is far too long..

Than he has the lady heartthrobs stuff too Rekhajis high heel shoes are much in demand , even pretty cute slippers worn by Madhuriji, Raveenijis shoes in snakeskin , he has most of the stuff of Karishmaji , though he is in a deal with a filmy second hand stuff dealer he hopes to get some stuff of Deepika and Katrina Kaif too.


His hottest selling items are hidden from view and he calls them Being Human collection each pair generously autographed by Salman Khan , Salman Khan Bhai as he calls him loves this shoe seller and his family and has bailed him out financially too, both his grant children study through a grant by Salim Saab..

He calls Salim Saab his God and has pleaded to tell Arbaz bhai to give him the trunk of Dabbang footwear , young girls want Sonakshi Sinhas slippers , and Salman bhais lucky box office hit stuff too.

Sharukhs shoes his boots are in demand but it is Salman Bhai the Bandra dude do gooder they all want.. he has advance orders of Salman bhais new films like Ready..

This was a blank post till night and now I have added my Bollywood angst..


And this is utter bull shit of my mind some of it I mean

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Hazri And Possession At Dargahs And The Other Side of Midnight


Photography is a lamp visiting dark areas of the mind..and showing the sharp edges jagged ends of the other side of midnight ..the flesh bound in rusty chains from mythological times ..unable to escape the miseries of mankind..

One aspect of my photographic fascination has been shooting possession and it just came as an after thought I have nothing against those that go for spiritual healing at dargahs but there are instances of these hapless people and their relatives being taken for a ride by hoax fraudulent bawas , shamans and the like.

I have shot the hazri loban time at Hussain Tekri Jaorah which according to me is the last destination of lost souls , they come in hordes and as I was here during Chehlum for a few days I did shoot what I could ,I have seen strange stuff I saw a guy at a Holy Shrine who takes on the characterization of a serpent , he was pretty wild when he saw me clicking pictures and reptilian like charged at me .. he was powerful in his dark senses my camera stopped clicking completely I had it repaired in Mumbai it cost me those days Rs 9000 he had not touched me physically..it had gone dead just like that.

So though admonished for shooting this I have climbed trees to shoot the hazri when the spirits visit the body of a hapless women.

And I shot the dark madness of human survival..I saw various forms of exorcism at Ajmer Sharif , I saw exorcism as undertaken by the rafaees .. and than after I became a Dam Madar Malang I saw the Malangs removing the evil spirits from human bodies at Makanpur Urus of Zinda Madar Shah.

My Peer Syed Masoomi Baba is a spiritual healer famous all over India and does it free , there are many who charge for their services ..I met hijra bawas shamans who heal crazy hijra transgender at Ajmer ..mostly I was not allowed to shoot pictures .

And this year I was at Syed Meera Datar Unjha also considered too be the largest place of distressed souls , the khadims here are the exorcists and the healers ,, thanks to Khadim Samad Sab I shot a few pictures of the healing process.

Than at the Maha Kumbh I met Aghoris and Tantriks and one famous tantrik affiliated to the Khamakhya cult Shree Guru Kapoor Khamkya, I met as though we were pre destined to meet me as a Malang and he as a devout Goddess Khamakya worshiper ..a lot of strange things happened which sadly I cannot express on a social media forum.

He was fascinated by me being a Muslim and documenting the Maha Kumbh so he visited me to meet my Naga Guru Shree Vijay Giri Maharaj at sector 5 ,, there were lot of discussions and I will visit the Yoni Temple at Khamakya one day .. he assured me would see my wish was fulfilled all I had to do was call him and reach there without hassles .

I met many Naga Babas and Shri Chandraswamiji, I was invited by Shree Nityanandji too but somehow I could not reach on time ,,but during the Shahi Snan I was with the procession led by Swami Avdesh Anandji Maha Mandleshwar Juna Akhada , before that with my guru I saw the initiation of Naga Sadhus I had hidden my camera did not shoot pictures and dressed as a Sadhu I shot the moment in my Mind.. I had a fabulous Maha Kumbh met old friends took the dip with the Nagas as my Guru was the Kotwal.

So life's strange journey continues , I was at Dewa Sharif and a Malang Urus at Vijapur Mehsana.


There is a lot of hazri at Sultan Shah Baba Haji Malang too..The most fascinating place .. loban time when the possessed are made to inhale the smoke of the loban and go berserk and than gradually calm down...it is a strange world out there ,, I have shot a lot most of my pictures of hijra possession and hijras bathing at the Sangam I have removed from public view it was destined for my eyes only..

By -

Jab Dabbewala Ata Hai

besabri se
baithe office
main bande
ki bhuk
mitata hai
biwi ke hath
ka lazeez
murg musalam
kathal ka achar
baigan ka bhartha
rumali roti.. aloo
ki bhaji ek ke bad
ek line se pet
main jata hai
rasgule
gulab jamun
sheer korma
aur akhir main
unke hath ka
bana hua pan
afath machata hai
phir woh dakar
unki yad ko internet
ke zariye faceebook
par lata hai..

hai jab dabbewala nahi
ata hai bande ka
dam nikal jata hai

By -

The Dabbawalas in the Rains..


no umbrella
no raincoat
sneezing
in the rains
getting your
food on time
is the only
thought in
his brains
monsoonal
pain, dabbawala
bound to his
cosmic
cycle chain
his lifestyle
daring
challenging
but also
simple
plain

dane dane pe likha hai khilanewale ka nam
his testimony to every morsel of food grain
you cant miss him in one or the other lane

By -

Dabbawalas in the Rains


maneuvering
his cycle
like swift
bird on
wheels
the dabbawala
tiffin man
to your office
come rain or
shine promptly
delivers your
meals ,,
from time
seconds
minutes
he steals
he is there
for your
hunger
your wifes
home cooked
food he feels
i dont think
you have 'ever
shared your
food with him
during heavy
showers your
conscience
will reveal
what say
you dear
suneel

By -

Living In The Slums Is Not The Best Option

no way can
you jump or run
climb the steps
carefully robs
childhood of
all the fun
but getting
a house in
bandra even
in the slums
is not an 'easy
task for everyone
than getting power
a premium is paid
to to the broker
that stuns ,,life
is a slow engine
but mind you
this is bandra west
here standard of living
is well functioned

By -

God Save Mumbai


rising prices
the poor man cries
onions made his
pockets dry
law and order
bids the soul
of my beloved city
tata goodbye
criminals one
can understand
even minors
are not scared
of the cops
of mumbai
rape murder
acid thrown
on women
headless
bodies
of women
lets out a cry
why why why
buildings fall
like a pack
of cards
municipal apathy
neglect corruption
the system shut eye
coalition compulsion
the common man dies
right to rejection in
the next elections
should usher in change
to a better renewed
mumbai....netas wanted
to create from its
rib an amchi shanghai

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