I have been shooting the Dam Madar Malangs since 2005 , and I liked them as photo subjects and they were very different from the highly combustible hot headed rafaees , and I found the malangs simple austere and both Rafiq Baba and Masoomi Baba never objected to my shooting them nor did they ever makes overtures but they were aware of my Shia background my roots .
Every year I came to Ajmer shot the Malangs , and I found peace in their company..and than my friend Marc wanted to become a Malang and I became one too..
In 2013 I visited the Holy Shrine of Zinda Shah Madar at Makanpur and thoroughly enjoyed the spiritual experience and documented it fully.
In 2014 I could not attend the Makanpur Urus but I attended the Ajmer Sharif Urus.
My work does not give me the freedom to go anywhere , my wife by the Grace of God visits Karbala almost every Moharam thanks to her children and well wishers .. my Karbala is India and I am happy the way things are I am a by product of my Karmic fate Destiny or whatever you call it ,, I only go where I am destined to go, this might sound fatalistic but I am happy with the status quo..
There are places next to my house and I am unable to visit them I did not go to Haji Malang or Makhdhoom Shah Baba or Fakhruddin Shah Baba .
These are the only three dargahs I vist in Maharashtra but this year I went to Jhadwale Baba at Santacruz SV Road west shot pictures too.Did he call me perhaps I dont question the callings of my fate .
I visited SOBO to meet my good childhood friend brother Ramesh Mulchandani after a very long time I was accompanied by my wife she had some work in town.
And after a long time went to visit my brother Zaheer Shakir at my parents place at Strand cinema ,.. where I spent mot of my childhood adulthood till marriage ,,
Everything appeared different even the Gateway of India which is about 10 minutes from my parents house looked different ,, the colorful buggies and Arabs enjoying the rides and the unpredictable Mumbai rains .
