Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Hindu Festivals Like Durga Puja Add To Family Bonding Family Unity And Strength




If you happen to come to Juhu Beach by chance by accident and you dont have to be a photographer , just shoot feel with your eyes , the culmination of Joy among the people who are here with their favorite Deity Goddess Durga or Goddess Ambe Mata Gauri..

The adults men women children faces covered in vermilion , children ecstatic to be on the beach.. some of the very poor ones live in the slums and bringing Durga for Immersion is a great escape for them.

The most joyous community by large are the Bengalis and mind you without disrespecting them some of them I have met hate photographers , are curt impolite and I have seen them at their worst behavior , highly possessive about Durga , and if you have a Muslim name like mine sometimes even with a Press Card it is difficult to explain the reason for shooting their Goddess and spreading the Message of Peace .

And it is not just a few Bengalis even my own community you have hotheads , who hate you shooting their rituals in a public place ,.but I shoot cosmic plurality I shoot cosmic hope as an Indian ..my being a Muslim does not restrict my vision as a beggar poet and a street photographer .

I shoot a few Pandals where I know they wont be abusive I faced an ire at the oldest Durga Pandal in Mumbai their inhospitable attitude  after telling them about myself and my connection with Sonnar Bangla and Sonnar Ma Durge luckily I was with a Hindu friend  ,, I was literally thrown out because of my Muslim credentials and my attire nothing else not even a note of apology ,,this is the Bengali arrogance in some hot headed racist Bengalis I had to mention this to those who think the pictures I shot come easy no they dont but those pictures that I was destined to shoot even racists bigots cant stop me from shooting..


The Life Of A Juhu Tourist Photographer ..




This is a very ironical situation and makes me sad of my assumptions ..and you dont have to agree with me ,,

The photographers at Juhu Beach are mostly migrants , they have come from distant places , bought a camera and shoot the local tourist as Juhu Beach or Juhu Chowpatty which  is  Mumbais pride and No1 Tourist spot ,, badly managed and no effort made to keep it pristine clean .. politicians are busy touching those schemes that generate profits and most of the schemes are moneymaking apparatus..

Not a single politician even those that are photo enthusiasts have tried to help the Marathi Manoos learn photography , give him the push impetus to become photographers and earn money like the migrants and living in Mumbai for last 60 years I know that the Marathi Manoos is not lazy , most of the graphic designers creative artists are Marathi ,, but yes they dont come from a rich background they need financial support vocational guidance ,, and yes they cant afford the fancy exorbitant photography schools and the one premier Institute JJ  .. is not enough for a city like Mumbai.

We are self learners but yes we could afford cameras and photography  demands a good camera body lens ,, the market is competitive now but 30 years back photography was a rich mans laid back hobby.. shooting on film I shot on Velvia Asa 50 and Ilford Delta,  photography  was expensive , filters , flash etc..upkeep servicing processing printing..

Digital changed it completely ,, and mobile phone made it accessible as an inspiration the feel of a DSLR  is the real thing..the throbbing of the camera body the ,,and though I am now after burning my fingers not a equipment accumulating guy , I still envy those with better cameras why not I am human and not financially well off and photography is not my primary source of income.. I am a hobbyist and this love for photography turned   my grandkids into  photographers too.. they will never fear the Camera ever like I did at the age 40 something..when I began my tryst with Shivas Third Eye .


So if photography was taught to those unemployed youth I am sure they could be absorbed in many fields of documentation , but many photographers in Mumbai only think of their self interest , many could become good photo journalists and not be shooting shit that the newspaper photographers churn out to justify their salary.. some of the pictures in DNA HT and Midday are horrid with total lack of originality to say the least , I dont read and never will The Times Of India Bombay Times or Mumbai Mirror ..there are more crap artists there , and its time newspapers sourced good pictures from bloggers and amateurs .

The worst place to find good photographers and I say this with a heavy heart is Camera Clubs .. that have now become personal fiefdoms of old rusty crotchety one  leg in the grave fine art photographers ..I was a product of a Camera Club I saved my creative soul from burning in hell I became an incorrigible photo blogger .

I well not talk about myself my body of work is at Flickr ,,, and I learn everyday every minute as I favorite my friend followers photostreams ,,I dont want to be a photographer like anyone of them.. I dont want Explore I am happy  seeing their work taking inspiration and I make it a point that Marziya 7 and Nerjis 3 see their work,, I too have a leg in the grave but I am using my time to educate my family tree to the better aspects of great good street photography ..


So seeing a tourist  Juhu photographer shooting a couple in love holistically healing their love is more important than a few bucks he will make for an instant copy of their memorable visit to Mumbai during Durga Visarjan.

The most important lesson in photography is Humility ,, it you dont have it your importance as a photographer is zilch meaningless ,,Arrogance in a photographer is the cancerous disease that even Time wont heal.

This is dedicated to my dearest friend the simple unassuming Kelly Rae ,, she shoots what I will never be able to shoot .. she shoots the hidden treasure in the souls of Man and Woman.

Do visit her photostream.. my best friend Fred Miller began his day taking in the breath of her picture he did it till the end drew near .. He was a hardcore Kelly Rae Fan... like me.

If I had a bit of Kelly Rae .. within my soul evil dragons I would slay.. what you call poetry I call juggling of word play,,


Thursday, September 25, 2014

About Pitru Paksha Banganga 2014



From Wikipedia

Pitru Paksha (Sanskrit: पितृ पक्ष), also spelt as Pitr paksha or Pitri paksha, (literally "fortnight of the ancestors") is a 16–lunar day period when Hindus pay homage to their ancestors (Pitrs), especially through food offerings. The period is also known as Pitru Pakshya, Pitri Pokkho, Sola Shraddha ("sixteen shraddhas"), Kanagat, Jitiya, Mahalaya Paksha, Peddala Amavasya (in Telugu) and Apara paksha.[1][2][3]

Pitru Paksha is considered by Hindus to be inauspicious, given the death rite performed during the ceremony, known as Shraddha or tarpan. In southern and western India, it falls in the Hindu lunar month of Bhadrapada (September–October), beginning with the full moon day (Purnima) that occurs immediately after the Ganesh festival and ending with the new moon day known as Sarvapitri amavasya, Mahalaya amavasya or simply Mahalaya. The autumnal equinox falls within this period, i.e. the Sun transitions from the northern to the southern hemisphere during this period. In North India and Nepal, this period corresponds to the dark fortnight of the month Ashvin, instead of Bhadrapada.


According to Hinduism, the souls of three preceding generations of one's ancestor reside in Pitru–loka, a realm between heaven and earth. This realm is governed by Yama, the god of death, who takes the soul of a dying man from earth to Pitru–loka. When a person of the next generation dies, the first generation shifts to heaven and unites with God, so Shraddha offerings are not given. Thus, only the three generations in Pitru–loka are given Shraddha rites, in which Yama plays a significant role.[4] According to the sacred Hindu epics (Itihasa), at the beginning of Pitru Paksha, the sun enters the zodiac sign of Libra (Thula). Coinciding with this moment, it is believed that the spirits leave Pitru–loka and reside in their descendants' homes for a month until the sun enters the next zodiac—Scorpio (Vrichchhika)—and there is a full moon. Hindus are expected to propitiate the ancestors in the first half, during the dark fortnight.[2][5]

When Karna, the brave warrior whose acts of giving are legendary even today, died in the epic Mahabharata war, his soul transcended to heaven, where he was offered gold and jewels as food. However, Karna needed real food to eat and asked Indra, the lord of heaven, the reason for serving gold as food. Indra told Karna that he had donated gold all his life, but had never donated food to his ancestors in Shraddha. Karna said that since he was unaware of his ancestors, he never donated anything in their memory. To make amends, Karna was permitted to return to earth for a 15–day period, so that he could perform Shraddha and donate food and water in their memory. This period is now known as Pitru Paksha.[6] In some legends, Yama replaces Indra.[7]

Significance[edit]
 Tarpan is being done at the Jagannath Ghat, Kolkata.
The Tarpan (Offering holy water to the manes) is being done at the Jagannath Ghat, Kolkata, at end of the Pitru Paksha.
Annadaana ("Donation of food") is a central part of the rituals during these 16 days. On all these days, offerings are made to the departed, including those whose names or manner of death are not known. On these days tarpan, shraaddha and pinda daan are performed daily according to the procedures under the guidance of a priest. Although these rites are to be carried out daily in this fortnight, it is considered that to perform them on the last day i.e. on Mahalaya Amavasya |(or "Sarva Pitru Amavasya") is extremely important and sacred. The performance of Shraddha by a son during Pitru Paksha is regarded as compulsory by Hindus, to ensure that the soul of the ancestor goes to heaven. In this context, the scripture Garuda Purana says, "there is no salvation for a man without a son".[4] The scriptures preach that a householder should propitiate ancestors (Pitris), along with the gods (devas), ghosts (bhutas) and guests.[1] The scripture Markandeya Purana says that if the ancestors are content with the shraddhas, they will bestow health, wealth, knowledge and longevity, and ultimately heaven and salvation (moksha) upon the performer.[2]

The performance of Sarvapitri amavasya rites can also compensate a forgotten or neglected annual Shraddha ceremony, which should ideally coincide with the death anniversary of the deceased. According to Sharma, the ceremony is central to the concept of lineages. Shraddha involves oblations to three preceding generations—by reciting their names—as well as to the mythical lineage ancestor (gotra). A person thus gets to know the names of six generations (three preceding generation, his own and two succeeding generations—his sons and grandsons) in his life, reaffirming lineage ties.[1] Anthropologist Usha Menon of Drexel University presents a similar idea—that Pitru Paksha emphasises the fact that the ancestors and the current generation and their next unborn generation are connected by blood ties. The current generation repays their debt to the ancestors in the Pitru Paksha. This debt is considered of utmost importance along with a person's debt to his gurus and his parents.[8]

Rules of Shraddha[edit]
When and where[edit]
The shraddha is performed on the specific lunar day during the Pitru Paksha, when the ancestor—usually a parent or paternal grandparent—died. There are exceptions to the lunar day rule; special days are allotted for people who died in a particular manner or had a certain status in life. Chautha Bharani and Bharani Panchami, the fourth and fifth lunar day respectively, are allocated for people deceased in the past year. Avidhava navami ("Unwidowed ninth"), the ninth lunar day, is for married women who died before their husband. Widowers invite Brahmin women as guests for their wife's shraddha. The twelfth lunar day is for children and ascetics who had renounced the worldly pleasures. The fourteenth day is known as Ghata chaturdashi or Ghayala chaturdashi, and is reserved for those people killed by arms, in war or suffered a violent death.[2][4]


Mahalaya marks the formal beginning of the Durga Puja festival
Sarvapitri amavasya (all fathers' new moon day) is intended for all ancestors, irrespective of the lunar day they died. It is the most important day of the Pitru Paksha.[2][4] Those who have forgotten to perform shraddha can do so on this day. A shraddha ritual performed on this day is considered as fruitful as one conducted in the holy city of Gaya, which is seen as a special place to perform the rite, and hosts a fair during the Pitru Paksha period.[3] In Bengal, Mahalaya (Bengali: মহালয়া) marks the beginning of Durga Puja festivities. Mahalaya is the day when the goddess Durga is believed to have descended to Earth. Bengali people traditionally wake up early in the morning on Mahalaya to recite hymns from the Devi Mahatmyam (Chandi) scripture. Offerings to the ancestors are made in homes and at puja mandaps (temporary shrines).[9][10] Matamaha ("Mother's father") or Dauhitra ("Daughter's son") also marks the first day of the month of Ashvin and beginning of the bright fortnight. It is assigned for the grandson of the deceased maternal grandfather.[2][4]

The ritual is also held on the death anniversary of the ancestor. The shraddha is performed only at noon, usually on the bank of a river or lake or at one's own house.[4] Families may also make a pilgrimage to places like Varanasi and Gaya to perform Shraddha.[2][3][11] An annual Pitri Paksha Mela at Gaya on the banks of River Falgu. Pilgrims from all corners of the country visit Gaya for offering Pinda to their Ancestors. According to Bihar Tourism Department estimates, some 5,00,000 to 75,00,000 pilgrims arrive in the Gaya city during the Pitri Paksha Mela every year.[12]

Who and for whom[edit]
It is essential that Shraddha be performed by the son—usually the eldest—or male relative of the paternal branch of the family, limited to the preceding three generations. However, on Sarvapitri amavasya or matamaha, the daughter's son can offer Shraddha for the maternal side of his family if a male heir is absent in his mother's family.[2][4] Some castes only perform the shraddha for one generation.[2] Prior to performing the rite, the male should have experienced a sacred thread ceremony. Since the ceremony is considered inauspicious due to its association with death, the royal family of Kutch, the king or heirs of the throne are prohibited from conducting Shraddha.[4]

Food[edit]
The food offerings made to the ancestors are usually cooked in silver or copper vessels and typically placed on a banana leaf or cups made of dried leaves. The food must include Kheer (a type of sweet rice and milk), lapsi (a sweet porridge made of wheat grains), rice, dal (lentils), the vegetable of spring bean (guar) and a yellow gourd (pumpkin).[4]

Rites of Shraddha[edit]

The male who performs the shraddha should take a purifying bath beforehand and is expected to wear a dhoti. He wears a ring of kush grass. Then the ancestors are invoked to reside in the ring. The shraddha is usually performed bare-chested, as the position of the sacred thread worn by him needs to be changed multiple times during the ceremony. The shraddha involves pinda-daan, which is an offering to the ancestors of pindas (cooked rice and barley flour balls mixed with ghee and black sesame seeds), accompanying the release of water from the hand. It is followed by the worship of Vishnu in form of the darbha grass, a gold image or Shaligram stone and Yama. The food offering is then made, cooked especially for the ceremony on the roof. The offering is considered to be accepted if a crow arrives and devours the food; the bird is believed to be a messenger from Yama or the spirit of the ancestors.[2] A cow and a dog are also fed, and Brahmin priests are also offered food. Once the ancestors (crow) and Brahmins have eaten, the family members can begin lunch.[4]

Here is a list of Names of The Various Days:[13]

1. Purnima Shraddha 2. Pratipada Shraddha 3. Dwitiya Shraddha, Tritiya Shraddha 4. Chaturthi Shraddha 5. Maha Bharani, Panchami Shraddha 6. Shashthi Shraddha 7. Saptami Shraddha 8. Ashtami Shraddha 9. Navami Shraddha 10. Dashami Shraddha 11. Ekadashi Shraddha 12. Dwadashi Shraddha 13. Magha Shraddha, Trayodhashi Shraddha 14. Chaturdashi Shraddha 15. Sarva Pitru Amavasya

Other practices[edit]
Some families also conduct ritual recitals of scriptures such the Bhagavata Purana and the Bhagavad Gita.[4][14] Others may be charitable and present gifts to the priests or pay them to recite prayers for the ancestor's well-being.[14]


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitru_Paksha

I Have A Cosmic Connection With Banganga




My childhood has been spent at Wodehouse Road Colaba , and it was once when I was very young my Dad bought me here to the Shoe House at Hanging Gardens .That was it.

I discovered Banganga as a photographer late in my 40s and the most memorable outing at Banganga was with late Prof BW Jatkar. and I fell in love with this beautiful Tank.

I came to know about Pitru Paksha  through the pictures of a friend Ranjit Shashank my PSI Club senior member and mentor I decided I would shoot it too.. and thus began my tryst with Banganga and Pitru Paksha.

And it became a ritual to shoot the Banganga Pitru Paksha every year ,  barefeet and from there come to Napean Sea Road Maheshwari House take the blessings of my Guru Mr KG Maheshwari House. And these subsequent Pitru Paksha I have not met my Guru for many years now .that is the only sadness while coming to  Teen Batti as this area is called .

And strange it may sound after shooting the barbers , the beggars , my first shot before entering the Tank is of this Pandit Maharaj.

He is a very nice kindly soul , but till date I never asked him his name nor does he know that I am a Muslim.. he treats me as a Hindu and I accept his feelings with humility and due respect... and than I move towards the Tank , all the ladies  men who sell the Puja articles know me , greet me ..this time all of them wanted to know why I did not come on 23 Sept  the main day of Pitru Paksha ..I told them I did not know about it ,, but I made it today that is 24 Sept ,, The rituals were ending at at about 9 Am,

I was lucky to shoot them and share them with all of you.


Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Pitru Paksha Banganga 2014 ,,



Since last evening I was trying to find out the exact timing of the Pitru Paksha rituals , I called up a few people but got no response than I finally called my dear friend Prashant Singh from my camera club PSI  Mumbai,,

He told me that it was 23 September and 24 September till 9 am.

So after feeding Marziyas Java finches her Flowerhorns Blackghosts ,,I showered  took a rick to Bandra station and a train to Grant Road Station a share a cab to Banganga .

I  had about an hour and a half and there wasnt much crowd so I decided to shoot the religious tonsure and barbers after shooting the rituals of Pind Dan on the steps of the Banganga Tank.

I met my good friend Danish Siddiqui from Reuters and another Kashmiri photographer friend ,, there were two photographers from Bangla Desh students actually.. and photographer enthusiast Brij Lakhani with his dad.

Everyone knows me as I have been shooting the Pitru Paksha for almost 10 years now.

I took a bus on my return and a from Charni Road reached Bandra , I shot the Pitru Paksha barefeet..

I walked home via Bandra Slaughter house shooting the Bandra streets .. hijras and more ,,

This documentary of Pitru Paksha is part of my Hindu blogs .. Hope And Hindutva Message of Universal peace a set at Flickr of over 58000 blogs ,,

You can call this anything but Love Jehad I love my cultural inheritance and showcase it as the unique unity in diversity of my country , my motherland.

Got A Raw Deal From Supermax Pest Control Malad

Supermax Pest Control Malad 

Got a cockroach treatment done not satisfied they dont answer calls , or respond to emails bill no 8867 Shakirs

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Shiasm Is The Oldest Protest Against Terrorism And Misplaced Jehad In The History Of The World



I have shot Moharam Ashura in almost all the major cities of India , starting from Mumbai , Lucknow Hyderabad Mehmoodabad Kolkatta Hussan Tekri  Chennai Delhi
and Shiasm is a path of  Peace ..Moharam has been a protest the only Protest 1400 year old against Terrorism in Islam .. propagated by the Umayads and in its new avatar as ISIS.

Sunnis and Shias live in mutual coexistence but the Wahabis Salafis Tablighis dont want it ,,

I have documented Moharam in pictures for the Non Muslims foreigners ,,

If you knew why we bleed




if you knew why we bleed
you too would join us in
cursing yazid ,, son of a
serpent seed butcher of
karbala a lowly breed
killer of the gandson of
the holy prophet ,,yazid
his lust for power evil
deeds lust and greed

As Photographers We All Shoot What Suits Us Best





It is very easy to criticize a persons cultural phenomenon or his religious diversity as absurd , depraved , monolithic or whatever , as the culture background you come from this is an aberration , unseen absurdity ..

But for those who partake of this self infliction , this bleeding which is a fervor not a trance not under the influence of drugs but a spiritual protest by  a section of Muslims who believe in the same Maker the same Holy Prophet the same Holy Book.. but they believe in the Progeny of the Holy Prophet too his lineage his bloodline that passes from his daughter Princess Fatima her husband Ali Ibne Talib and her children Hassan and Hussain.

The Holy Prophets grandson was brutally murdered while he was praying in the battle of Karbala , the genocide the brutality the bestiality of Yazid s butchery , Yazid was the Caliph of the Umayad Dynasty ..

This chapter has been removed from most of the books of History by vested interests , and made this battle a political one thereby trying to condone the killing of the Holy Prophets Family ,and the start of ethnic cleansing killing of the followers of Hussain for heresy , persecution and it continues till date now more official under the modern Yazid The So Called Caliph Abubakr of ISIS,,

The killing of Christians rape ignominy ..crucifixion, decapitation , enslavement of women children is nothing short of genetic Arab barbarism and the silence of the rest of the Arab word , no Fatwa by the Grand Muftis against this evil adventurism..

Shias are thus abhorred for reminding the rest of the Islamic world of the true Genesis of Terrorism that began on the Sands of Karbala , the Chant Ya Hussain. is a cry for Freedom from all this Mayhem ..so persecuted as heretics  shot down gunned but the cry of Hussain spreads like wildfire among those who have stood up against Oppressors Tyrants and Dictators ,,

This is Shiasm in a nutshell..

As a photographer I am incapable to shoot flowers insects mountains landscapes I do not have that meritorious gift like some of you ..I am a simple photographer I shoot simple things and I will never shoot to ridicule your religion your faith or your ethnicity I would rather commit suicide ,,, you live every day I die everyday ,, death is meaningless .. I die when I shoot beggars the hijras the homeless the hopeless ,,

I shoot your religion become a Hindu or a Christian behind the camera and I dont shoot to make money  , we are blogger s photo bloggers lowest down the ladder .. we are neither mentioned by the people we shoot nor by paid or mainstream Media and our pictures are published not on newspapers but on the consciousness of Man,, We are not just a picture but a earth shattering Tweet too,

This world is absurd but as photographers we bring you  to the core of its intrinsic reality ...

Thanks

Monday, September 22, 2014

Shooting Moharam In Chennai ,, Ashura 10 Moharam




I began shooting Moharam about 15 years back after I took up Photography as a hobby..

My genre was documenting the various cultures rituals in my city Mumbai.. and being a Shia has nothing to do with my shooting Shiasm..
I shot Shiasm mainly to showcase to my non Muslim foreigner friends the world of a Shia during Moharam. and soon it became a passion I tried to shoot the main Moharam days  Ashura Chehlum  in Mumbai.

Than in 2003 or 2004 I shot Moharam in Hyderabad both Ashura and Chehlum  , later shot  Athvi a very important day when Moharam ends in Lucknow and Eid E Zehra the happy Shia day also known as Navi .

I shot Kolkatta Ashura , Hussain tekri Mehmoodabad , Chennai this series in 2010,  and Delhi Ashura with my close American  friend Dr Glenn Losack.

I shot Lucknow Ashura and Chehlum too big huge Shia days in the city of the Nawabs ,, A Shia citadel Nakhas and Kazmain.


This year an eminent French photo journalist wishes to accompany me to shoot Ashura inHyderabad , another Spanish photographer too has shown his inclination , I have no issue as culture should be shared as a human perspective emotions feelings more than its unique religiosity .


And Chennai Ashura is a intense chapter in Ghame Hussain , adults kids bleeding reminding the world of their 1400 year old protest against spiritual terrorism in Islam by the Umayad dynasty under Caliph Yazid .. the accursed butcher of Karbala ..

Aviary Still Does Not Save My Pictures To Flickr




And I will not go cry at the Flickr Forum , it edits to my satisfaction , serves my purpose , I download it as a PNG image , and upload it again as a new post at Flickr ,

I type with one finger so it is painful.. but I am seeing emotions in new light..Ashura for the Shias is an intense moment of pain , a collective memory of the genocide at Karbala . the barbarism of the early Muslims and this barbarism is genetic to Islam.. it will always be there .. and this genetic flaw creates monsters like the ISIS Jehaddists , this misplaced martyrdom serves them well, looting raping , decapitating and showing it to the world this evil visual imagery is the worst form of Terrorism..

If they had not killed the Americans or the Western captives you think the world would have bothered , who cares , the Boko Haram carry on with their killings kidnappings and they should dismantle the eunuch UNO.

And so Moharam Ashura the  Shia chant of Ya Hussain continues protesting against the oppression of Yazid the original father of Terrorism, along with his father Mauwiyah ibn Sufiyan of the Umayad dynasty.

And Muslim youth will be influenced by all this trying to change the world make it entirely Muslim ..and you are the product of your parentage , your ancestry ,, we as Indians  Muslims dont have this evil trait and yes in most cases it comes from the Rogue Mullah too who teaches kids at the madrsas.. to some extent , they is a lot of bigotry racism and hate for the Kafir or Non Muslim,, the flaws are within the Islamic system of thought corrupted by the custodians of Islam but it is easy to blame American Israelis and the Muslim minorities.

Personally the few  places in the world where Muslims love killing Muslims is  Pakistan Afghanistan and the Arab belt of Syria Iraq..

I am happy I  was born in India and have no attachment with Arab thought or its barbarism..and this is Ashura the day we mourn for the Martyrdom of Imam Hussain grandson of the Holy Prophet , this was murder  but it has been condoned and written of as a a political event ,, this was the precedent to justification of killing anyone who does no follow their form of Islam be it Salafi Wahabbi ,, or any hate festering one ,,

And I have removed the color of blood we shed .. made it stark black and white ,, as a photographer documentarist I hate text words but sometimes it is needed to explain the symbolism of our bleeding heads bleeding backs and chests.

I bring you Karbala the moment of Karbala through an image ,,  a series shot in 2010 ,, revisited again through a faulty editing tool at Flickr ,, called Aviary..

Thank you Aviary.. I am astonished at my moderation,

Sunday, September 21, 2014

The Wordup Indiblogger Meet Blue Frog My Flickr Set




Word Up Set Flickr

The Indibloggers Neigbors Envy Renies Pride


About Me As A Blogger .. The Beggar Poet




I began blogging first at Buzznet 2004 - 2005 as Photographer No1 And Commentator No1 ,,

Than I joined Blogspot again as Photographer No1 ..

Than Fotothing and Xanga and Webshots .

Than Fan Art ,,

Had a problem when my Buzznet site got hacked .. deleted my Buzznet accounts .. I was helped here by Tom Andrews .

I started Word Press both platforms than my Shia site Wordpress got hacked I gave up Wordpress for good ,, wont ever touch it with a bargepole ,,,


I joined Flickr as Firoze Shakir Photographer No1 in June 200 thanks to my friend Deepak Amembal Magic eye and my son Asif Shakir who gifted me a Pro Account ,,

Views on my Photos Flickr   32,788,990
My Flickr Images 305786

I have a few blogs on Blogspot

1 firozeshakir.blogspot.in/

2 shahasthussain.blogspot.in/

3 firozekumbhmela.blogspot.in/


4 marziyashakir.blogspot.in/

5 nerjisasifshakir.blogspot.in/

6 zinniafatima.blogspot.in/

7 photographerno1.blogspot.in/?zx=7f1404844dfd71ac

I have an active Tumblr Blog

www.tumblr.com/blog/firozeshakir

twitter.com/firozeshakir

I have deactivated my Facebook..,,

I am on Google + but I use it via GMAIL to pimp my Flickr blogs

plus.google.com/u/0/101088207970638509137/posts

Thats me in a nutshell for new readers and viewers ..

I USE FLICKR AS MY BLOG PLATFORM .. I AM A PHOTOBLOGGER ,, MAN WHO USES HIS CAMERA TO POETICIZE HIS RESTLESS ANGST..

Wordup Indiblogger Meet At Blue Frog..



I was very tired when I returned from the Indiblogger meet , my wife had already left for Lucknow by the 3.15 pm train,, my phone was on silent I did not say goodbye to her I was all Blogs .

I bought Roshan Sorcerer home from the Meet we chatted a bit than I got busy feeding Marziyas Flowerhorns and Blackghosts .. and than her Java Finches .

Showered had some snacks I was full of Bluefrog delicacies and the most filling lunch.

Later I uploaded the mobile phone pics ..and after a few hours  the camera phone pics that I placed for uploading and crashed , I am up now ..

I have documented most of the Mumbai Indimeets passionately ,,as I owe a lot to Renie Ranvin Father of Blogs ,, he has been a great friend inspiration , and almost family to say the least he and his Indiblogger Hit Team.

This entire set is dedicated to him his core team and all at Indiblogger but hey wait this set is also dedicated to Magic Eye my Blogger Bidu , the guy who pushed me towards Flickr from Fotothing , we have been Internet friends since 2004 - 2005 ..

Magic Eye Deepak Ambebal is on a 70 day trip to discover his world along with another dear dear friend Aaditya Raj Kapoor ..the only humble down to earth Kapoor after Mr Rishi Kapoor .

I hav been very close to the Kapoor family since the time Mr Raj Kapoor Sab use to feed his pet chickens at his DeonarBunglow .I use to style stuff for Chimpu Kapoor ,,, a great big bear hugging Kapoor .

I digress an inherent flaw in my blog that waver between photoblogging and storytelling.

This was the first interesting Indi Meet thanks to Renie and a bigger thanks to Big Rock.. they made water into wine into blogs ,the Big Rock team fro top to bottom was hospitable humble accommodating and condescending ,,in a way they made it happen.. all the best to all of them.

The Bluefrog catering under Firoze was just out of the world I shot his gracious staff too.. the Blue Frog bouncers were fish out of water they could not find anyone heavily drunk on tea to throw out for not asking questions ,, even when Sherry the best speaker of the lot ,, stole our hearts and  attention..though she did cutely mention her fiance that put the Romeos of Indiblogger back to Sleep.

I am kidding but all the speakers hit the Bulls Eye  and even Mr Vinit Goenka of BJP..Though we are still waiting for Acche Din in Blogging too ,, so fasten your seat belts I used my Canon  D after a very long time ,, it was once used passionately by my 4 year old grand daughter Marziya Shakir ,, now  7 and the youngest street photographer in my family , the very youngest is Nerjis Asif Shakir 3 year old ,, both are Indibloggers , have Twitter handles and Flickr accounts and their Godfather Guru of Photography is Dr Glenn Losack from Manhattan New York ,, my last but not the least  2 year old grand daughter Zinnia Fatima uses the Canon 60 D better than she uses her Dads Motorola G for taking pictures .

It is ..6.30 am

For Fuck Sake please dont ask me what is Blogging ,, What is Blog ,,

I learnt all that from Mr Brandon Stone and the one and only one Mr Biz Stone ,,

I am learning photography online from Mr Thomas Hawk ,,,my inspirational Flickr Photographer Top of the Pops ,,,

So Good Morning out there ,,thats the Java finches that blog with sounds in our house ,,

Aditya Iyer The Nameless One future gamer filmmaker deserves an honorary mention,, and Nimmi housemaker blogger seated at my table her first Indi Meet was great company too.



Word Up Indiblogger Meet Blue Frog






word up indi meet pics



This was one of the best Indi Meets thank you Renie Ranvin instead of the BJP speaker you and Big Rock should have had a speaker on Photoblogging .. I surely missed this . why this bias for photobloggers  I fail to understand sadly at Indibloggers most bloggers copy paste articles and hardly use their own pictures .. you could have had a speaker from the Indiblogger member somebody passionate about photography and photoblogging ,

Please take this as constructive criticism feedback from the beggar poet of Mumbai ,,,only because of Renie I attended this Meet missing my wife's departure to her parents by the 3.15 Lucknow Train.. but I am sure my sweet wife will forgive me for this aberration.

This was the most enlightening Meet .

Yes I missed my buddy the one and only Magic Eye Deepak Amembal.. having a ball in Leh.. getting laid in the snow I am afraid ..the flesh was willing the spirit needs an upgrade ..











Saturday, September 20, 2014

Word Up Indiblogger Meet Blue Frog



This morning I left home for the Indiblogger WordUp Meet sponsored by Big Rock ..to meet  my Indiblogger friends and My Blog Guru Renie Ranvin and his Hit Team,

But before I go further I missed my bumchum Magic Eye Deepak Amembal he is trekking on his bike in Leh with my other good Bollywoof friend Aditya Raj Kapoor son of vetran heart throb late Mr Shammi Kapoor.

My other two gifted talented friends Aaditya Iyer The Nameless One and Roshan Sorcerer were there .. this was a great meet , great speakers who talked on blogging ,,, and fabulous mindmunching lunch  ,dollops of tea and the works ,, The BlueFrog hospitality headed by my namesake Firoze was outstanding.

This meet was enlightening but I hop the next one has someone talking about Photoblogging Street Photography ,,I reiterated whatever Google Blogspot or Wordpress maybe to Bloggers I use Flickr as my blog platform.. One of the speakers advised me if Flickr shuts down I would lose all my content I answered back Ms Marissa Mayer would never let that happen ever.

Later there was sandwiches tea .. gifts prizes , Big Rock gave 3 bags for my grand daughters and Reniie gave them 3 Indiblogger Tshirts ,,


And this is my new set at Flickr.com ..fasten your seatbelts as my good friend Benn Bell says on Twitter .

The Meet began with a BJP Speaker Vinit Goenka and almost all the bloggers went back to Sleep.. as the meet was at ungodly hour of 9 am.. I dont think there were Political Bloggers Or Blogger Trolls Or Bhakts ,,

After him the other speakers were as follows

1   Amit Aggarwal
2 Anshul Tewari
3 Lakshmi Rebecca
4 Sunit Singh
5 Varun Krishnan
6 Shree Krishna Chepuri

Lunch

7 Harsh Agrawal
8 Scherezade Shroff
9 Snigdha Manchanda

 Stand Up Comedy
Bhavish Ailani

Friday, September 19, 2014

My Tryst With Hijras Is Linked To The Soul Of My Cosmic Poetry





My hijra set is marked Forbidden to Public by me ,,

I have to say without sounding pompous or boastful no one can or will ever shoot the Hijra like I have ,, simply because it is question of Trust .

And above all I am a monk Malang , so I have not miused my hijra pictures or ever written bad stuff about them . I wanted society to accept them and give them space let them live the way they want to live instead of being caged as women in their biologically male bodies .

20000 images I shot over the years poeticized their pain , as  I met them,  my Guru called it the Hijra Vardan.. Hijra blessings  because a clean spirit searches clean human souls .

I was returning from Dadar via Nandi Gully Bandra and I shot her on my new 55 250 mm lens she warned me  but I shot her walked up to her told her about my Hijra connection.

She immediately touched my feet asked my forgiveness ..I patted her  head and told her to take care of herself.. danger is a horny man on two legs ,,

And I meet them wherever I go sometimes I shoot them sometimes I let them free without capturing their androgynous soul in my camera.


Earlier I posted pictures but their blatant misuse , robbing the identity of my Hijra well wishers using them as proxy on Yahoo Hijra groups , prostitution rings actually put me off , and the largest number of Hijra picture stealers are on Flickr , they steal you picture post it on their photostream with your name .. so if you Google Search Firoze Shakir ,, you get Firoze Shakir hijra pictures that take you to a horny hijra lover .. not me.


And Yahoo Copyright is a monolithic group of nasty people that do nothing but make you go round in circles with uncalled for legalese .. I hope Ms Marissa Mayer at least reads this and takes a positive stance on peoples whose pictures are stolen at Flickr because of a useless tool called Spaceball.. even a three year old child of a hacker could hack into your entire photo stream,

I met a foreigner  at the Maha Kumbh who showed an interest in buying my entire Hijra lot I told him every penny cent I will give to the poor needy beyond caste color or creed ..but than after the Kumbh I never heard from him.

The sad part is I shoot the Hijra transgender documentary but people see it as voyeurs , for massaging their languishing libidos .. and the Indian repressed male would even screw a tree if he found a hole in it..

And this post I am writing for a great friend on Twitter ..

My grand kids have shot the Hijras and one of them can sop them from a mile away ..


Nobody shoots the Hijra the way I have it is called .. Hijra Vardan either you have it or dont ,,

Ardh Nari Nareshwar ..

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Shiasm Has Protested Against Islamic Oppression Terrorism Of Yazid Since 1400 Years





'Yazīd ibn Mu‘āwiya ibn Abī Sufyān, Arabic: يزيد بن معاوية بن أبي سفيان‎ ( 20 July 647 – 14 November 683), commonly known as Yazid I, was the second Caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate (and the first one through inheritance). Yazid was the Caliph as appointed by his father Muawiyah I and ruled for three years from 680 CE until his death in 683 CE.

Rise to power[edit]
According to some sources Muawiyah warned his son Yazid against mistreating Hussein ibn Ali, grandson of Muhammad. His final warning to Yazid was: "Be careful O my son, that you do not meet God with his blood, lest you be amongst those that will perish" [2][3] Robert Payne quotes Muawiyah in History of Islam as telling his son Yazid to defeat Hussein, who was surely preparing an army against him, but to deal with him gently thereafter as Hussein was a descendent of Muhammad; but to deal with Abdullah al-Zubair switfly, as Muawiyah feared him the most.[4]

The appointment of Yazid was unpopular in Madina too. Narrated by Yusuf bin Mahak:

Marwan had been appointed as the governor of Hijaz by Muawiyah. He delivered a sermon and mentioned Yazid bin Muawiyah so that the people might take the oath of allegiance to him as the successor of his father (Muawiya). Then 'Abdur Rahman bin Abu Bakr told him something whereupon Marwan ordered that he be arrested. But 'Abdur Rahman entered 'Aisha's house and they could not arrest him. Marwan said, "It is he ('Abdur Rahman) about whom Allah revealed this Verse: 'And the one who says to his parents: 'Fie on you! Do you hold out the promise to me..?'" On that, 'Aisha said from behind a screen, "Allah did not reveal anything from the Qur'an about us except what was connected with the declaration of my innocence (of the slander)."[5]

Oath of allegiance of Yazid[edit]
Upon succession, Yazid asked Governors of all provinces to take an oath of allegiance to him. The necessary oath was secured from all parts of the country. Husayn ibn Ali (grandson of Muhammad) and Abdullah ibn Zubayr (grandson of Abu Bakr) refused to declare allegiance. Yazid sent Marwan, a soldier in his army, to assist in this task.[6][7] An early historical account of the issue of obtaining bai'ah (pledge of allegiance) by Yazid I was chronicled by 9th Century CE historian Al-Tabari who recorded that Yazid's only concern, when he assumed power, was to receive the oath of allegiance from the individuals who had refused to agree with Muawiyah's demand for this oath of allegiance for his son Yazid. Muawiyah had summoned the people (i.e., the Islamic shura or council) to give an oath of allegiance to him that Yazid would be his heir. Yazid's concern was to bring their attitude (of this refusal) to an end. Yazid's paternal first cousin Waleed bin Utbah bin Abu Sufyan was the Governor of Madinah, where Husayn bin Ali and the Hashimite family resided as did Abdullah ibn Zubayr. Yazid had sent his fellow Umayyad kinsman, Marwan bin al-Hakam (who served as a vizier to Muawiyah and now to Yazid), to Waleed bin Utbah bin Abu Sufyan with the following message written in a parchment:[8]

Seize Husayn (Grandson of Muhammad), Abdullah ibn Umar (Son of Umar), and Abdullah ibn Zubayr (Grandson of Abu Bakr) to give the oath of allegiance. Act so fiercely that they have no chance to do anything before giving the oath of allegiance. Peace be with you.[8]

When summoned by the Governor of Madinah, Waleed bin Utbah, Husayn bin Ali answered the summons. However, Abdullah ibn Zubayr did not. When Husayn bin Ali met Waleed and Marwan (who was present) in a semi-private meeting at night, he was informed of the late Caliph Muawiyah's passing and Yazid's accession to the Caliphate. When asked for his pledge of allegiance to Yazid, Husayn responded that giving his allegiance in private would be insufficient, such a thing should be given in public. Waleed agreed to this, but Marwan interrupted demanding that Waleed imprison Husayn and not let him leave until he gives the pledge of allegiance to Yazid. At this interruption, Marwan was soundly upbraided by Husayn who then exited unharmed. Husayn bin Ali had his own retainer of armed supporters waiting nearby just in case a forcible attempt was made to apprehend him. Immediately following Husayn's exit, Marwan emphatically admonished his kinsman Waleed, the governor of Madinah, who in turn rebutted Marwan, justifying his refusal to harm Husayn ibn Ali by stating "that on the Day of Resurrection a man who is (responsible) for the blood of Al-Husayn (will weigh) little in the scale of God." As for Abdullah ibn Zubayr, he had left Medina at night heading for Mecca. In the morning Waleed sent men after him, a party of eighty horsemen under the command of a retainer of the Banu Umayyah. They pursued Ibn al-Zubayr but did not catch up with him, so they returned. As for Husayn ibn Ali, Tabari records that he too left for Mecca shortly after, having not given an oath of allegiance to Yazid.[9]

Husayn ibn Ali and Abdullah ibn Zubayr[edit]
Main articles: Battle of Karbala and Ibn al-Zubair's revolt
Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, along with many other prominent Muslims, not only disapproved of Yazid's nomination for caliph but declared it against the spirit of Islam. While the nomination issue was deliberated upon in Medina, Abdullah ibn Zubayr went with Husayn to Mecca because some prominent Muslims thought that Mecca would be the best base for launching a campaign to build up public opinion against Yazid's nomination. However, before any significant work could be done in this regard, Muawiyah died and Yazid took over the reins of government.[citation needed]

Kufa, a garrison town in what is now Iraq, had been Caliph Alī's capital and many of his supporters lived there. Husayn ibn Ali received letters from Kufa expressing its offer of support if he claimed the caliphate. As he prepared for the journey to Kufa, Abdullah ibn Umar, Abdullah ibn Zubayr and Abdullah ibn Abbas argued against his plan and, if he was determined to proceed to Kufa, asked him to leave women and children in Mecca, but Husayn ignored their suggestions. On the way to Kufa, Husayn received the report of Muslim ibn Aqeel's death at the hands of Yazid's men and that the Kufans had changed their loyalties to Yazid, pledging support to him against Husayn and his followers.[citation needed]

Ubayd-Allah ibn Ziyad, governor of Basrah, executed one of Husayn's messengers and warned the citizens to avoid the insurgency. He sent a message to Husayn, at instruction of Yazid, stating "You can neither go to Kufa nor return to Mecca, but you can go anywhere else you want." Despite this warning, Husayn continued towards Kufa and during the trip, he and many members of his family were killed or captured at the Battle of Karbala.[citation needed]

Many Sahaba, the most prominent being Abdullah ibn Zubayr, refused to give their oath of allegiance to Yazid as they saw it as usurpation of power and not the proper way of choosing a Caliph by the Shura.[10]

Both Yazid and Hussein had been involved in the siege of Constantinople a few years earlier. Hussein was in the army that laid siege to al-Qustanteeniyyah (Constantinople) under the command of Muawiyah's son Yazeed in 51 AH.[11] After the peace treaty with Muawiya Hussein would frequently visit Muawiya with his brother and he would show great hospitality in return.[12] Following Hassans death, Hussein would travel to see Muawiya every year and in return Muawiya would show great hospitality.[13] When the governor of Kufa, Ibn Ziyad sent the head of Hussein to Yazeed. The Servant of Muawiya bin Abu Sufyan is reported ho have said: "When Yazeed came with al-Husain's head and placed it in his hands, I saw Yazeed crying and he said: 'If there had been any relationship between Ibn Ziyad and al-Husain then he would not have done this (referring to Ibn Ziyad).'"[14]

When Husayn was killed in Karbala, Abdullah ibn Zubayr collected the people of Makkah and made the following speech:

"O people! No other people are worse than Iraqis and among the Iraqis, the people of Kufa are the worst. They repeatedly wrote letters and called Imam Husayn to them and took bay'at (allegiance) for his caliphate. But when Ibn Zeyad arived in Kufa, they rallied around him and killed Imam Husayn who was pious, observed the fast, read the Quran and deserved the caliphate in all respects" [15]

When he heard about this, Yazid had a silver chain made and sent to Makkah with the intention of having Walid ibn Utbah arrest Ibn al-Zubair with it.[15]

In Mecca and Madina Husayns family had a strong support base the people were willing to stand up for them. Husayns remaining family moved back to Madina.

Abdullah launched an insurgency in the Hejaz and the Tihamah. Yazid sent armies against him in 683. Yazid tried to end Abdullah ibn Zubayr's rebellion by invading the Hejaz, and took Medina after the bloody Battle of al-Harrah followed by invading the Tihamah and the siege of Mecca but his sudden death, in 683, ended the campaign and threw the Umayyads into disarray with civil war eventually breaking out.

Abdullah ibn Zubayr consolidated his power by sending a governor to Kufa. Soon, Abdullah ibn Zubayr expelled Yazid's army from Iraq, southern Arabia and in the greater part of Syria, and parts of Egypt. But then ran into trouble with the Kharijites in Iraq who were very extreme in their views.

Yazid's son Muawiya II did not want to associate himself with the policies of his father Yazid. Muawiya II chose to abdicate rather than assume the responsibility of conducting what would likely be a bloody military campaign in Mecca.[16] In Damascus Marwan then became the ruler and then his son Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan.

Ibn Zubayr was finally defeated by Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, who sent Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf to reunite the Islamic empire. Hajjaj defeated and killed Ibn Zubayr on the battlefield in 692,[17] beheading him and crucifying his body, reestablishing Umayyad control over the Islamic Empire.[citation needed]

On his last hour he asked his mother Asmā' bint Abu Bakr what he should do. Asmā' bint Abu Bakr replied to her son, she said: "You know better in your own self that if you are upon the truth and you are calling towards the truth go forth for people more honourable than you were killed and have been killed and if you are not upon the truth, then what an evil son you are, you have destroyed yourself and those who are with you. If you say what you say, that if you are upon the truth and you will be killed at the hands of others then you will not truly be free, for this is not the statement of someone who is free".[18]

Then Asmā' bint Abu Bakr said to her son, this is the statement of the mother to her son, "how long will you live in this world, death is more beloved to me than this state you are on/ this state of weakness".

Then this conversation between Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr and his mother continued.

Then Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr said to his mother after she had told him to go forth and fight.

He said, "I am afraid I will be mutilated by the people of Sham, I am afraid that they will cut up my body after they have killed me".

So she said to her son, "after someone has died it won't make any difference what they do to you if you have been killed". Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr then said to his mother, "I did not come to you except to increase myself in knowledge".

He said to her, "I did not come to you except to increase me in knowledge, look and pay attention to this day for verily I am a dead man, your son never drank wine, nor was he fornicator, nor did he wrong any Muslim or Non Muslim, nor was he unjust, I am not saying this to you to show off or show how pure I am but rather as an honour to you".

So then Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr left by himself on his horse to take on Hajjaj and he was killed by the Army of Hajjaj. Then Hajjaj crucified him and said, "No one must put down his body except Asma, she must come to me and ask permission of me and only then will his body be put down".

Asma refused to go and ask permission to put down her sons body and it was said to her, "if you don't go his body will remain like that. So she said let it be then".

Until eventually, Hajjaj came to her and said, "what do you say about this matter" and she said, "Verily you have destroyed him you have ruined his life and with that you have ruined your hereafter".

A few years later the people of Kufa called Zayd ibn Ali the grandson of Husayn over to Kufa. Zaydis believe that on the last hour of Zayd ibn Ali was also betrayed by the people in Kufa who said to him: "May God have mercy on you! What do you have to say on the matter of Abu Bakr and Umar ibn al-Khattab?" Zayd ibn Ali said, "I have not heard anyone in my family renouncing them both nor saying anything but good about them...when they were entrusted with government they behaved justly with the people and acted according to the Qur'an and the Sunnah".[19][20][21][22]

Setbacks[edit]
During the caliphate of Yazid, Muslims suffered several military setbacks. In 682 AD Yazid restored Uqba ibn Nafi as the governor of North Africa and Uqba won battles against the Berbers and Byzantines.[6] Uqba then marched westward towards Tangier and then marched eastwards the Atlas Mountains.[7] With cavalry numbering about 300, he proceeded towards Biskra where he was ambushed by a Berber force . Uqba and all his men died fighting and the Berbers launched a counter-attack and drove Muslims from North Africa.[23] This was a major setback for the Muslims as lost supremacy at sea and had to abandon the islands of Rhodes and Crete.

Death[edit]
Yazid was killed by his own horse after it lost control, his remains were never confirmed to have been found. Yazid died at the age of 36 (age 38 in Hijri-Lunar calculation) after ruling for three years and was succeeded by his son Muawiyah II. Yazid was buried in Damascus. Although it is thought that his grave no longer exists, few believe that it is located in a small street near Umayyad Mosque without any mark or distinction.[6]

Historical evaluation[edit]
Some scholars regard Yazid as a just, noble, religious and administratively efficient ruler and that his nomination by his father Muawiya as Caliph was proper.[24]

He participated in various wars against the Byzantines in the time of his father. He was a brave man fond of hunting.[citation needed]

Nonetheless, most Islamic scholars during the Abbasid Caliphate regarded Caliph Yazid I as a tyrant who was directly responsible for three major historical atrocities in standard Islamic history: The Karbala massacre of the Hashimite caravan of Husayn ibn Ali, the pillage and plunder of the city of Madinah (by Yazid's general Ibn Uqbah al-Murri) in which over 10,000 Muslim citizens were slaughtered and Muslim women were indiscriminately raped, and the siege of Mecca in which Yazid's commander Ibn Numayr ordered his troops to catapult fireballs to the shrine of the Kaaba.[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32]

The above Abbasid scholarly consensus was summed up with the following evaluation of Caliph Yazid I:

He was strong, brave, deliberative, full of resolve, acumen, and eloquence. He composed good poetry. He was also a stern, harsh, and coarse Nasibi. He drank and was a reprobate. He inaugurated his Dawla with the killing of the martyr al-Husayn and closed it with the catastrophe of al-Harrah. Hence the people despised him, he was not blessed in his life, and many took up arms against him after al-Husayn such as the people of Madînah - they rose for the sake of Allâh -[33]
Yazid and Mohammed's prophecy[edit]
Other Islamic scholars point out that in the original literary source of Prophet Muhammad's tradition which was from Sahih Bukhari (Sahih Muslim author Muslim bin Al-Hajjaj's teacher), Muhammad made two consecutive statements:

"The army from my people who will first perform jihad through water has made Paradise obligatory for itself."[34][35]
Alluding to the above sahih hadith, the very first jihad ("endeavour") of a Muslim army via the sea was in 647 CE, in an amphibious landing of additional troops in sea vessels that assisted the main ground army in the second Muslim military invasion of Tripoli, Libya. This conquest of Tripoli and the subsequent expansion into Libya was personally organized and led by Abdullah bin Saad bin Abi Sarh, launched from the coastal city of Barca, Cyrenaica; notable sahabah Abdullah ibn Zubayr and Uqbah bin Nafi participated in this military campaign. In quick succession, Abdullah ibn Zubayr then went on to defeat Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Exarch Gregory the Patrician in the Battle of Sufetula to capture the city of Sbeitla, Tunisia. Chronologically, the very first Muslim navy was the Egyptian Muslim naval fleet, founded in Egypt by Abdullah bin Saad bin Abi Sarh in 645 CE; in December 644 CE, Abdullah bin Saad bin Abi Sarh had been appointed Governor of Egypt by his foster-brother, the new caliph Uthman bin al-Affan al-Umawwi. The second Muslim naval fleet was the Syrian Muslim naval fleet, founded in 647 CE by Syria's governor Muawiyah bin Abu Sufyan (later Caliph Muawiyah I), whose first launch resulted in the capture of Cyprus in 649 CE; although, Muawiyah did not personally lead this naval campaign.[36]

and the following:

"The first army amongst my followers who will invade Caesar's City will be forgiven their sins."[34][35]
Technically, the location of the subject of this sahih hadith of Prophet Muhammad is the city of Homs (Emesa), Syria. Before its capture in Muharram 15 AH (March 636 CE) by the Muslim forces sent by Caliph Umar bin al-Khattab, Homs (Emesa), Syria was the headquarters of Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Emperor Heraclius (i.e. Caesar or Qaisar). The Muslim army that captured in quick succession the Eastern Roman Empire’s cities (Tiberias, Baalbek, and Homs), was led by Abu Ubaydah bin al-Jarrah al-Thaqafi (father of the Karbala & Madinah avenger Mukhtar al-Thaqafi); some notable sahabah who participated in these military campaigns were Miqdad bin al-Aswad al-Kindi, Bilal bin Rabah, and most prominently, Khalid bin al-Waleed. Consequently, the first army to invade “Caesar’s City” was led by Abu Ubaydah bin al-Jarrah al-Thaqafi; if "Caesar's City" meant a city named after a Caesar, then Constantinople or Qustuntunia (named after its founder, Roman Emperor Constantine the Great) still would not qualify, as the very first city (not town or village) which was invaded by a Muslim army that was named after a Roman emperor was Tiberias (in honour of Tiberius Caesar). Tiberias surrendered to Abu Ubaydah's army in Zulhijjah 13 AH (January 635 CE).[37][38]

Furthermore, Abbasid historiographers of standard Islamic history unanimously recorded the following summary of the military campaigns on "Caesar's City" in Christian Byzantium during Muawiyah I's Caliphate (chronological order):[39][40][41][42][43][44][45]

• 42 AH - Led by Abdullah bin Abi Artaat

• 43 AH - Led by Busr bin Abi Artaat

• 44 AH - Led by Abdul Rahman bin Khalid bin al-Waleed

• 46 AH - Led by Malik bin Abdul Rahman and Abdul Rahman bin Khalid bin al-Waleed

• 47 AH - Led by Malik bin Hubaira and Abdul Rahman bin Qaiymi

• 49 AH - Led by Sufyan bin Awf; noted for at least three (3) significant battles commanded by Malik bin Hubaira, Fazala bin Ubair, and Yazid bin Shajara Ar-Rahawi

• 50 AH - Led by Yazid bin Muawiyah (Caliph Yazid I)

According to 12th Century biographer & historian Ibn Al-Athir, in year 49 AH, Caliph Muawiyah I sent a huge army towards Eastern Rome (Byzantium). He made Sufyan bin Awf it’s leader and he ordered his son Yazid to go with them, however Yazid feigned illness and declined to go. When the (Umayyad) warriors were struck with harsh conditions (hunger and diseases), Yazid mockingly recited this poetry:

At Farqudwana immense wrath covered them, whether they had fever or whatever I don’t care because I am sitting on a high carpet and Umm ul Kulthum [one of Yazid's wives] is between my armpits.

When Caliph Muawiyah I heard these phrases, he made Yazid take an oath and join Sufyan bin Awf in Byzantium so that he could also be struck by these same difficulties his soldiers had faced. Yazid had no options and had to go, and so Caliph Muawiyah I sent another army under Yazid’s command in 50 AH.[46]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yazid_I

Monday, September 15, 2014

You Can Only Shoot What You Were Destined To Shoot ,,,


Old Lady Chennai




every line
every stroke
every wrinkle
in place
her eyes
broken down
windows
of  pain
her tribulations
her sufferings
hardships
gasping for
breath on the
emotive surface
of her withered
face aging with
dignity impoverished
grace once she was
young dainty her
rustic beauty worthy
of praise ..but than
cruel time with a chisel
hammer knocked off
her dreams her hope
with a beggar bowl
in ugly hands he
replaced ..now she
waits for her death
to take her back to
the nether region
some other planet
a more human better
place ..her god died
young he committed
suicide seeing the
gross mistake he
made in creating
this race ..man
god forever
parted ways


Chennai Street Life Ashura Day




There are images I shoot impulsively , there is an urge that forces me to capture a face a moment and I forget it , years pass and than I revisit it once again as viewer not as a photographer and I ask myself why did I shoot her ,was it because she was begging , or was it compassion ,,what was it.

Unlike a lot of people that shoot as a photo journalist I record the proceedings of an event but also the surroundings ..I shoot anything everything it has to connect with my inner vision that is more of a poet than a photographer .

And street photography has no limitations , there is is a huge ocean of emotions underlying currents beneath the rippling waves of humanity.

Photography should be held by humility , arrogance has no space , if I had a better camera bigger lens would it change my inner quest would it change the equation of my vision.

I come across situation that punch me right left and I realize I left my camera my mobile phone at home , than I request God to let me get this offering again so I can capture it.

And it does happen most of the time ,,,

Mother Please Tell Me I Wont Be Living On The Streets Like You When I Grow Up





Indian law has a blindfold
it only sees what it is told
travesty of justice ,,,
good days kept on hold
women are bought as
commodities in a
market as flesh are
sold .. the homeless
 living without hope
out in the cold
this is humanity
three cheers behold


a poem dedicated to a friend
from a picture another story
unfolds ,,,

Mother And Child Chennai Street Photography




Shooting pictures is not having a camera and hitting the trigger at random on the streets , the street is a river of life where hope like a little boat tries to remain afloat.

Today a very good client , I tailor his clothes asked me to teach him photography , I told him if you can hold the camera the way you hold a little baby ..the spirit of photography will enter your soul ,, it took me about 15 minutes to explain him everything in a nutshell but I told him to get a good Canon camera , the Nikon D40 he had borrowed from his friend I told him was not good at stealing souls ,,

But I told him I will bring my own Canon 60 D and help him till he gets a good camera ,he can afford any camera , he is a lover of Urdu poetry and I told him shooting the street was poetry too..

He is very close to Imran Khan cricketer , and  the tinsel town called Bollywood ,, he only wears clothes hand stitched by me.

The Blade Matam Of Chennai




between the finger
of the hand it lies
as it cuts through
the chest ya hussain
ya hussain it replies
bringing tears to
the azadars eyes
our pain re echoes
on the sands of
karbala our
maksade hussain
for maksade fatima
our salvation
our paradise

our blood needs
no disguise ,

Must We Always Tell You Why We Bleed !





1400
years
we shed our blood
warning you of
terrorism in Islam
you shut your eyes
you shut your ears
you paid no heed
now they have risen
the children of a
serpent seed blood
related to yazid
ISIS  by any other
name ethnic cleansing
is not just their misdeed
decapitations crucifixions
rape enslavement murder
genocide by this evil breed
born out of spiritual lust
power greed ..indeed

killing fields ,, we wait
for our Imam the Mahdi
we will give our heads
but for our lives we
wont plead hussain
humanity beyond
caste color creed



Sunday, September 14, 2014

Our Imported Red Dragon Flowerhorn Has Grown










Why people like Flowerhorns

The Flowerhorn fish became very popular with Asians almost immediatly once they hit the market. They are thought to have brought good luck and good fortune to their owners. The Flowerhorn is a Feng Shui fish and many people beleive this to be true. Flowerhorn fish even on the market today, can fetch thousands of dollars. The more beautiful the fish the more money will be asked for it. Some have even sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars on the market. The Flowerhorn is a very active fish, and does recognize it's owner, some Flowerhorn fish even allow their owner to pick them up or touch their body and kok. Many hobbyist keep flowerhorns because of this reason, and treat them as good or even better then the family dog. Many Flowerhorn hobbyist have more then one Flowerhorn, and even at their high price tags invest heavily in them.

Breeding your Flowerhorn

Breeding certain types of Flowerhorns can be very easy to very difficult depending on the type. Red Dragons Flowerhorns for instance is pretty much an easy task because most Red Dragons are fertile, compared to a Kamfa, which is harder to breed with lower chances of fertilty if they have white eyes. The basic procedures for breeding Flowerhorn fish is as follows. First off you need to find a fertile male. To do this you need a male of at least 4.5 inches. To test the fertility of the Flowerhorn male most breeders will pair him up with a fertile female Blood Parrot. Because most Blood Parrots are very fertile they are the best testing options to try. If the female Blood parrot lays eggs, and the male Flowerhorn fetilizes those eggs then most likly he will do it again garunteeing pretty much he'll make a good breeding male. Please keep in mind though male Flowerhorns are very picky with which female Flowerhorn they will pair off with. It's always a good idea to at least have 4 female Flowerhorns on hand to try to pair with him. If he doesn't like the female he will most likly hurt or even kill her. When introducing a female to a male you should first divide your breeding tank with tank dividers. Keep the male and female divided with a clear divider so they can see eachother, and like this you'll be able to see the agression level of each fish. Place a breeding plate on the side of the female before interaction with the male. If the agression level is low slowly and carfully remove the divider and keep a watchful eye on them for a while to see how the male will interact with the female. Only start to remove the divider when you notice the females tube is sticking out and swollen. It pretty much means that if everything goes good she will lay her eggs and the breeding will begin within a few days. If you are succeful at pairing them off and the breeding does happen, and the male fertilizes the eggs I highly suggest you remove both the male and the female from the tank a few hours after they do their thing. Remove at least half the water in the tank and make sure it's well oxygenated. Within a few days the eggs will turn to fry....


Caring for your Flowerhorn

Basic care for your Flowerhorn is simple. First off the bigger the fish tank the better off your Flowerhorn will be. A Flowerhorn will develop faster and better in a bigger tank, then a smaller one. The minimum required tank for any Flowerhorn shouldnt be smaller then 30 gallons. Flowerhorns are a very agressive fish, you should pretty much keep only one Flowerhorn in one tank, but if you would like to keep more in one tank then using diverders to split up your tank is the best option. The water temperature of the tank should be about 80-85 degrees farenheight and a PH level of 7.4-8.0 . Keeping the water clean will make your Flowerhorn look its best. So a water change of at least once a week, removing only about 30% is suggested because theirs good bacteria in the water that the Flowerhorn needs. Proper filtration is a must, to find the best filtration system fitting your needs or budget search online and do as much research as possible before buying one, as well as the aquarium lighting. When feeding your Flowerhorn fish, I suggest keeping them on an all pellet diet. Feeding your Flowerhorn live foods can be done, but does have a higher risk of your Flowerhorn getting sick or even dying. Theirs many types of pellets on the market, the best advice is trying a few different types and seeing the best outcomes of each. Although color and kok size is really in the gentics of the fish these types of pellets can speed up the process or even bring out the colors of your fish, but like I said before its all about the genes of the fish.

All about Flowerhorns ect...

FENGSHUI AQUATIC - Home
Fengshui Aquatic Home page, alot of information about Flowerhorns ect..
Monster Fish Keepers
Monster Fish Keepers Forum - The Fastest Growing, Largest, and Most Actively Visited Freshwater and Saltwater Online Community Dedicated to Rare, Exotic, and Predatory Fish.
Flowerhorn Craze
Flowerhorn Craze is a community of aquarium hobbyist dedicated to the fish the flowerhorn. One Team, One Vision, One Hobby.





Saturday, September 13, 2014

A Message from FBI Agent James William.. Catcher In The Eye




AGENT WILLIAMS @elegantindustries.net


Federal Bureau of Investigation Intelligence Field Unit J. Edgar Hoover Building 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. URGENT ATTENTION BENEFICIARY WE SINCERELY APOLOGIZED FOR SENDING YOU THIS SENSITIVE INFORMATION VIA E-MAIL INSTEAD OF A CERTIFIED MAIL, POST-MAIL, PHONE OR FACE TO FACE CONVERSATION, IT IS DUE TO THE URGENCY AND IMPORTANCE OF THE SECURITY INFORMATION OF OUR CITIZENRY, I AM SPECIAL AGENT JAMES WILLIAMS FROM THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION (FBI) INTELLIGENCE UNIT, WE HAVE JUST INTERCEPTED AND CONFISCATED TWO (2) TRUNK BOX AT JFK AIRPORT IN NEW YORK, AND ARE ON THE VERGE OF MOVING IT TO OUR BUREAU HEAD QUARTERS. WE SCANNED THE SAID BOX, AND FOUND IT CONTAINS TOTAL SUM OF $4.1 MILLION AND ALSO BACKUP DOCUMENT WHICH BEARS YOUR NAME AS THE RECEIVER OF THE MONEY CONTAINED IN THE BOX, INVESTIGATIONS CARRIED OUT ON THE DIPLOMAT WHICH ACCOMPANIED THE BOX INTO UNITED STATES SAID HE WAS TO DELIVER THIS FUNDS TO YOUR RESIDENCE AS PAYMENT DUE YOU FROM THE OFFICE OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA AS UNPAID BENEFICIARY. WE CROSS-CHECKED ALL LEGAL DOCUMENTATION IN THE BOX, AND WERE ABOUT TO RELEASE THE CONSIGNMENT TO THE DIPLOMAT WHEN WE FOUND OUT THAT THE BOX WAS LACKING ONE VERY IMPORTANT DOCUMENT WHICH MAKES US CONFISCATE THE BOX. ACCORDING TO SECTION 229 SUBSECTION 31 OF THE 1991 CONSTITUTION IN MONEY LAUNDERING, YOUR CONSIGNMENT LACKS PROOF OF OWNERSHIP CERTIFICATE FROM THE JOINT TEAM OF THE IRS AND HOMELAND SECURITY, REPLY FOR DIRECTION ON HOW TO PROCURE THIS CERTIFICATE WHICH WILL ENABLE YOU RELIEVED OF THE CHARGES OF MONEY LAUNDERING WHICH IS A PUNISHABLE OFFENSE UNDER SECTION 12 SUBSECTION 441 OF CONSTITUTION ON MONEY LAUNDERING. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO REPLY THIS LETTER WITHIN 72HOURS, OR YOU WILL BE ARRESTED, INTERROGATED AND PROSECUTED IN THE COURT OF LAW FOR MONEY LAUNDERING. ALSO, YOU MUST NOT CONTACT ANY OTHER BANK OR PERSON IN NIGERIA OR UNITED KINGDOM OR ANY PART OF THE WORLD FOR ANY PAYMENT, BECAUSE YOUR PAYMENT HAVE BEEN CONFISCATED BY THIS BUREAU HERE IN THE UNITED STATES.. YOURS IN SERVICE AGENT JAMES WILLIAMS REGIONAL DIRECTOR


Thank you Agent James Williams Regional Director FBI

I thought it is important to give you a reply
how many guys your have screwed with this con
you make me laugh hilariously please dont lie
this time dear conman you have sent your message
to the wrong guy ,,i am a beggar poet who begs on
the streets with a camera shooting sorrow of people
before they die ..you can take all the money you have
confiscated and shove it up your rectum with every try
use a nice gel or Vaseline must i imply ,,than go fly
down to Nigeria the land of scamsters ,,Burkina Faso
with the money up your ass nice babes you could buy
dear agent james williams a conman on the sly ..
be careful you dont get caught or your balls they
will mince and fry....take care bye bye goodbye

Our Education System Is About How Many Rocks You Carry In Your School Bag




a friend asked another friend
why was his daughter hunched
her back all curved as she
munched away her lunch
in her school bag full of
rocks .. space crunch

at school beaten  by her hot tempered \volatile school teacher she is kicked grievously punched

Bandra Bazar Road Is Dying Slowly ,, But Surely





The Heritage Of The Dhobis Of Bandra Bazar Road


Once upon a time , many years back the entire Bandra Reclamation area and parts of Bandra Bazar road was a sea front , where the Dhobis dried the clothes and it was a Dhobi Ghat .

When all this land was reclaimed slums became buildings the Dhobis got rooms in place of their tenements and till this day Shaheen Building houses the Dhobis they wash the clothes get it dried near Carter Road and have it pressed in these rooms .

Most of the Dhobis are Bhaiyyas North Indian migrants .. the other race that stayed alongside here with them were the Kathiawadis and the Karie Muslims of Konkan the place is till this day called Karie  chawl.

With the advent of the jeans and second hand cloth sellers of Bandra Hill Road the Dhobis got a new lease on their profession , these clothes are washed altered pressed and re sold much cheaper than the stores on Bandra Hill Road .

The small time Bakda tailors alter the big size jeans into drain pipe stilettos , or cut the badly used jeans into micro shorts that fashionistas buy off the streets .

The Dhobis still grumble that the builders who bought their slums gave them a raw deal as they had huge sprawling houses in the past on the shoreline that  is now the Reclamation and Bazar Road .

This part of Bandra is the most neglected area of the Queen of the Suburbs , given  step motherly treatment by all the politicians who represent this area ,,,the worst deal was given to the East Indian original inhabitants of Bandra fishing villages known as Gaothans ,, sadly any political party that comes to power forgets to develop this this rich heritage block where all communities live in peace hope harmony.

For last 15 years this area has been taken for a ride ..the local bazar is the filthiest dirtiest , open garbage , open gutters , open drains but our local representatives are the only ones that cant see it ,,they are busy developing Pali Hill Carter Road Band Stand and Linking Road Khar Santarcruz..

And there is a drubbing in the offing because you cant fool all the people all the time with false promises colorful brochures and Dengue Free Bandra .

I hope Advocate Ashish Shelar and Mr Aaditya Thackeray Ms Punam Mahajan read this too.. the ruling satraps dont read blogs ,,


Bakra Eid Is On 6 October ,,Tells The Cat To The Dumba Goats




soon you wont be
eating with me
leftovers of bandra
residents she
bemusedly tells
the goats ,,
the butcher
will sell you
profitably
to cut your
throats
i will miss you
dear friend
the most ,,
the silken
 warmth of
your glistening
coats the best of
you as biryani
your flesh they
will roast ..we
bought dumbas
to their envious
neighbors
they will boast

wiping her whiskers
a few drops of tears
their feline friend
their host ,,
dumbass society
they said we hate
it the utmost

The Muslim Vote Bank,, Was Made To Fill In The Blank



15 years
nothing has
changed
so whom
do they
 thank
after giving
their valuable
vote the ship
of their destiny
sank..their lives
more miserable
stormy seas of
despair holding
a plywood plank

dreams that tanked

A New Circus Is Coming Town - Dance Of Democracy Upside Down




candidates
juggling clowns
kaun banega
minister
ab kya bataun
sabki phati hai
kismet mera desh
mera gaon ,,
billi boli meow
kis chue ko main
kha jaun..

memories of last
election from the
past i bring it to
you every
memorable
ounce ,,

the name of the lucky  unlucky candidate
paid media will announce ,,,post dated
cheques that will bounce ,,,

Gar Kute Political Savvy Ban Jayenge




gar kutey
political savvy
 ban jayenge
har gali main
nara lagayenge
stray dog population
ke massiah ban jayenge
inko vote do
yeh raste ke kutton ko
pedigree ke
 certificate dilayenge
acche acche
 khab dikhayenge
hadi accha malik aur makan
bhok bhokke
nara lagayenge
maneka ji ka
adar samman
 badayenge
gas chamber
dog slaughter house
ko completely
band karwayenge
kuton ki nagri ko
insan ki nagri se
accha banayenge
jab kutte neta
ban jayenge
foreign trip lagayenge
bade bade  mall
building complex
kutton ke liye banayenge
kutte insan ki tarah
kutton ko nahi satayenge


dedicated to guido the troll dog ugly pug


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