Sunday, June 22, 2014

The Naga Sadhu





on a winter cold morning
on the banks of the ganges
a naga guru pensive sad
i shot all alone in a crowd
flooded by old memories
of earlier kumbhs  agony
ecstasy of his thoughts
i tried to capture decipher
each one of them in the
fishermans net i caught
at that very hallowed
solemn spot ..

a muslim  photographer poet
held by a slender thread in a
cosmic plot ..overwrought
his cultural inheritance that
had pulled him from mumbai
his jouney into a saffron world
of vermilion tiny dots the chant
of har har mahadev from  the
soul of his camera on to your
hearts he bought .amrit nectar
of humility humanity as offerings
from his guru he got ..for once
his caste color creed he forgot

shot after shot after shot..stealing
curds from Krishnas pot ,,,,

Basant Panchami Shahi Snan Maha Kumbh.the winds whispered beggar
 poet ,,once home forget me not ,,,
we are born we die become air
fire water wind ..mankinds lot .

Shooting The Naga Sadhus At The Shahi Snan Is a Risky Business Too



Basant Panchami Maha Kumbh

On this auspicious God sent Day while heading towards the banks of the Ganges for the Royal Bath or Shahi Snan , the Naga Sadhus are over excited , some of them high in spirits , rushing adrenalin , and if you are not cautious you can be attacked by a few volatile hot headed sadhus , either with their sticks or even the swords or trishul..perhaps because some press photographer , or foreign photographer steps in their way making them all the more agitated .

As  I was dressed in white and looked like a Sadhu I saved a lot of  unwary photographers from getting beaten..but than the photographers the crowds and the stupid cops of UP are over excited too, the cops have no inkling about handling the Naga Sadhus , they are abusive rude and insulting to the foreign photographers ..and we talk of Devo Atithi Bhava..there is no Press Stand here at the Sangam , preferential treatment for VVIP photographers is possible , you have to pull strings in high places .

I pity the Photo Blogger but because of his ability to become a reptile in such situations he gets away with some good shots too..

I was with my Guru a Naga Sadhu and Kotal Naga Cop so I was lucky  to be at the right place right time..

There is no discipline , here at all badly stage managed , and absolutely no disaster management on this side of the banks.. whatever lifeguards etc are on the boats of the baks  a small place left for the Holy Dip , in which even the crowds keeps pushing in

Most of them are Bhakts of the various Akhadas with their families ..

All in all I had a Great Maha Kumbh..

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