Wednesday, December 30, 2015

My Kama Matam Athvi Lucknow Kazmain 2015



On 7 Rabilawal I bought this white chiken kurta from Chowk..it is symbolic as a kafan or winding sheet that we wear before we do kama matam..self infliction as a protest against the oppressors and persecutors of our Faith ,, this is the longest protest in our own blood ,, and it will never stop from one generation to the next.

And I first began this protest here in Lucknow during Athvi 7 Rabilwal and I was once again back at Kazmain and my granddaughters Marziya and Nerjis watched me as I did my Tandav on the soul of Shimr ..

And I had not cut myself this Chehlum.. and please use your discretion seeing these images I bled a lot and I have never in my life done the kama matam for such a long time ,, simply because no one dared to snatch the daggers from my hands I had made sure thanks to Baney Bhai the head of the kama matam anjuman in Lucknow .

I used both my daggers from Pushkar blessed at the Brahma Mandir by my Hindu friend Raj Telik who supplies me my daggers ..all he says when you bleed I will bleed too.

And fuck I dont understand the Hindu Muslim divide ,.. the Dadri page of insult to the soul of Humanity as Indians.

I would not be what I am without my Hindu friends their love support and respect ,,

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Born in Captivity



the pain pathos
lifes drama of poor
people living on the
streets of mumbai city
no fans no lights no
electricity but the will
to survive without pity
defiantly fighting the
bulldozers of mumbai
municipality ,,waiting for
the right moment to build
a hut living of rich mans
charity ,,only in death
they will share equality

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

The Art of Earcleaning Explained

Aye Shiyon Ke Mehman Khuda Hafiz O Nazir


Even God Cant Save The Muslim Beggar Born In Captivity





This was shot in 2013 during Chehlum Lucknow and there are many beggars like her near the Talkatora cemetery shouting their lungs out for alms ,,I dont recollect but there were a lot of Kashmiris too begging with pictures of the deluge during the same time I presume ,..and for a Muslim beggar begging is a life sentence a lifetime punishment .
And I document the pain pathos struggle of the Muslim Beggars ,,their children too take too begging and they gradually become professional beggars ,, their will to work disappears and having begged got money they will not slave for another person.
And its about self respect too once it has been mortgaged on the streets there is nothing left but beggary .

Black Madonna On The Streets Of Mumbai


pinjare ke panchhi re, tera dadr na jaane koe


vidhi ne teri katha likhi aansu mein kalam duboe 

pradip sab

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

I got a Pro Head Tennis Racquet as a birthday present from my Coach Surendra Pawar.






I had taken the Avle ki Chutney and lassun ki Roti for Mrs Pawar coach's wife and before I could say anything my coach presented me a brand new racquet thought I requested him to give my Cosco racquet to some deserving poor tennis player .
I had tears of gratitude when I received this precious gift from my dear coach and Fabian Namory my tennis mate shot our pictures as sweet memories .

The humble panwala Bandra Reclamation .






He sees me every morning going to play tennis and does not forget to greet me , he sits opposite my friend Kaleem bhais stall ..Kaleem Bhai makes puris and vegetable kheema for the migrant ricksha drivers and all this is close to the Bandra Sunni Mosque where my dear friend Ahad Bhai reads the Urdu newspapers he is one of the person's in my recent post Peaceful Muslims of Bandra and that is the beauty of Bandra we are one as Muslims though we may hail from different sects .
There is no sectarian hate animosity among the Muslims of Bandra .
And the panwala is a Muslim so I thought why not shoot his video and his picture it made him happy important but I politely refused the Banarsi pan he offered him .
As my dad was from Lucknow he ate pan and so did both my grandmothers they had their own ancestral pandan
My wife's family gave me a pandan on my wedding day and it was made of brass but when Asif Shakir my son got married in Lucknow my wife gave the pandan to a brass dealer and bought brass pots Matkis that are given to the girls family.
Most houses where pan is the staple pastime you will find a pandan and Ugal Dan for spouting out the pan spit .
But as Lucknow had culture adab tehzeeb in those days it was a taboo to spit the pan red on the walls unlike what you find at government offices people here love to spit the wall red with a vengeance .
Pan is served during weddings and also after majlis in some places .
Silver foiled pan the best was at Strand Cinema made by a Sindhi guy and next to his stall was the Sindhi guy who made gurda kaleji seeks and Sindhi producers families would come from Bandra Warden Road to savour it .
There was another pan that was very famous and cost Rs 10000 this was sold at Bachu Bhai ki Wadi at Foras road Shuklaji street it enhanced your gun power and languishing libido I had a a very rich friend at Oberois where I worked he was a jeweller and whenever he struck gold he bought us to the mujra ladies I hated songs and the Pakeezah styled women.
My friend I remembered was offered a nubile virgin going to a convent school for Rs 50000 early 70 s .
I just walked away to go and get drunk away from this house of Sodom and Gomorrah .
He took us to Congress house another mujra joint and I just could not digest the dance or the chemical romance .
So in short the pan has a lot of interwoven memories and too much of red.
Later when I began documenting the red light areas the hijra street walkers survived on pan and it was a painful moment of street nostalgia .
The madams who own the cages eat a lot of pan and the pimps in white safari suits with red lips who stalked customers at Arthur Bunder road where there were sophisticated who're houses like Green line Guest house and Paradise .
The bhais of Strand Cinema loved pan and 14 goli chilum.
I wish I had a camera than..now only my memory that is serving up words as images .
Chandul opium dens were very famous too those days .
And this pan made me digress from Bandra to those old days of yore .

The Woodcarvers of Bandra SV Road.




The few shops at Bandra selling artistic hand carved frames rocking chairs center table other woodden items know me well as the few friendly ones allow me shoot them .
There are some more after the Juma Masjid Bandra and at Mahim near St Michael Church a few off Mahim Causeway .
I have only shot the Bandra SV Road wood carvers and when my foreigner photographer friends want curios I bring them here and these guys give them a hefty discount ..they respect me a lot .
We all love beautiful things and the art that goes in making beautiful things ..and watching these guys patiently carving wood is real joy for the eyes that normally shoot filth and garbage .
And if you have an inclination and depth of thought there is a lot to shoot .
And sadly I don't have the time or the money to run to the mountains or foreign locales so I shoot the humble glory of my Bandra backyard ..it has a soul and it is metaphorically real even as an imagined thought .
Street stories should be shot like a story board and now I shoot street stories on videos .
Once again pimping a picture as a photographer and telling a story as bloggers is the difference between night and day and the sun and the moon and Fuck F Stops.


Khichda Being Prepared As Niyaz At Bandra Slaughter House Slums





He sees me every morning going to play tennis and does not forget to greet me , he sits opposite my friend Kaleem bhais stall ..Kaleem Bhai makes puris and vegetable kheema for the migrant ricksha drivers and all this is close to the Bandra Sunni Mosque where my dear friend Ahad Bhai reads the Urdu newspapers he is one of the person's in my recent post Peaceful Muslims of Bandra and that is the beauty of Bandra we are one as Muslims though we may hail from different sects .
There is no sectarian hate animosity among the Muslims of Bandra .
And the panwala is a Muslim so I thought why not shoot his video and his picture it made him happy important but I politely refused the Banarsi pan he offered him .
As my dad was from Lucknow he ate pan and so did both my grandmothers they had their own ancestral pandan
My wife's family gave me a pandan on my wedding day and it was made of brass but when Asif Shakir my son got married in Lucknow my wife gave the pandan to a brass dealer and bought brass pots Matkis that are given to the girls family.
Most houses where pan is the staple pastime you will find a pandan and Ugal Dan for spouting out the pan spit .
But as Lucknow had culture adab tehzeeb in those days it was a taboo to spit the pan red on the walls unlike what you find at government offices people here love to spit the wall red with a vengeance .
Pan is served during weddings and also after majlis in some places .
Silver foiled pan the best was at Strand Cinema made by a Sindhi guy and next to his stall was the Sindhi guy who made gurda kaleji seeks and Sindhi producers families would come from Bandra Warden Road to savour it .
There was another pan that was very famous and cost Rs 10000 this was sold at Bachu Bhai ki Wadi at Foras road Shuklaji street it enhanced your gun power and languishing libido I had a a very rich friend at Oberois where I worked he was a jeweller and whenever he struck gold he bought us to the mujra ladies I hated songs and the Pakeezah styled women.
My friend I remembered was offered a nubile virgin going to a convent school for Rs 50000 early 70 s .
I just walked away to go and get drunk away from this house of Sodom and Gomorrah .
He took us to Congress house another mujra joint and I just could not digest the dance or the chemical romance .
So in short the pan has a lot of interwoven memories and too much of red.
Later when I began documenting the red light areas the hijra street walkers survived on pan and it was a painful moment of street nostalgia .
The madams who own the cages eat a lot of pan and the pimps in white safari suits with red lips who stalked customers at Arthur Bunder road where there were sophisticated who're houses like Green line Guest house and Paradise .
The bhais of Strand Cinema loved pan and 14 goli chilum.
I wish I had a camera than..now only my memory that is serving up words as images .
Chandul opium dens were very famous too those days .
And this pan made me digress from Bandra to those old days of yore .

Monday, December 14, 2015

Do Lepers Celebrate Mothers Day ?






I left home yesterday in a hurry I am busy with some film work.. I left my mobile phone at home and did not realize it till I saw these new beggars in my area .. Bandra Bazar Road ,,And I shoot lepers .. and I did not want to rush home get my camera and capture them..I let the moment pass me by but I willed the moment to return with a demonic passion called street photography .
This morning as I was returning home I saw them in the market Bazar Road and before I gave them money generously I shot two videos and these 3 frames ,, I can go on shooting lepers forever ,,and the fair and lovely cream will never have a leper mother and the child as their model...
I used to document the life of a Hindu lady a leper who converted to Christianity, but the custodians of Jesus .. could not give Maria her salvation she begged on the road at Boran Road , she has left Mumbai but will return I am sure.. I wanted to connect her with Sister Christobel a healer and helper of the poor ..from Mother Theresa s order a very good friend of mine .. and late Fr Peter Drego.
Now her daughter Mary begs where she once sat,.. her children are in a convent I am told in South India ,
I shot a lot of beggars on the foothills of Haji Malang that was once a beggar colony , now it is prime property and the lepers sold out just a few remain...
I shot a very prolific leper beggar at Hyderabad I was here for Moharam shooting him with my dear friend Boaz.
There are two lepers and a beggar lady at Bandra Hill Road ,, they are the three most iconic leper beggars of Bandra .
So these are street stories ,, shot as pictures cosmically bought forward after I had lost them yesterday .
I have realized if you force a moment to return it cosmically comes back.. there was a time when I left home and I said I will shoot the transgender and believe it or not I met them shot there was no way the moment could evade the Third Eye of Shiva held as eternity in my camera lens .

The Poor Muslim Was Taken For A Royal Ride By All Political Parties



He is from Malda West Bengal,and most of the Muslim beggars in Mumbai begging in predominantly Muslim colonies  Muslim slums Muslim ghettos are from Malda or Murshidabad ,,

Why are they leaving their homes , city village town undergoing hardship living in worst human condition begging in Mumbai..Mumbai is a city of dreams but it can be a very heartless city for the migrants ,,very unfriendly somtimes and unapproachable .

Those who make it in Mumbai ..marry another beggar and start life afresh..their kids also beg..

And at Shastri Nagar Santa Cruz close to the Bus Depot , close to the mosque , men woman children begging ..Muslims begging from Muslims ,, and I knew he was from Malda much before he told me that..

And the leaders from the cities they come from dont care a bit .. and they beg grovel.. but they will remain a beggar all their lives ,,

I Shoot Urban Chaos




I cannot shoot
glitz and gloss
i only shoot
what i was
destined too
shoot effect and cause
no candy floss
i dont have to go
down under a photo
editors desk to get
a picture published
i am my own boss
i carry my camera
comically like jesus
s cross ,,shoot the
pain poetry of life
that comes across

Friday, December 11, 2015

the boy and the bull..a magnetic cosmic pull



life can be half empty or half full

The Nizami Murid calls himself a Malang .



ly one person can pass through .
The workers get their lunch on a system called BC Rs 450 for six days .
I have not tried their food and was too ashamed to shoot it it is bad but this is the cheapest best food for the migrant workers where I come all of them hail from Bihar ..once in a while my wife makes biryani and zarda for them .
They call my wife Bhabiji and as I was bought up in the Kurla slums 62 years back it has become part of my inner angst .The slums have not left me at all ..the beggars hijras would invite me to their slums in Dharavi but I never could make it the largest number of commercial and beggar hijras live in the Shastri Nagar Slums .
I also visit the Maharashtra Nagar Slums too my masters coat workshops ..here.
I have had the most hectic day yesterday a meeting with Mr Gautam Adhikari sab and his family back to work and a hurried trip to town for a film order dinner was roasted buff tongue sent by our neighbors I had it for a change than at 10.30 pm spoke to my granddaughters Marziya and Nergis they said they could not wish me because of Shahadat martyrdom of Holy Prophet and Imam Hassan .
Moharam in Lucknow never ends matam majlis never end even after 2 month eight days of Moharam.
We might go to Lucknow to visit them as they have relocated to their mothers hometown .
These are early morning stray thoughts giving birth to a personal blog .
Happy Morning to all of you ,wife has ordered va strawberry cake for my friends teachers at the Tennis court I will pick it up at 7 am.

The Drug Addict infested Shastri Nagar Slums






I have to pass this way to go to the Bandra Slaughter House Slums and behind the garbage bins at any given time the drug addicts dangerous notorious sit her shooting their syringes they are not scared of anyone and even cop vans that pass this way look the other way and this is a densely populated Muslim locality and all Muslim inhabitated slums are the dirtiest filthiest and they just love to fling the garbage on the road instead of the garbage bins perhaps they too are scared of the drug addicts I shoot garbage and I am not a fake sanctimonious activist that you find a dime a dozen ass licking some political party or the other .
Pimping the agenda of any political party gets you pocket money too I stay away from all political parties ..I am a photographer and I poeticize the ugliness of Bandra .
Bandra where I stay is not Carter Road or Chintujis Pali hill or Sharukh and Salmans Bandstand .
I stay on the dark side of the moon at Bandra bazaar road a few years back while we were going through the worst period of our life wife thought of selling the house relocating to some distant suburb leaving Bandra for good but God helped us and so did a few friends and we held on to Bandra .
And we are originally from Colaba but Bandra became a part of our destinys accidental inheritance .
And I will continue shooting garbage dumps they are a catharsis to the mind of this beggar poet ..
Mera pas Kachra Hai tumhare pas toh Sirf Swach Bharat hai lol

The Dabbawalas having lunch from their tiffins.




Most of the dabbawalas of Mumbai know me as I shot them on the only day they bunked from work to support Anna Hazares India against corruption at Azad Maidan and I shot them prolifically ..and I am a Mumbaikar and I love the Dabbawalas they are the breath and spirit of our beautiful Mumbai you can find a bit of every Indian city in Mumbai but you will never find a Mumbai in any other state of Akhand Bharat .
There never was and will never be another Mumbai in any part of India ,Mumbai is the only original smart city a city of dreams a city of hope and yes a city of our hard-working world famous punctual Dabbawalas .
And earlier I blogged at Flickr now i blog at Facebook and what is a blog if it has a borrowed picture and no fucking original content.
Yes blogging is nothing but telling a story to a crowd of people at a marketplace called Facebook.

Today I decided to get back to my humble Lucknowi roots to the city of my birth a noble tribute ..







In the earlier days when the sherwani was handsticthed and to give it the flow drape on the posterior it was pressed with a medium hot iron on a tawa ..and that is how Mr Raj Babbar Sabs sherwanis were made for Nikah.
I made this sherwani through the hands of a novice my maids brother he had just started making coats and a bit of cutting .I made this sherwani to wear in Hyderabad for Moharam but somehow never got down to wearing it and I wore it just for kicks with my Karakul cap .
The sherwani has sadly been bastardized by the designers and by those who have deformed it .It has lost its Nawabi ambiance it's sartorial spirituality .
Wearing a sherwani is nothing special it is how you carry as I only wear cottons and linens I made this in Irish linen dyed black.
And the beauty of this sherwani is it flows like a river ..when I walk .


A tribute to me from my sister on my birthday



A toast to the evergreen spirit of a man who is my oldest brother. An admirable human being, passionate artist who sees beyond the eye and the epitome of men's fashion.
He shoots straight from the gut, a daredevil, a champion of the lesser privileged, a malang - as he defines himself, a Lucknowi, a Bandra-ite to the core, a charmer with his aptitude to connect with people from any hemisphere, race, economic status or language, a poet exemplaire, Firoze Mohomed Shakir
Firoze Mohomed Shakir stands out in more ways than one - not just in his sartorial taste.
The First of the Shakirs!!
Wish you a life filled with love and joy in abundance. Stay awesome, stay you!

Farzana Suri

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