Every time when I come to Hindmata Dadar for work I am pulled to this sculpture art form..I dont know why ..I try to shoot it but there are many obstructions a wall a gate and mind you he is completely hidden from the public away from the main road in a side lane .
I can enter the compound take him fully but because of my attire I avoid any confrontation I shoot from outside very few people here know my Sufi background and this is a predominantly Hindu locality where people dressed like me are looked at with suspicion and I dont blame them
But the shopkeepers a few blocks from here know me well I have been dealing with them since several years .
Lord Ganesha is a designers beloved God , he metamorphoses as artistic form and a God of auspicious creativity ..he adds to the flexibility and transforms himself to the fingers of the artist or the sculptor and holistic clay loves him most of all.. he is the ultimate conjurer and likes to be conjured by the deft fingers of creativity .
I have seen him being sketched by artists, by designers and molded as Lord Ganesha by sculptors like Khatu and Rawal..
And I have shot the sculptors workshops before the Ganesha festival at Bandra Parel and Ganesh Gully and I could go on shooting forever .
One of the reasons I took both my grand daughters at different times toshoot this magical form , but Marziya than perhaps 3 year old wanted to paint him too .
Nerjis was 2 she was very scared of his form but gradually with my assistance began shooting the Great Ganesha .
However both the kids like to shoot Goddess Durga because of her beauty and feminine form that identifies with their own.
And Marziya shot the Pandal for a few years and last year Nerjis 3 year old shot all the major Ganesh Pandals in Bandra I took a back seat as I felt while they shot it was my finger directing the shots in their minds .
And if we respect our neighbors religion his culture as a child than I dont think bigotry or hate can ever enter the mind as adult.... so similarly I made both shoot Ram Mandir and St Peter Church Bandra ..And both know Ganpati and Jesus in the same breath .
And as I dont shoot Moharam in MumbaiI am a Shia I feel sad I cannot take them out and let them shoot the street processions but I think it is better I dont want my grandkids to be insulted humiliated called names by Shia bigots ,, we have so many that I d rather shoot Shiasm in Lucknow or Hyderabad or even Chennai..And than you have a curse like Whats Up where the bigot groups defame us as Akhbaris .. and shit all figments of their Minds .
The only Shia aspect of my Faith I shoot is the Annual Majlis at our house during Moharam.
And I shoot Sufism .. Rafaees Chishtiyas and the Maddariyas .
I shoot a lot of eunuchs too their faith in Khwajah Garib Nawaz is incredible and I try to shoots this holistic connection, I shot the Eunuchs at Maha Kumbh but I have locked away all these images from public view as the general Indian considers the HIjra to be a sex object something I refise to believe or endorse and what has religiosity got to do with one sexual preference this was the first time after 4 years actually I shot the Gay Pride ..
Even my Maha Kumbh pictures a very rare documentary I will lock up from public view it is merely visited by Flickr members for the Naga nudity.. My Guru is a Naga Sadhu from Juna Akhara and I stayed with him and his chelas at Sector 4 .
And after many years , being troubled by my diabetes and lazy since the internet came into my life I decided firmly I will start walking again I used to walk at Carter Road once.
I walked from my house at Bandra Reclamation at 3.30 am till the far end beyond ONGC quarters a long brisk walk and walked back home at 4 am.
I hope to walk everyday ,, my waist was 34 now it is 39 no exercise only blogging and hogging.
And you folks must join Ello it is a huge creative site , great photographers , artists travel blogs , and designers , a site without adds or Facebook hangups ,, no fucked pokes no fucked walls .. just be You ,,
And Flickr has taken giant steps the Camera Roll is a great achievement and addition I only hope Ms Marissa Mayer as a Hanukah gift to me rolls back the Gift of Pro.. we poor photographers were in much need of this impetus .. where our rich friends gave us a lease on our Flickr Pro shelf life.
And sometimes even a single street picture can outreach the limitations of a talking Mind ,
