Every beggar I shot , was merely a picture , a single frame within a frame , I never talked to them I was very clinical in my approach to beggars .I shot them , gave them money moved on..
I do talk to a few beggars I know , and they are the senior beggars of Bandra Bazar Road like Jaffer Bhai and Khwajah Bhai.
But now since I began shooting beggars on video.. I have changed , I feel more compassion , and I am understanding the collective beggar psyche ,, If I was younger , more educated I would have done a thesis on Muslim beggars on India..Please dont read me wrong beggars in every community are downtrodden neglected and in bad shape and they are all made in India beggars.. but my thread of pictorial thought and assessment are Muslim beggars .
The reason is is sensitively impactful, if the Muslim community instead of waging sectarian wars , killing murdering their own , raping pillaging ,,as warlords like the ISIS Taliban took up the positive role of helping the poor , giving succor to all even the minorities this wold would be a better place to live in for the unborn child .
Perhaps I am a dreamer , living out an Utopian dream.. but we are hypocritical it runs in our blood , we hardly follow the message of Peace and Brotherhood .. We have destroyed our own religion by misinterpretation following blindly hate filled rogue mullahs leaders and you know the gist of my thought.
When I see beggars Hindus Muslims sitting side by side begging , I feel this is the true spirit of my country.. a country that has been well known for its love for humanity hospitality and humanity .
Beggars that Man forgot and sometimes I think even God has forgotten them , is there a Minister in Parliament that represent beggars .. certainly not the myopic visually impaired Minister of Minorities who hardly knows the difference between the rich the poor and the affluent ,, God save us from our Ministers .. forget fake degrees their thought on existence too is fake .. and after they are elected thanks to our misplaced votes they become all the more fake .
I sit next to these beggars speak to them let their voice reach out to you .. perhaps you too will become compassionate like me ,, and just giving a few coins to the beggars will not change their destiny at all.
Mind you there are fake beggars too, who am I too judge them.. there are beggars that use beggary as a profession , there are beggars that are victims held against their will by beggar mafias , highly connected and very powerful.. there are corrupt people who force beggars into child prostitution , and we all know it ,, but we are hardened human animals .. it does not bother us .. but I know the next generation after my grandkids will certainly change all this ,,,they will reach out change India and the world too.. I am positive ,, this powerful generation yet to be born will be dynamic , healers , futuristic hope ,,
I just stopped writing and went to shoot my wife teaching 4 year old Nerjis to perform the Namaz.. yes change will come surely..
