On this stretch I found beggar handlers , only interested in making money , and the beggar child on the wooden hand cart looked at the world with vacuous eyes ,,,I have shot a lot of them , there might be some genuine beggars but their head count not as large as the professional beggars ,,year after year they come to supplement their income as they know the devotees of the Holy Saint Of The Poor Garib Nawaz wont let them down..
Even the cops go easy on them , as the Urus is time of compassion piety and kindness to the unfortunate who are also followers of the Holy Saint ,,
There were times I just wanted to stand in a corner and shoot people passing by ....did they really care for the beggars or where they interested only in their salvation.
Most of the beggars would wait outside the Mandi vegetable market of Moti Katla where the hijras stayed , overtly dressed and scented perfumed like peacocks they walked this ramp of life and some did give generously to the beggars ..
The hijra gharana of Mumbai served food known as Niyaz to everyone , the beggars were called in last to eat without restriction , some took parcels home for their families ..and food is easily available to the beggars that come to Ajmer nobody goes hungry in Ajmer ..The Holy Saint provides round the clock...I documented all this ,, year after years since 2005 .
As I walked barefeet despite an expensive camera round my neck, simple folks would kiss my rings give me money and plead with me to pray for them.. I gave the money to the more poorer beggars than me .
My credibility as a photographer or as a humanbeing got a spiritual boost because of my connection with the Dam Madar Malangs ,..partaking of their humility .I met a lot of folks connected to the Madarriya order , the helpless needy wanting to be blessed by Masoomi Baba .. my Malang Guru.
I connected with my old band of Chancawalli Rafaees an order I had documented since last 10 years , Masoom Ali Baba the Murshad of this motley group.. Hassan Ganda Sai and Farukh my oldest Rafaee contacts .Zanjiwale Baba , the Hijra babas like Rashid Bawa and I would sit with them shoot them , this was the genre of my pictorial thirst.
Noubat Ali Baba the head of Jalali Chowk Rafaees allowed me to shoot without being stopped by any bawa here , and there are many crazy bawas who hate cameras and photographers hurling abuses ..threatening bodily harm.
There was no escaping the beggars ...and I impulsively shot them , some offered me tea or biscuits and I humbly took their offering ..respectfully .
But most of all many of the beggars knew I stayed with Peersab Fakhru Miya hujra no 6 , and so they always held me in kind regard ..and all this documentation would have not been possible without Peersab and his sons Farid Miya and Qambar Miya.
