Wednesday, September 30, 2015

At Lalbagh Chya Raja Pandal With My Dear Friend Vinay Parelkar




I was using two cameras  Canon 60D and Canon 7D ,, I had bought a flash too but never got to use and the bag I was  carrying was very heavy ...after Lalbagh Chya Raja moved out of the Pandal.. Vinay and I followed him from the back and than we got separated in the crowds at Lalbagh and finally met at Girgaum Chowpatty ..this is my last card of my Ganesha Visarjan documentary and after I have uploaded and posted the pictures at Flickr the series will end ,,

I might shoot the Durga workshops if I get time ,,my work is at a standstill I hope the Gods favor me  and I get back on track.


Vinay and I have been friends since we met first time at National Park outing of my Guru Shreekanth Malushte 20 years back and we have been good friends threw thick and thin.
We belong to the same camera club PSI Mumbai .

Advocate Ashish Shelars Ganpati Heads For Visarjan at Bandra Bazar Road






Normally I Shoot Sadhus This Time He Shot Me With His Cosmic Eye



He stopped me outside Lower Parel station and it was not for asking me money seeing me in my saffron avatar he thought I was a Sadhu..he was returning from the Nasikh Kumbh . I was hardly able to carry on with this conversation I was barefeet , my feet burning if I stand in one place ,,and this is the magical quality of bonding in India ,, he was a Vaishnav Sadhu and I was connected to Juna Akhara through my Naga Guru,,

I wish I could have sat with him , some place had meals with him chatted and learnt something ,, but than Lord  Ganesha was calling me at Girgaum Chowpatty ,, and so  I was off on my wings of fancy .. held by the strap  of my camera ,

And this is my reply to a friends comment ,,
I bet his life is Amazing ,,

Siyali Sawant My Friend Hemant Sawants Daughter



Hemant Sawant is a very dear friend who owns Ganesh Color Lab at Lalbagh and helping him out in this successful venture is his dynamic wife and two teenage daughters Siyali and Sonali both avid photographers like their dad and mother.
Hemant is a very innovative photographer technician and knows the ABCD of photography processing printing ,, and has attended many workshops on behalf of his lab,,, He has done fine art adventure photography shot the tribes of Andaman but he is low key and does not flaunt his work.. perhaps I am the only one he shares with.
And strange part is we meet only twice a year when I come for Lalbagh Chya Rajas darshan and the Visarjan so I have been seeing his daughters when they were very small ..its the first time I met them shooting the Visarjan with their dad on a huge ladder ,. all three on each step..
Sonali the youngest one is a bird photographer ,..
I am happy their dad taught them photography as seriously as he does it and as passionately too.
When I come to his lab during this festive period he shoots me I shoot him..
He has helped a lot of people make extra money , he gives them the Lalbagh Cha Raja prints that they sell to the crowds on commission basis ,, this year he was selling Ganeshas digital printed caps and Tshirts.
I was shooting with him perched on his ladder I shot Ganesh Gully and Tejuka Ganeshas had I waited another 3 hours I could have shot Lalbagh Cha Raja top shot , I rested at his studio for sometime , my feet I dont wear shoes were totally burnt walking on the tar roads .. and I have a unhealing injury on one of the foot that gets aggravated .I decided to leave Lalbagh I walked till Lower Parel Station jumping hopping skipping as my feet burnt and than by train reached Charni Road .
Here at Paramount Restaurant a Irani joint I had black coffee and the owner gave me jug of cold water with which I washed my feed outside his joint and than caught up with my friend Vinay Parelkar who was waiting for me near the Mafatlal Bath .. we were joined by Ravi Shankar a hobbyist and we shot the Ganesh Visarjan Girgaum Chowpatty ,,
The only pleasing aspect of shooting here there were hordes of people students young old professionals media and foreigners shooting the Last Journey of Bappa Morya .all with their DSLR s and the largest number shooting on mobile ,, Lord Ganesha was surely bringing the photographers out ,,
I am 63 year old I felt like a kid this was the first time I was shooting the Lord in the waters .. My pictures all at Flickr a complete storyboard testify to my peaceful state of mind the seawater had calmed the pain and the burns on my feet ,,walking barefeet in September heat is like walking on scalding hot water ,,,
This was a picture blog .. I have now added words to it ,,

Ho maray dam say younhi meray watan key zeenat Jis tarah phool say hoti hai chaman ki zenat. /


Sukh karta dukhharta Varta vighnachi Noorvi poorvi prem krupya jayachi




Sarwangi sundar utishendu rachi
Kanthi jhalke maad mukhta padhanchi

I Would Never Never Shoot Pictures





with ugly borders
hideous watermarks
photography its soul
its essence simple
stark i can only
shoot what i was
destined to shoot
i dont need to bark
let pictures speak
as they leave their
mark yes a beggar
poet barefeet in
a cosmic park
searching for
spectral light
at the end of
the tunnel
when everything
goes dark..

as a photographer
i decided to perish
without boarding
photographers '
elitist noahs ark

poem dedicated
to my friend mentor

thomas hawk

As A Street Photographer I Shoot Story Boards And Picture Stories


I Sometimes Wonder Do You Really Have To Be A Hindu To Understand Ganesha


The Thais That Came To Immerse Ganesha at Girgaum Chowpatty


The Power Of Poetry Lies In The Pictures You Take




emotions
feelings
moments
you dont
need to fake
glitzy cameras
obtruding lenses
pictures dont make
photography for
photography sake
stealing souls the true
essence of photography
a thirst to slake ..from an
ethereal pond magical
lake ,,now you know
what at this ungodly hour
like a drunken man keeps
me awake ,, i shot what
i once read ,,, thus zarutushtra
spake dickens byron dostoevesky
hiding behind my camera ..
was unlearning photography
an accident or a mistake

Mee Mumbaikar



farewell
my loved ones
 my children
peace hope
humanity
he said
lovingly into
into the waters
he was led
held on the
'shoulders
bappa morya
bappa morya
as the waves
echoing chanting
a moment spread
at  girgaum chowpatty
as he moved ahead
towards the ocean
beyond the celestial
skies his godly bed

his royal body
his noble elephant
head beneath
the setting sun
a silhouette
shimmering red


The Third Eye Of Shiva Either You Have It Or You Dont




if you think that it is vision
which creates pictures
than fucked you are wrong
having a camera in your hand
does not make you a photographer
a thought that comes along
a hammer in your hand knocking
a nail in a coffin does not make
you a carpenter to that category
you definitely do not belong


A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”
Maya Angelou..

My Tryst With Lord Ganesha At Girgaum Chowpatty



It was Mr Shreekanth Malushte one of my Gurus of Photography who first introduced me to Lord Ganesha at the Ganesh Gully Workshops ,, I began shooting the Lord on slide and BW and color roll ,,

After that I visited Ganesha Pandals shot Lord Ganesha on his throne ,, Visarjan time Mr Shreekanth Malushte bought us to his ancestral home at Girgaum and after a hearty Marath meal along with his son Himanshu Malushte bought us on the roads near Opera House to shoot the Ganeshas coming for immersion..and I only shot from the roads standing on the drums used as barriers by the Traffic Police and after shooting on film I would vend my home and it was here near Grant Road I met the Hijras with their Ganesha from Kamathipura , they were with their toyboys , some were drunk and I shot a lot of pictures now closed to public view .
And I also visited Heena  a Hijra Queen of the Redlight Area at Pila House during the Ganesha festival and her guru was a Hindu Lakshmi not the celebrity .. I presented their Lord Ganesha a huge chunky Australian Quartz..

So I continued shooting Lord Ganesha year after year from the roads , there was an incident of the cops catching me shooting on the beach so I never ever shot or went near the Beach.

And than years later I was introduced to Lalbagh Chya Raja and I completely stopped going to Girgaum Chowpatty on the main visarjan day ,, for years I followed Lalbagh Chya Raja from Lalbagh till Do Tanki where the Muslims felicitate the Raja .

Than a few year back guys ripped open my satchel and robbed my money my cards even the cards on which I had shot the morning Arti at Lalbagh Chya Raja Pandal ,, and I stopped following the Raja last two or three years I shoot the Pandal the Arti and return home ,, also I walk barefeet and a leg injury made me stop the grueling walk..

This year after the Arti I would have returned home but thanks to my friend Vinay Parelkar a great innovative photographer , I came to Girgaum Chowpatty , caught up with him there and shot on the beach and in the waters ,, when the light began to fade I decided to return home ,,I did not want to shoot with flash or on a higher ISO./.

So in a way it was Lord Ganesha son of Shiva and Parvati who pushed me deep into the fathomless abyss of the camera ,, I have yet no surfaced ,, and the Cosmic Eye of Shiva does not let me drown fully.


,,

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

I Will Believe In Digital India When The Beggar Girl Child Comes Out From Captivity


The Sadhu Has Just Returned From Kumbh Mela Nasikh


My Barefeet Totally Burnt Out In The Pursuit Of Poetry Of Life


Lord Ganesha Taught Me Photography ,, In The Early Stages Of My Life


Why Should Lalbagh Chya Raja Take The Flak For High Handed Volunteers And Frustrated Brutal Mumbai Cops




I posted this as a comment on friends post on Facebook of a woman being assaulted brutally by women cops.. khaki goondaism

It only shows women cops are as frustrated and brutal as their counterparts in the Mumbai Police and it is all about bad outsourcing ,, imagine the state of tourists foreign photographers who see this clip was the person even if she is guilty of some misdemeanor carrying a weapon or guns or bombs is the main question and could it not be handled with less brute force ,, i had lots of problems with the cops at lalbagh trying to enter the pandal on visarjan day with my press card ,,the cop told me tu kya aj modi ko bhi andar nahi lenge , and the new CP Ahmed Javed sab must rein in these goons gundas in khaki ,, is what i have to say having shot lalbagh chya raja for last 15 years on this day of immersion.

Ganesh Gully Chya Raja ...Visarjan Lalbagh 2015


I Can Only Shoot What I Was Destined To Shoot ,, Jai Tejukaya


Bas yahi apraadh main Har baar kartaa hoon Aadmi hoon Aadmi se pyaar karta hoon


Three Legged Chicken..Bandra


I Will Believe In Digital India When It Touches The Beef Butcher Who Now Sells Tea



he is trying to be what
he cant be selling hope
in a cup of tea earlier he
cut beef chopped heart
liver and spleen minced
meat paya gurda kaleji
he was happy if you know
what i mean the only job
he knew blood splattered
apron never clean the beef
ban killed him  the grass
on the other side is also no
more green if only he had
a government job rehabilitated
but his life demeaned ...progress
development that he voted for
the modi factor that huge wave
washed away all his childrens
dreams it seems ,, ya khudaya
allah ho akbar bismillah ar rahman'
ir rahim.. alif lam meem ..a dream
holding a dream within a dream

Hee Shan Konachi Lalbagh Chya Raja Chi...




Lalbagh Chya Raja The Eternal Pride Of Mumbai
Adding joy mirth a festive bliss people rejoice ,,
He is their Provider The Remover of Obstacles
Auspicious Moments he awakens he is their Voice
He Is The One The Only One Their Ultimate Choice
On the wings of Destiny their Wishes he hoists ,
Lalbagh Chya Raja Chi Vijay Ho shout out his boys '
the revelry the bliss as he proceeds to Girgaum
Chowpatty ..felicitated by the Muslims at Do Tanki
his royal dignity his spiritual poise ,, he wants Hindus
Muslims Christians Dalits Parsis Sikhs other denizens
of Mumbai to live harmoniously as he departs eyes
get moist ..sitting on his Throne with his loving convoy

Myriad Moods of Lalbagh Chya Raja .. Visarjan Day







Monday, September 28, 2015

The End Of My Lalbagh Chya Raja Series 2015 507 Images





Flickr

Mr Sudhir Salvi.. Lalbagh Chya Raja - Man With A Purpose






Mr Sudhir Salvi is one of the head honchos at Lalbagh Chya Raja Mandal and I have seen him over the years a strict disciplinarian plays by the book .. his love for Lalbagh Chya Raja is ultimate .He knows me and has seen me walk with the Raja barefeet for many years from Lalbagh till Do Tanki,,but even today I have problems getting inside the Pandal,, I dont have the Lalbagh Chya Raja Press Card after documenting Lalbagh Chya Raja for over 15 years ,, I am lucky to enter the Pandal on the first day and Visarjan day thanks to the volunteers who know that there is a Muslim bhakt of Lalbagh Chya Raja who documents their Lord with a passion and dedication .not for money gain or fame all my Lalbagh Chya Raja pictures are at Flickr ,and I shoot the myriad moods of Raja his beloved followers he humble volunteers and his devoted Karyakartas ,,
Even this year it ws difficult to enter the Pandal with the Mumbai Police cops totally insensitive rude and arrogant .. this is not the way of Lord Ganesha be a cop but for godsake be humble and human too,. I have a press card ,, I dont misuse my pictures or write negatively about anyone ,,
And Mr Sudhir Salvi has been my support and patron but I enter the Pandal like an ordinary man but I know that the Lord pulls me in because he loves me too ,, and likes to be cosmically photographed by me ,,
Vakratunda Mahakaaya
Suryakoti Samaprabha
Nirvighnam Kuru Mey Deva
Sarva Kaaryeshu Sarvada
Meaning:The Lord with the curved trunk and a mighty body, who has the luster of a million suns, I pray to thee Oh Lord, to remove the obstacles from all the actions I intend to perform.
About Lalbagh Chya Raja
Lalbaugcha Raja (Marathi: लालबागचा राजा) is the most famous Sarvajanik Ganapati,[1] kept at Lalbaug, a prominent locality in Mumbai during Ganesh Chaturthi festival. The idol is kept for public display for Eleven days thereafter it is immersed on the auspicious day of Anant Chaturdashi.
It is believed that this Idol of Lord Ganesha is Navsacha Ganpati (Marathi: नवसाचा गणपती) (which means the "one who fulfills all wishes") and hence over 1.5 million people visit this Ganesh Pandal daily during the 10 day Ganesha festival.[2]
Since the last few years, a few days prior to the Ganesh Chaturthi, a Mukh Darshan Ceremony (Lalbaugcha Raja's first look and photoshoot) is organized by the Lalbaug Sarvajanik Ganeshostav mandal.This unveiling of Lalbaugcha Raja is covered every year by all national and regional channels.[3]
There are two queues for taking blessings of the Lalbaugcha Raja - Navsachi Line and Mukh Darshanachi Line.
The Navsachi line is for people who want to get their wishes fulfilled. In this line you get to go on the stage and touch the feet of Lalbaugcha Raja and take his blessings so that all your wishes get fulfilled. However this line attracts huge public and it takes around 25 – 30 and sometimes up to 40 hours to get darshan in this line. There are 300-400 employees every year to organize the event.
The second line in meant for Mukh darshan i.e., to get a glimpse of Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesha Idol from some distance without going onto the stage. This line also attracts huge public and it takes around 5 – 8 hours and sometimes up to 12 – 14 hours to get darshan in this line as well, especially on Weekends.[4]
In 2015, the Lalbaugcha Raja Ganpati is now in its 81st year.
Lalbaugcha Raja is the popular Ganesh Idol of the Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal. The Mandal, formerly known as Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, Lalbaug[5] was founded in 1934 at Lalbaug Market.
The Mandal, formarly known as 'Sarvajanik Ganeshutsav Mandal, Lalbaug' was founded in 1934,[6] because of a vow (Nav'as) for construction of the present Lalbaug Market at its existing place. The market place at Peru Chawl was shut down in 1932. Hence, the fishermen and vendors who used to sit in the open place vowed to Ganesha for permanent place for their market. With the consistent efforts and support of the then local Councillor-Late Shri. Kuwarji Jethabhai Shah, Dr. V. B. Korgaonkar, Shri. Nakhawa Kokam Mama, Bhausaheb Shinde, Dr. U. A. Rao and the local residents, the landlord Rajabai Tayyabali agreed to give a plot for construction of a market. As fulfillment of their wish, the fisherman and the traders established the Ganesh Idol on 12 September 1934. The idol was dressed in the customary fashion of fisherman. Since that day onwards, this idol of Lord Ganesh has become popular as He fulfills the wishes of devotees. The Mandal was formed in the era when the freedom struggle was at its peak.
The Idol[edit]
The Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh idol has been sculpted by the Kambli family for over eight decades now. The Kambli family have their workshop in a little lane off the main road in Lalbaug, not very far from where the pandal is located.
The father of Ratnakar Kambli, who is the current head of the Kambli family, was a sculptor of idols and would have roaming exhibitions at festivals across Maharashtra. He began sculpting the idol for Lalbaugcha Raja in 1935, when some of his friends recommended his name to the organisers of Lalbaugcha Raja. After his demise in in 1952, his eldest son Venkatesh took over, and after his death, Ratnakar Kambli, the current head of the family, started designing the idol.
Kambli Arts makes the parts of the Lalbaugcha Raja idol at its workshop and these are then taken to the pandal where they are assembled and painted. Finally, Ratnakar, who is 73 years old, goes to the pandal and draws the eyes the height is 20 ft.[7]

Lalbagh Chya Raja Leaves For Visarjan 27 September 2015





















I am on Flickr Instagram You Tube