In 2010 I gave my granddaughter Marziya Shakir a platform on Flickr , including her sister Nerjis though it was impossible to handle 3 accounts .. I gave them both Twitter handles Facebook accounts both deactivated , and their blog platforms on Blogspot .
I documented the life story of all my granddaughters birth and shot their nuances their growth..more of Marziya and Nerjis as I had groomed them both as young street photographers .
Nerjis enjoys chatting with beggars , she advises them to wear clean clothes and they love her chatter and she is 4 she will tell her mom or my wife to give them money ,, she loves the Muslim beggar ladies kids and this time told her mom to give away all her old clothes old toys to them.. so teaching these two kids photography has been a positive change to their lives .. I showed them the Bandra slums ,, took them to tution classes in the slums ,,so they could see life.
Photography did not give me a commercial foothold I never had a desire nor inclination but it served as the best teacher for my grandkids ,, none of her school friends or teachers know about Marziyas prowess with the camera ,, above all the camera changed me too through my grandkids ,,Many a freind warned me no to expose my grandkids to street photography at this young age ,,but I did the lepers , the deformed the cripple the hijras I made them shoot all these people above all I made them aware of other religions , Hindu temples , Churches ,,they have the greatest love for Fr Jaun St Peter Church.. and Easter they would ask me to take them to the Church,.
I dont know much about their future but through the third eye of Shiva I opened their cosmic minds too ,, I was lucky I had 3 great teachers and others like most of you ,, my grandkids had me ,, they trusted me ,, and I tried not to fail them ...when a child sees the world through the viewfinder the entire vision of the world changes ,, the camera has been a catharsis in our house ..
And every photographer that came to my house they would watch him or her and learn their style , and they were inspired by a lot of them.. Marc de Clercq , Glenn , Manuela Kim Violla so many ,,,
And I am indebted to all of them...everyone of them..and to all of you who read my posts ,,see my pictures..
I am missing the birthday girl but than sometimes absence does make the heart grow fonder ..Marziya Nerjis are at their maternal grandparents house for Chehlum.
