Tears On The Soul of Hooch Ridden Mumbai

I blog with pictures I try not to steal pictures if I do take a picture I give the link and the source ..but I have so many pictures at my Flickr timeline ,, and I shot them impulsively no rhyme or reason.. like these two drunks at Bandra and I am using their picture to tell a tale ,, two tales in one single frame ..So bloggers may blog as much as they want copy paste but Fuck at least shoot your own pictures or stop shoving an elephants dick in your hackneyed blog post ,,


posted first at Facebook  without an image

Recently I was waiting for my turn to meet Dr Shahshank R Joshi the eminent Padmashri endocrinologist at Lilavati Hospital Bandra for my diabetes and rising blood sugar , I was dressed in sober attire a white shirt breeches and sitting next to in the lounge was a very obese big built man , he was huge and had a missing foot , just a stump.. He looked at me and smiled I smiled back.
I asked him if he was waiting for Dr Shashank R Joshi , he said it was raining outside so he had come inside the Hospital to rest ,, I said nothing and than he told me he had met with an accident at Mira Road , lost part of his leg was hospitalized for a very long time he was in coma , when he came out of coma he found his wife had usurped his property leaving him homeless ,,Than he said he did not want money from me , but if I knew someone who would give him a place to stay on charitable grounds ,, he was three times my size ,,I try not to judge people .. I told him I did not know anyone who would put him up but I suggested that he contact some NGOs ,,that might help him.. I dont know if he was there trying to con the gullible I have been living long enough in Mumbai, I got up to speak to the Nurse and than said down on the far end away from him.. in the meantime he was talking to another patient ,,,
My turn came I met Dr Shashank R Joshi and left wondering .. and his image has not yet faded from my mind and perhaps this is the first time I am blogging an incident without a picture ,, What do you think about it ,, he was in his 40 s dressed in a tshirt and jeans , when I had seen him going to the loo he had a prosthetic foot with a shoe ...and Lilavati Hospital with all their bouncers and security could not sniff him out ,,and I thought to myself why must I tell them..they charge exorbitant fees ,, their first time visit was Rs 1200 they raised it to Rs 1500 ..if you are called by the doctor within the same month it is Rs 900 and if he calls you after a month you shell out Rs 1500 again , this is health care in Mumbai ,,
And I pity those who fell victim to the Hooch Tragedy will hospitals like this treat them free .. and I digress , with all the bans bar dancer ban , beef ban , yet this myopic government did not think of banning alcohol because it generates hafta ,black money and a large chunk of revenue .. Imagine over 100 people dead and to cover for the sins of the policeman the government gives Rs100,000 as blood money,, and we who live in Mumbai have lost it all.. this city is devoid of compassion devoid of humanity ,, and even after the deaths they will go on selling more hooch once the dust settles down.. Why does the administration wake up so late ,,or is it because we have an incompetent law and order and vision less government .
Will those who murdered these drinkers face the same punishment like the beef butchers ..mind you I dont eat beef .. dont wear a skull cap either , will it be 5 year jail and Rs 10000 fine for selling and drinking alcohol.. and what about the punishment for murder ,,,who will hang certainly not the cops of Malwani Police Station,

St Peters Church Bandra

Shot By My French Friend Jean Marc Gargantiel

About St Peter Church Bandra From their Website

The Old Church: The foundation of the original St Peter’s Church was laid in April 12, 1852, by Bishop Hartmann. The Church was completed in September 1853. It measured approximately 100 by 75 feet. In 1867 a second storey was added to the old top floor.
The storey above the Church was at first used as the priests’ residence and parish school. In 1855, the Jesuit Seminary was transferred from Surat to Bandra, and the seminary and the parish schools were merged. In 1863, the seminary was again transferred to Bombay, and the Boys’ Orphanage from Bombay came to Bandra. This was the beginning of the St Stanislaus’ High School.

The New Church: As far back as August 1887, the then Archbishop of Bombay issued the following appeal: “The poor parish of St. Peter’s Bandora, numbers with the orphans (boys and girls) 2215 souls and has for a church the floor of the boys’ Orphanage. This place is much too small and is ill-suited for divine service. A new and more spacious Church is much needed and will be a great benefit to the poor Parishioners and the Orphans”.

The growing needs of the parish necessitated the building of a larger Church, and so in September, 1938, Archbishop Thomas Roberts, S.J. blessed the foundation stone of the present St Peter’s Church.

The new Church has been built on the site of the old and has been designed on the Romanesque style.

The cost of the new St. Peter’s Church was Rs. 2,70,000/-. The whole Church building measures 130 ft by 80 ft.

In front, as one enters, stands a life-size marble statue of Christ bearing the inscription I am the Resurrection and the Life.

St Peter’s is capacious and can accommodate a thousand people easily. Inside, its excellent stained-glass windows, around twenty in number, look resplendent in the sunshine or when the lights are on.

On the sides are five joyful and five glorious mysteries with two windows depicting the life of St Stanislaus. The spacious choir-loft with its large semi-circular stained-glass window shows Christ entrusting the sheep to St Peter. The marble Baptismal font on the left as you enter also has a stained-glass window depicting the baptism of Jesus by St John the Baptist. It is interesting to note that all the stained-glass windows were designed and made in China by a Jesuit laybrother.

The exquisite main altar is Carrara marble, the façade of which has the Last Supper of Leonardo da Vinci carved in relief. Above the tabernacle is a marble cupola, supported by six Alpine green colonnades with a background in delicately figured-marble. At both ends of the alter, are two life-size angels in marble, each holding aloft a flambeau. On either side of the alter are two small stained-glass windows, depicting angels in adoration.

Above the altar is an imposing and larger-than-life-size statue of the Sacred Heart, flanked by stained-glass windows, showing scenes in the life of St Peter.

Consecration of our Church

Few churches are consecrated and St Peter’s was privileged with this unique honour on November 28, 1964.

The date is especially memorable because it marked the start of the International Eucharistic Congress in Bombay, and also the Silver Jubilee of the new St Peter’s.

Bishop Longinus Pereira Auxiliary Bishop of Bombay, performed the ancient ritual with pomp and pageantry, before a large gathering.

From St Peter’s Rome to St Peter’s Bandra: History was written at the International Eucharistic Congress of 1964 when a Pope stepped out of the Vatican and made a pilgrimage to Bombay. History was also written in the annals of our Church when the man from St Peter’s, Rome, visited St Peter’s, Bandra. December 5, 1964 is a date to remember.

Along the route from the city up to the Basilica of our Lady of the Mount (which he also visited) waving crowds waited tirelessly to cheer the Holy Father. At St Peter’s Bandra, a hushed and crowded flock waited in breathless anticipation to catch a fleeting glimpse of its shepherd. His brief homily, was like manna; his papal blessing a purifying rain and the golden chalice he presented to the church remains a memento of the day, history was written at St Peter’s Bandra.

Heritage Structure: The Urban Development Department of the Government of Maharashtra has listed the Church as a Grade II heritage structure. In 1995 the Church was awarded the prestigious Urban Heritage Award.

http://www.stpetersbandra.org/

I have perhaps the largest collection of images of St Peter Church Bandra on negatives ,slides and digital..I missed nothing Xmas , Easter New Year Holy Communions , Adoration , Lent Weddings Baptism.. I shot all this to hone my skills as a photographer ..I thought Jesus was the best model so I shot his humility and humanity I ended up shooting the Holy Ghost too..

Thanks to Fr Juan my grandchildren Nerjis Asif Shakir 3 Year old and Marziya Shakir 7 have also shot this beautiful Church in all its glory..

Somehow I always felt when God got tired with the wars , trials and tribulations of this world he came and rested at St Peter Church.. exactly the same time I was shooting the Church..