They Also Shoot Who Only Stand And Stare

holding me in a
vicious grip
his shivas third  eye at
the nasik kumbh worlds
greatest spiritual fair
he kept shooting me
a prisoner in his lair '
the spectral light
of vishnu brahma
mahadev ..as i
kept gasping for
air he would not 'leave
me yes fools enter where
angels fear to dare god
 is in nature you find his
godliness bounty
cosmically everywhere

The Kumbh Is A Fathomless Sea Of Faces

faces readable in silence
wrinkles lines as phrases
dreams the cosmic eye of
the beggar poets camera
chases lost tribes races
every moment held in a
stupefying glance every
moment leaves indelible
thoughts and traces '
illusions within illusion
embraces ..dive deep
down another illusion
surfaces..human masks
entwined with godly faces

The Irresistible Magic Of The Kumbh Mela

People normally avidly shoot pictures at the Kumbh I was shooting moments capturing the essence of spirituality in silence ,,I did not search for pictures ,, pictures sought me out ..having lived my adult life with mystics Malangs Rafaees and Naga Sadhus  meeting the saintly folks at Tapovan was not alien to me ,,my saffron garb was like a password it opened a few locked doors ,,though I feel more comfortable in a black attire ,,, here the black attire at the Kumbh is mostly worn by Aghoris and Tantrics .

My tantric guru Kapoor Khamakhya wears black and symbols of the Yoni ,,he is an amazing personality and though he was at Trimbakeshwar for the Shahi Snan we could not meet .

And now I have two more memory cards to upload of this Tapovan series ,,The Kumbh is calling me back yet again but I dont know whether I will make it .. it would be more than a miracle if I went back...I am chained to Mumbai like a pet dog..

Mr Mukesh Parpiani My Mentor - Photography For Peace

I dont recall but it was at the time I took up photography fresh and raw and a few eminent photo journalists were being felicitated for their contribution and work on World Photography day at Oberoi Hotel , Mr Atul Kasbekar and Mr Mukesh Parpiani ,, I met Mukesh Parpiani Sab here and he was narrating to the crowds how he shot Mr Chaggan Bhujbal and the bomb blasts at Kalbadevi,, and we listened to him , and one of the greatest virtues I found in him was simplicity humility and his love for photography as a medium of instruction and we became friends and I call him Guru ,,one of the finest person to hold the position of curator at NCPA ,, He invites me to every event even this trip to Kumbh I was to take him along with me but it happened to swiftly and with the injury on my leg I did not take him along.
Though I have promised to take him on a non Shahi Snan day,,,the Kumbh is not merely about shooting pictures it is about absorbing the spirit of Free India the humility of our culture our traditions ,, The Kumbh is Magic on the Soul of Man ,

The Magic Of Make In India- Humanity Hope And Harmony

For those who have added me .. without knowing me or without glancing my profile here at Facebook.. I shoot India .. in its beauty in its ugliness but I shoot composite India through my cosmic eyes ..here while shooting the Kumbh Mela both at Trimbakeshwar and at Ramkund I certainly tried to shoot with your eyes till the time I shot this exhilarating documentary I became a Hindu ,, I had shut of my identity my own religiosity and I did it not for money not for profit or gain.. but to show you the meaning of living in peace without fences or borders etched on our minds and souls ,, perhaps I also shot it for a Marathi lady who worked at our house at Wodehouse Road for many years , she bought us up as kids while both my parents struggled to make ends meet , my mother was a asthmatic my dad had his own problems ..we called this lady Aiee ,, which means Mother ,, she never brainwashed us , she loved us like her own kid Tulsi.. she loved me a lot but as my mom gave birth to one kid after another , her love shifted from me to my kid brother Zahir Shakir ,, We were very young and she made us what we are ,,, without hate for any community or religion.. we are product of her rearing her selfless live in a Muslim household ,, My mother treated Tulsi paid for his fees and his upkeep.

So my documentary is for every Aiee every Mother and their children.. and I shot it as a Hindu would see and shoot it ,, and I am happy grateful that when ever I fell badly there was a Hindu friend who helped me all the way ,, or I would have committed suicide at a very early age as I could not get over my alcohol dependence ,, so I took up the camera after I gave up alcohol ,it became my new addiction and I shoot the same way as I used to hit 3 bottles of Old Monk in a day,, My wife kids saved me and my friends ,, without them I could have never been here ,.

I have been fascinated by Hinduism from my school days I visited the Hanuman Temple at Strand Cinema with my school friends and the humility of the Gods made of stone touched me too ,, As a photographer I began blogging about Hinduism as Hope and Hindutva a Message of Universal Peace ,, I lost everything in the 93 riots but I did not blame the Hindus I blamed the Congress Party Mr Nasimha Rao Mr Sharad Pawar Mr VP Naik who played the violin with a cigar in his mouth as our beloved Mumbai burnt who watched from far as one Indian killed another Indian unnecessarily ,,I blamed the Hindu bigots who inflamed this hatred and I blamed the accursed Babri Mosque ,, I mean if a Mosque can kill people , I would rather be a heretic.. and till date I thing this love for Babri Mosque is misplaced religious fervor for an evil agenda .. give the Hindus the birthplace of Ram and move ahead. but I am not into politics ,, and I love India as all of you do.. so at times I wonder at the age of 63 where are we heading ,,

I took the vows of a Sufi Order called Malangs my form of spiritual escapism.. but yet I shoot every religion as my own without hurting sense or sensibility ,, and I bleed when the kafila of Hussain arrives in India from Karbala to the chant of Ya Hussain Ya Hussain,,