Syed Masoom Ali Baba Asqan Of The Sufi Order of Madarriya,

I met Dam Madar order head Syed Masoom Ali Baba in 2005 ,, and got fascinated by their austerity , their dread heads and the simplicity of their spiritual life .
I began shooting them both Masoomi Baba and Syed Rafik Ali Baba at the Char Yar Mosque and cemetery ..Every year I attended the Urus of Khwajah Garib Nawaz Ajmer Sharif I stayed with my host mentor Peersab Fakhru Miya Hujra no 6 ,,
I would shoot the Rifais the quintessential hijras at Ajmer .. but I would find myself at the feet of Masoomi Baba ,,, I loved shooting them and the people malangs around them.
Their frugal lifestyle their abundant love for Imam Ali they talked about the sacrifice of Imam Hussain they talked about Karbala ,
They were spiritually connected to Khwajah Garib Nawaz he was the bond of a force ,,, through their own Holy Saint Zinda Shah Madar Makanpur .
Than in 2011 I took the Pyala with a Belgian friend we both became Murids and Malangs of Masoom Ali Baba,, we both visited Makanpur in 2013.
Syed Masoom Ali Baba lives at Panihar 22 km away from Gwalior MP.. and I had never dreamed I would ever come here ,..but I did on 27 Jan 2016 ,, invited by him for the chalisva of the mother of his nephew Razzak Ali Baba Gaddi Nasheen of Makanpur and Panihar and Rampur ,..Madarriya order ,
Masoom Ali baba missed Marc Malang and Dorothea ..also known as Miriam.
The main event was on 28 Jan it began in the daytime and ended the next morning ,, I was not well in real bad shape could not be too adventurous but I shot what I was destined to shoot ,, the village kids followed me everywhere because of my Bollywood status ,,
All in all it was an enlightening trip I met other Malangs Sunni scholars poets and added some more to my learning .
I did not shoot a lot , but I shot videos ,, from the Dargah of the Malangs at Panihar where I stayed it was traversing a bad road to reach the event site ,, so I spent most of my time in the village by myself.
Talking to the villagers ,,,and a very very distant dream called Acche Din,, not here in Panihar .. it will take a lot of time ,,,
Masoom Ali Baba likes me a lot when I shot his video he was in tears ,,,he calls me Maulaiee too..
And now I will get ready to visit the Urus of Zinda Shah Madar Makanpur .. in Feb.. and I will miss my brother Marc Malang ,,
A French photographer another dear friend will join me here ...to document the Humility of the Dam Madar Malangs of India ,...
Dam Madar Beda Par.

The Dargah Of Aqsan Malangs Of Panihar

Panihar is on the Indore Gwalior to Indore Highway , the roads real bad inaccessible till the village , this village is a mix of Hindus and Muslims ,,from Gwalior station to reach Panihar I was to give the ricksha guy Rs250 and than he told me he would be returning back to Gwalior , empty I gave him another Rs 200 ,, because it was very late in the night ,,

Panihar is the seat of the Asqan Malangs and here lie the ancestors of Syed Masoomi Ali Baba ,, now I will explain to you about the Malangs ,, Malangs are only among Syeds ,,ancestry of Janabe Fatima ,, there maybe other Malang orders but Hazrat Ali is the fountainhead of the Madarriya order affiliated to Hazrat Zinda Shah Madar ,,even the Qalandaris Rifais Chishtiyas etc are all interconnected to the Sufi order of Madariyya .

Syed Masoomi Ali Baba is a celibate ,, Dam Madar Malangs malangs have to be celibate and must grow their hair..the next Malang peer will be the nephew of the reigning head of Malangan.. so Syed Masoom Ali Babas inheritor of his seat at Panihar and Makhanpur is his nephew Syed Razzak Ali Baba he is very young and an Islamic scholar ,,,he is wellversed in the traditions of the Malangs he was initiated as a Malang when he was 7 year old .

He is a bit camera shy but I shot a video..he took extreme care as I was suffering from a viral stomach ailment ,, this grand event was in memory of his mother who untimely death was a tragedy,.. Razzak Baba I think is not more than 27 year old or younger ,,the langar community dinner was for over 50000 people Hindus Muslims Dalits combined sharing the same platform..

The Hindus consider Syed Masoomi Ali Baba an avatar of Lord Shiva ,, his dread heads are about 18 feet long,..

Along with Syed Masoom Ali Baba is his main malang Syed Rafik Ali Baba a great Malang scholar ,, orator and my dear friend ..we are both malang brothers ..he has been my greatest supporter he calls me Maulaiee ,,

My Shia background my Shia ancestry my Shia ethos has added this Malang dimension purely out of being a follower of Imam Ali ,,

Despite living in a village ,, no electricity no internet no mobile network.. I was well taken care of ,, I met some great poets scholars at the event and was impressed by Dr Inthikhab Alam Jaffery of Makhanpur ,,
And The Gaddi Nasheen of Dargah Zinda Shah Madar Hazrat Baqi Sab..

But what really humbled me was young kids who had seen my cameo in Mr Raj Kumar Santoshis film Phata Poster Nikla Hero produced by erstwhile Mr Ramesh Taurani..came surrounded me to give them autographs others taking selfies with me in this village .

Another awakening here was a devotee a Hindu wealthy Patel from a wealthy family of Jaipur Gopal Badshah ,his adopted father is Liaqat Ali Baba Malang who is my peerbhai.. Gopal Bhai is decked in gold ,,dresses in white carries a golden plated Hookah with an attendant from Jaipur ,, he became my friend calls himself Mohomed Ali Momin.. both his kids are doing MBBS ,,

He is well known among the Qalandaris Madaris and has built a safe house for travelers at Kaliar Sharif Panipat .

I am posting my documentary in my new set at Flickr ,

Documenting the Dam Madar Malangs of Panihar MP

Just come back from a Dam Madar Malang event at Panihar village 22 km away from Gwalior .
Panihar has Hindus Muslims living in peace . The simple rustic Hindus consider the Malangs to be avtars of Lord Shiva ..and I have never seen such amity anywhere else ..The Malangs had a langar for the villagers and fed over 50000 people at one time.
But all in all I missed Mumbai my heart soul was in Mumbai .

A Muslim boy related to the Malang head took me on a hillock he was about 11 year old holding my hands he bought me to the oldest Durga Mandir. The head priest other Hindus touched my feet they gave me money and were touched by my visit and my greetings Om Namo Narayan...

They told me incredible tales of my Malang Peer Syed Masoom Ali Bawa when he first came to the village there was a drought no rains he opened out his hair he has dreads about 18 feet long and invoked God standing for hours on one leg they said it rained and rained and the villagers thanked the Lord by having a langar and to show his love for God , Syed Masoom Ali Bawa jumped into the cauldron of hot oil nothing happened to him today they rever him as a living saint .
He has built wells schools clinics for them he lives in austerity .

He had invited me to this event of his nephew Razzak bawa Gaddi Nasheens mothers chalisva it was to mark to pay tribute to her memory 40 days after her death.

I lived here with the villagers and documented the Sufi order of the Malangs .

I was not well it was very cold here but I lived to tell their tale through pictures

Dam Madar Beda Par .

Syed Masoom Ali Baba Blesses Me At Panihar Gwalior

Panihar is 22 km away from Gwalior railway station ,,a rustic village hardly any good roads and is on the Gwalior Indore highway... This is the personal seat of the Aqsan Madirrya order and its head Syed Masoom Ali Baba  ,

I was invited to Panihar for the celebrations of his nephew Razzak Ali Baba whose mother had passed away 40 days this was an event to commemorate the memory of Razzak Bawas mother ,, Lots of scholars poets Maulanas Alims from the various Sufi and Sunni school of thoughts were here .

Malangs and Shaikhs Gadddi Nasheens from Makhanpur the fountainhead of the Madarriya order ,,

It was held on 28 January,... and this is one unique village that both Hindus Muslims live in eternal peace , this is my new set at Flickr documenting the lifestyle of the Malangs ,, I too belong to this Sufi order ,,
I shot stills videos and my Malang brother Syed Rafik Ali Baba was very helpful.. he is a Madarriya scholar and highly respected among  other orders too.

I had a lot of discourses with young Razzak Baba who is the Gaddi Nasheen of the Aqsan order of Dam Madar Malngs here Painhar as well as Makhanpur ,

Dam Madar Beda Par

The Malangs Call Me To Gwalior

I have been invited for an event by Syed Masoomi Baba head of the Asqan Malangs he asked Baba Wahid of Kolkatta to call and invite me and thus I tried to get ready for this trip... but I had a lot of work till last night that I was trying to complete .. I did .
Now I am waiting for my train ticket I am fascinated with the Malangs more deeply as a peoples photographer I can just go on shooting them non stop ,.. and as I was initiated into the fold by Masoomi Baba I am very close to his main Malang Syed Rafik Ali Baba ,, we both are Malang bhais ,,
I am perhaps nothing but a speck in the malang hierarchy ..I mean nothing most of them see me a a photographer but Rafik Ali Baba knows me very well he calls me Maulaiee follower of Imam Ali ..
He speaks highly of me to the other Malangs ,, as very few know my background ,,so thanks to him I made some good Malang friends Liaqat Baba ,Amin Baba Razzak Baba and others ..and though I try to make it to the Urus of Zinda Shah Madar ,, I somehow am unable to make this momentous trip..
I will be going there with a French world famous photographer a humble being ,, have known since 2007..
I have earnestly tried to document the Malangs , the Madarriya Order a very strong active and indomitable part of Sufism in India ,, the malangs are like the fakirs of yore ,,austere and inclusive ,, they hardly mix ,,but sometimes they visit the Dhunis at Mahim or Abdul Rehman Baba Dongri..
My granddaughter Nerjis and Zinnia call me Malang Dada ,,,
I never expected Masoomi Baba to call me at this huge Malang event ,, so I feel humbled all the same ,,their spiritual abode is 25 km away from Gwalior ,, if my ticket comes through I will reach there tomorrow ,,, if not I remain in Mumbai,
The Dhamal of the Malangs includes Qalandri Malangs and Rifais ,,mindblowing acts of zarb.. or body piercing performed by both the orders ,, but than it includes Sawali Malangs who beat themselves with a hard whip.. till their wish is fulfilled at the gates of the Dargah where they demand a wish from the Holy Saint..
Basically this is a genre that I like to document and there are Hindu families who felicitate the Malangs in their villages offering them food , clothes and other tributes and invoking the Malangs to pray for their good crop, family welfare etc.. I was at one such felicitation and the host bought tears to my house when he washed my hands feet ,,,and touched my feet when I told him Om Namo Narayan..
And this is the undivided India this love beyond caste color creed or spirituality I try to shoot and share with all of you ,,

Some Great People

I Try Not To Unnecessarily spam people with Republic Day messages .

Earlier I took both my granddaughter s Marziya Nerjis to shoot the flag sellers but this year I stayed at home nor did I go for my walk ..however I am posting this picture of a man who walks on crutches at Bandra Reclamation he walks a step at a time sometimes he gives me a smile and I encourage his spirit of fighting back with a smile too.
We have never talked but while I was coming back from the sea link end I saw him doing his exercises he was in dialogue with god as I shot this image and from my soul saluted the resilience of the Indian ..and God created the Indian in his own image ..and I like all of you am proud to be an Indian born in the womb of Mother India .

This is a memory I metaphorically impose on you without spamming you harshly ..I use my own images to tell the story of life ...

Jai Hind Jai Maharashtra.

Mathieu Boisvert From Montreal Visits My House

Shot by my wife

I got a message from Mathieu that he wanted to meet me and he was arriving from Montreal ..We met at Lucky Hotel over tea and he told me about himself ,, he is a professor in Montreal University and is writing a chronicle on the Hijras Of Mumbai.. he has had several long 6 hour interviews with the Hijra Nayaks and Hijra Gurus ,,he is writing a history more text few pictures ,, detailing their life struggle and their future ,.
As he was leaving the same night for Montreal I took him home from Lucky showed him my private documentation of the Hijras in India shot by me for last 20 years ... he was highly impressed .
He did not have lunch but is returning back from Montreal to shoot Haji Malang .. so I connected him to my dear friend who is one of the caretakers of the Holy Shrine .
And I told him those bigshots that have documented shot the Hijras have done nothing for the community ,, the poor in the hijra community are still waiting for God in Man to accept them as Women of Substance .
I normally deny access to people on social media if they try to ask me about Hijras,, I once shot them I still shoot them but all my images are marked private ,,
And I can say with sheer innermost humility nobody has ever shot the Hijra as humanly with respect dignity and dedication as I have .,.. but sadly in India the average Indian considers the hijras as a sex object and denigrates his poetry of life , his will to live humanly among humans and survive .
.

Pablo Bartholomews Exhibition 60/60 at Sakshi Art Gallery

I consider Pablo the Cosmic God of the Camera ,, he is humble and highly gifted ,,This was his second exhibition in Mumbai I was attending ,,
A lot of celebrities photographers painters artists and Ad Gurus were there to felicitate Pablo who has a lot of nostalgic memories of Mumbai.
I shared some moments in the past with Pablo when I did a short stint at Mudra Communications doing Kabir Bedis Vimal campaign for Reliance ,,, as a fashion designer,,,and met Pablo who was closely associated with Mr AG Krishnamurthy .

This is my new set at Flickr of that special inaugural day of his exhibition on 22 Jan 2016 .

From Kashmir With Love Hope Humility

He hails from Baramulla Kashmir , and he was begging for food ration in the slums to feed his family ,, most of these Kashmiri migrants live at Bandra East end in makeshift tents ,, I have never been there but I have been shooting these families for over 20 years now ,, Kashmiri migrants turned beggars ..they beg outside mosques dargahs and mostly at Mahim Urus with their wives and beautiful cherubic kids ,,

It is sad but begging is the only alternative as they wont get jobs ..people are scared hiring these migrants ,, I dont need to elaborate ,, but you all know the reason.

Once They Had A Home ,,, Now They Live On The Roads

This scene is from my Demolition diaries ,,, these are the survivors of a demolition of their shanties off Rang Sharda Hotel Bandra Reclamation ,,

When these illegal shanties were being built not a single person nor the police or Municipality took objection..and when it became populous noisy adding to the urban chaos the bulldozers rolled in.. and these few families are still living with a hope ,, their kids study in nearby Municipal schools ,, husbands work as daily wage earners ,, or the older kids do odd jobs rest move around as vagrants .

And now a road is being built here I was told connecting to the sealink so work is going on.. there are lots of slums on either side of this road ..mostly migrants contract laborers ,, I really dont know much about them I see them as humanbeings ,,and feel sad for the kids .. who come hovering around me to take their pictures ,,,

The women wash cook do their domestic chores on this road ..sadness written on their faces ,, somebody who set them up here to build their homes in collusion with rogues in the authorities must have taken huge sums as protection money illegal electricity water connection... leaving them high and dry.

I have shot a lot of demolished communities Mahim Mori Road , Byculla and as Mumbai is a integral city of Dreams they come ,, in hordes to try out their luck.. failed youth get into wrong society become drug addicts drug peddlers ,,some end up as scavengers collecting dry garbage ,..for plastic bottles and beer bottles other junk.

Bandra Reclamation is the saddest place filthy ugly and will never be slum free ,, slums were created here by the politicians their sycophants as vote banks ,, some became rich now have number of rooms in the slums that are given out on hire to the rickshawalas .. after Gazdar Bandh Santa Cruz .. we have the largest number of auto rickshas and not a single toilet from Nargis Dutt Nagar till Lilavati Hospital.. so the migrants use the seafront off the Bandra Reclamation Promenade ,, most of the politicians are aware of all this but some are opportunists ,, and have caused this state of turmoil in the first place .

Lot of petty criminals , anti social elements live in the Lal Mitti belt ,,robberies at Bandra Bazar Road .. happen and crime continues ,, the criminals are certainly not scared of the cops ,, and what do you expect when you read cops taking to crime involved in blackmail extortion rape and custodial deaths ,,

And nobody wants to sensitize the cops ,, there is no Police reforms .. long hours of duty on stretch , potbellied cops .. and once when we were young we though Mumbai Police was better than Scotland Yard.. police has been politicized ,, and these are my personal views I dont belong to any political or religious party..but it saddens me as an Indian ,.. our religion has become politicized too.. we run our lives via Facebook Twitter hellbent on propagating our bias our faith .. on the soul of our Nation.. we are badly divided as Congis Leftists Bhakts and Sanghis Aptards ,,

We are hardly Indians anymore .

Woh Hote Hain Kismetwale Jinki Ma Hoti Hai

She is the leper mother who begs at Bandra Bazar Road there used to be a guy her brother also a leper who used to move them around a flat board like cart on wheels ...she told me he has gone to their hometown .
And I wondered where do they keep their savings because in Bandra the drug addicts local thieves rob from poor folks too ..
Bandra is a home for anti social elements most living in the Lal Mitti slums cops hardly catch them as they only go after big fish .
This leper family saddens me and besides giving them money there is nothing much I can do .
These are my quintessential street stories they bloom in my backyard .
Many years back there was a lady who lived near the garbage bin she had two beautiful kids but she turned alcoholic and drug addicts would force themselves on her ..she needed booze as fish needs water and the kids were taken care by a few good people .
Than she disappeared with the kids but sometimes I spot her I asked her about the kids a boy and a girl but she stares at me in outer space .
Mind you we have a country hooch joint and most of the drunks make a beeline here close to the garbage dump that I shoot everyday.

The residents of Bandra Bazar Road are an emasculated lot worse than eunuchs they have no response to the evils in our area each one for himself ..they were appeased by the congress and 15 long years they slept through life .
The Congress touted Dengue free Bandra and Destiny made Bandra free of Congress forever .
There is a Congress Corporator but he hardly cares for the urban chaos he has never interacted with the residents as I am told he is busy appeasing the slums the other side of Bandra SV road .
My family were traditional congress voters and we voted for BJP we voted not just for Modijis rhetorics but progress and development but sadly in our area it is still a million light years away .

But next elections I will not vote use the NOTA option ...won't vote for a party or a candidate .
We had great faith for Am Admi Party but they shot themselves in the leg by trying to dump Phiroze Palkivala a non Bandraite on our consciousness and the same with Ms Poonam Mahajan from Worli she has no heart feelings or an emotional connect with our Bandra.

So sometimes a beggar and her child can pierce and bring hidden pain out in the open and I must reiterate local media of Bandra almost licks ass of those who fund and patronize them.

The Storyteller

I need pictures to tell my story of life .

I am just not capable of talking without visual s sometimes I let visuals talk but than as I have a lot of foreigner friends on Flickr I need to align them with my background .
My background sadly is my dire surrounding s garbage bins people shitting peeing and beggars of all kinds ..lepers deformed mentally physically challenged .
I shoot the real world I don't believe in shooting for shooting sake and I am an incorrigible street poet photographer ..poetry at times can hit you hard without the stumbling boulders of words .

This morning I went to play tennis I always carry snacks for the tennis instructors of Coach Surendra Pawar these guys break their balls teaching us tennis and they start at 6 and end by 9 ..I feel for them and I love them like my own kids ..they take a lot of pains to make me young on the court I used to tire easily because of my dormant asthama and diabetes but I play for 35 minutes ..today I played rigorously and vigorously encouraged by Fabian Namory and others .

After that I cut across Rang Sharda via a tunnel with my DSLR shooting the homeless who are clinging to a straw of hope ..on the roads their houses shanties were demolished by the Municipality ..as they were encroached on public land and were illegal.
They are with new born kids living in the open no toilets and it's pathetic ..there are a quite a large community here ..they respect me I talk nicely to them and they are migrants away from home .

I reach the Bandra Reclamation Promenade and begin my walk I shot a huge lot of pictures I am solely guided by an inner voice call it impulse and I see what others refuse to see ..yesterday I saw a senior citizen old man helping his wife tying the laces of her keds I felt happy and said he was a great loving husband he responded she is the only treasure I have ..I was speechless .

Than I shoot guys emptying out their bowels on the rocks and here I must add I have defecated once in the sea at Murud I had loose motions I was with late Mr Anil Bhartiya photographer I handed him my camera and went down to do the needful the waves lashing my face and I have never has such an experience ..it was heavenly a long time back. So I know why guys living in the slums come here to be one with god on the rocks .

Bandra Reclamation is in real bad state after my walk of 3.69 km I cut across the road near the Bandra flyover and take this route via Nargis Dutt Nagar Slums I shot a lot ..The homeless under the flyover and predominantly all poor Muslim migrants daily wage workers vendors ...and here I am reminded of a Hindi song Har Koie Chaha Ta hai Muthi bhar Asman everybody needs a fistful of Sky .

Than I shot the cane basket weavers near my house at Lal Mitti they have usurped the pavements. A guy tried to threaten me but I quietened him down politely ..I don't get scared .I would rather die once than everyday.

Reached home showered read the papers ..at home wife watches the Shia channel the grandkids watch Doremon I don't watch TV at all nor do I watch films 25 years I have not seen a film I shoot my own stories .

I can't give three hours of my life to see something that I dont believe in.
And by accident or otherwise I am part of a world of dreams called Bollywood.

Photography has never been my source of income ..not blogging .

I am a tailor .
I see dreams sartorially .

Happy Morning .

Evening I shall go to my dear friend Pablo Bartholomew s exhibition at Sakshi gallery Arthur bunder road close to my late mother's house at 3 Mohini Mansions .I was lucky those days early 80 s to be working at Mudra communications and was coordinating their shoots some with Pablo Suresh
Cordo Adrian Stevens Suresh Seth and Nadish Naorojee .

And the magic of their camera touched me very late in life .

Water Of Life

King of Kerba ,, Amber Khalid Bhai Pydhonie ..

I have known Khalid bhai since a very long time as I wear Amber too known as kerba ,, the Parsis wore kerba and in the olden days kerbas were used as prayer beads ,,kerba some say adds to your personality but it can generate undue anger too.
I was first introduced to kerba by the gemstone dealers of Bhendi Bazar and I have a ring with a fossilized fly in kerba ,,
Original kerba costs Rs 5000 a gram.. but there are artificial kerbas known as jerba or rod ,,
Khalid bhai deals in kerba and Parsi borders called gara ,, and in antiques too..he buys sells old zari.
If I come to Pydhonie I make it a point to visit him,...he is an amazing guy...
and in his shop and office you will see some very rare kerbas and zari borders ,, he collects chunky prayer beads too.

The Hungry Madman of Bandra Reclamation..

Posted at facebook

I spotted him while taking my walk at the Bandra Reclamation Promenade .
He was walking on the side of a the road long strides without looking either way ..I shoot madmen so I called him out pointing to the Rs 20 in my hand ..he looked at me there was a huge barricade between us but I managed to climb up handed the money and he turned his face the moment I tried to capture his restless angst on my mobile phone and he disappeared.
I forgot about him and crossed the road at the end that connects the promenade to the flyover and walked towards the opening that leads to Nargis Dutt Nagar Slums Bandra reclamation and I saw him coming out with some food wrapped in a newspaper that he had bought from a foodstall and I wondered mystically that even hunger calls out to strangers when in need .
You don't need a DSLR just a mobile phone camera will capture fleeing moments as street stories provided you tell them simply truly and this was my cosmic encounter with the madman of Bandra reclamation .
Will I meet him again yes I will even Hunger reaches out to humanity thankfully .
And I have shot madpeople in Mumbai taken my chances men women and yes a mad child too.
Madness is perhaps the highest form of God's gratification in man..
But now these madpeople are memories within my photo blogs .
Some moved away disappeared died and I still try to seek them out in other madpeople as my own madness endears me to them.
There are a lot of madpeople in Mumbai kids stone them hit them with sticks and they watch ranting yelling out with blood shot painful eyes ..
I know the mad lady of Bandra Bazar she moves about talking to herself with a boulder in hand and won't hesitate to hit you but she spares me knowing that I am her kind a madman with a mad camera .
And than there is the power of the third eye of Shiva in my camera that has so far saved me from being killed by a crazy mad man of Hyderabad who was strangling me till my friends came and saved me .
He had me in a vice it took over five people to unlock his grip on my neck.
And he smiled crazily when they took him away from me .
And this has not stopped me from shooting the madpeople of India as is where is .

Haq Waris Ya Waris ,,, Waris Malangs of Dewa Sharif

A New Journey Into Myself,, Bandra Reclamation Promenade

This morning I left my house at 7.45 am and reached the Bandra Reclamation  Promenade ,..I have never walked here before ,,I switched on my  Running App and walked from one end of the Promenade to the other end ,, shooting pictures on my mobile phone ,, I completed 3.91 km in 1 hour 25 minutes on my return home via Nargis Dutt Nagar slums an insult to the noble memory of late Ms Nargis Dutt ,,15 years of Congress rule and her daughter Ms Priya Dutt at the helm they could not make it a decent slum , a role model slum.. this was a vote bank and it still is now being appeased by the BJP newbies ,

I shot a video and the saddest one was of a day old child born in a shanty ..and the prettiest girl child among 3 more sisters and a brother ,,they live on the pavement in a makeshift dwelling at Lal Mitti Bandra Reclamtion dreading the sounds of the bulldozer..

I have given up tennis and walking round and round and round at the MET Grounds Bandra Reclamation.

Happy Morning ,,,

ps there is no toilet on Bandra Promenade or Bandra Reclamation from the Nargis Dutt  slum end till Lilavati so every one uses the promenade sea front ..the largest open air toilet you need to wear a mask on this stretch where they shit with plastic bottle in hands ..

The Ugliest Filthiest Bandra Bazar Fish Market

The Heritage of Bandra Bazar Market Gone To Seed

Bandra Bazar Road ,,, is not Modijis Swach Bharat

RIP Cat Lady Of Bandra Bazar Road

I was not interacting with her much.. and I was informed by the coconut seller that she died on 19 November ,,,

Bandra reclamation open air toilet

Happy Morning From Bandra bazaar road

Rifai Silsila Sandal Fakhruddin Shah Baba Mahim 2016

Rifai Silsila Sandal Fakhruddin Shah Baba Mahim 2016

Urus Fakhruddin Shah Baba 2016,,, Rifai Silsila

Urus Fakhruddin Shah Baba 2016,,, Rifai Silsila

The Ear Cleaners Of Bandra Talao 2016

The Ear Cleaners Of Bandra Talao 2016

Shooting the Ear Cleaners of Bandra Talao 2016

A Malang And A Rafaee ,..

Documenting the Rifai Silsila At The Urus of Fakhruddin Shah Baba Mahim 2016

 A Holy Shrine on the main road of Mahim captures the hearts souls of the people of this area ..Baba Fakruddin Shah was the associate companion and much more of Holy Saint Makhdhoom Shah Mahimi .. his importance can be gauged by the fact that during the Urus of Makhdhoom Shah Baba the first salami before placing the chaddar floral tribute is to the Holy Shrine of Fakhruddin Shah Baba .

The Urus of Fakhruddin Shah Baba Mahim is a grand affair and no stone is left unturned by his hardcore followers devotees volunteers and is a great success attended by people from all over Mumbai.

His Dargah faces the main road of Mahim and you can see his Tomb decked with flowers and floral tributes called chaddar.

Outside his tomb on the pavement nearby are vendors selling herbal medicines , gemstones and other items ,,, most of these vendors are ascetics or Bawas .

Facing the Dargah in the lane end is the Dhuni of the Rifai Silsila ,, the Chancawalli Rafaees I have been documenting since last 20 years .. the various Murshads since late Sikandar Wali Baba .

One of the most versatile dynamic and a great exponent of the art of body piercing known as Zarb is Hassan Ganda Sai my oldest friend ,,I have known him from the time when his uncle late Handi Sai was the Murshad ..

I meet most of these Rafaees at Ajmer Sharif Urus too ..

Dam Madar Malang s Urus Fakhruddin Shah Baba

Dam Madar Malang s Urus Fakhruddin Shah Baba

Dam Madar Malang s Urus Fakhruddin Shah Baba

Once Upon A Time I Was A Beauty Queen Said The Hijra To Me

dancing swirling the hearts
doing mujra a diva i wanted
to be business men mafia don s
lavished their love and money
rich gifts that they gave me ,..
a hijra i was a hijra i always
wanted to be.. but happiness
did not last long time chiseled
by fate i have aged in captivity
i now beg at the bandra reclamation
signal living on charity ,,my hijra roots
my branches my family tree blessed
by the dada guru before he died
love he bestowed on me ,,i was
once married to a handsome guy
who loved me dearly..who died
in a road accident leaving me old
lonely ,,very thursday a visit to his
grave now an earthen memory
reciting the fatiah.. my beloved
has left me forever ..his grave
under a green mango tree

Happy New Year 2016 To Our MP MLA Corporators And Mr Ajoy Mehta From Municipal Conservancy Staff

And this is the filthiest ugliest badly managed part of Bandra Bazar Road ,, it was the same during the Congress regime it is now worst under the BJP regime ,,, and having shot over 110 videos nothing much has happened ,,simply because this is not Bandra banstand or Turner road Pali Hill or Carter Road .

And there is no safety gear or protective measure for these humble footsoldiers of Modijis Swach Bharat ,,

Fakhruddin Shah Baba Dargah Mahim

Hassan Ganda Rafaee .. Makdhoom Shah Baba Urus 2016

I went back to the Dhuni as today was the last day of the Urus of Makhdhoom Shah Baba ..and luckily I met my old friend Hassan Ganda an exponent of zarb... eye ball piercing with two swords ..he showed me his new sword concealed in his Sufi stick.
Hassan Ganda and I have been friends over 20 years or more ,, he has aged but once he was very handsome and goodlooking , he has two sons and a very pretty daughter ,, I meet them during the Ajmer Urs.. he brings them along , his youngest son does zarb..
Hassan Ganda offered me tea and we chatted about old times .
Now the Chancawalli Rifais will move to the Dargah of Fakhruddin Shah Baba,, for the Holy Saints Urus that is a grand affair .
Hassan Ganda is well known among the Madarriya Malangs and the Qalandari Malangs of Bu Shah Qalandar Panipat...
Today there was a massive crowd at the Urus at Mahim I did not hang out much and returned home a few minutes back ,