Now Getting Ready To Leave For Makanpur .

posted at Facebok

Shall Pray For All of You ..Incase I hurt anyone of you intentionally unintentionally accidentally please forgive me ..my spirituality is more human than I am I have to walk my own spiritual path I limp but I won't use you as my crutches and I can never be as religious as you are ..my belief is cleansing myself ..perhaps I can't be as devout as you are ..I can't be a bigot I can't be anything but me I did not come to Facebook to shove my religion my faith my views up your throat ..I tried not to spam you or tag you ..The only time I did was when i cut my head and bleed that is my prayer ..But I took you to the Kumbh to your Church and to your childhood through my pictures of Bandra .
All those of you who joined me recently as a friend of Jalal Kazim please be aware I cannot be a role model I walk bare feet on quicksand ..I cannot be boxed in or pigeon holed to any religiosity but yes I am not an atheist or an agnostic ..I was born in the womb of a Shia mother and I am happy with the love of Hussain as Humanity that she bequeathed me ..
I deleted friend requests because first I don't know you ..your profile was a blank and I am not good at filling your blanks .
After adding me you are free to unfriend me here on Facebook no issue ...I am happy with Less is More .
And all my posts here on Facebook are for friends only .
Happy Morning From Bandra bazaar ..
Dam Madar Beda Par .
Picture shot by my Begum Sahiba
The only backbone in my spine ..

Held Captive To The Shores Of Mumbai

A lot of guys approached me on Saturday to come with them to Haji Malang a mountain Shrine I never missed visiting in the past during the Urus.
But I told them I won't be able to make it as I might be leaving for Urus of Zinda Shah Madar Makanpur ..I might be leaving any day once I get my train ticket ..
Than there are some last minute works I have to complete before I leave Mumbai.
The Urus of Makanpur Sharif is a place of bonding with my malang brothers and I have not been able to go there since 2013 ..even now I am not sure and it is a long hectic trip with the Jat agitations I don't know where I stand but if he wills I will be there in time for the Urus ..Malangs Qalandris Rifais from all over India come to this iconic Sufi Shrine .
There are no hotels lodge but my dear friend Liaqat Ali Baba will manage a room for me and a French friend who will reach here from Bordeaux via Delhi .
This Malang documentation is very important ..I plan to shoot more videos less stills ..mostly on my mobile phone .
So I am waiting from a sign. A divine sign of m

You Have To Search For the Rustic Soul of Bandra in its Backlanes ..

Just enter one of the many backlanes of Bandra Bazar Road or Chapel Road Waroda Road Veronica Road Ranwar the many roads near Mount Mary to name a few and my meandering walks helped me rediscover Bandra .
The Jewish cemetry the St Francis of Assisi shrine cemetery the quaint fishing village the Khandeshwari slums Bandra Fort and with a camera or even a good photo shooting mobile you can capture the mood ambiance ..The unique wall art of Bandra ..The Bandra Bazar Fish Market and if you are a connoisseur of Garbage as Art form like me Bandra Bazar will not disappoint you to make the Bandra garbage dump walk more interesting you could have a treasure hunt ..discover Bandra it's people through its quintessential garbage ...see that slimy old man take his litter in a plastic bag and place it at the door of his neighbor Carltons house .
In one of the narrow lanes of the Bazar watch Joe make soft lilting music on his trumpet ..and Joe's band is integral part invoking East Indian Goan funerals marriages you can't miss him dressed in black suit with his shining oily bald pate ..Learn about Bandra Times .
Changing times from Clarence Gomes and his witty lines ..100 Bazar Road bungalow belongs to him he was the first person to trust my camera eye my vision by giving me a Hon press card of his newspaper and charged with it round my neck I shot Moharam Kumbh Snake Festival Battis Shirala .

Now my Press Card reads Firoze Shakir International Internet Photographer it opens up doors in distant cities and towns too.

I now shoot local surroundings I shoot my morning walks and I prefer Juhu Beach more than walking at either Bandstand Carter Road or the toilet attached Bandra reclamation promenade...

But I can do my Bandra to Juhu Beach walk only once a week Sunday and returning to Bandra from Juhu to Danda is amazing scope for photography ..The Danda pier the Koli houses the scrap yards ..I shot a lot and it has taken about 5 hours to download my pictures shot on Raw JPEG .
I shoot Painted Rythm of the colors of Life ..I shoot poetic impulses in people and their surroundings

I meet interesting people too and at Juhu I am documenting the life times of Juhu tourist photographer s ..you should have one long bhada as the taxi driver or ricksha drivers say..one main subject ..The other subject is the migrant ricksha cleaners from Jharkand I shot them prolifically .I spoke to them they work from 4 am to 9 am ..they make about Rs 300 in 5 hours ..with a pail and borrowed water from a watchman from a nearby building ...they pay hafta to the cops the cops won't spare taking hafta from a dead corpse too..a posting to Mumbai tarnished the the soul of the cop is all I can say with 50 years of experience living my life here .
The early years of my childhood in a Kurla slums with my dad and mom and the much better fruitful years of my life at Wodehouse Road later Strand Cinema Colaba a few months at Breach Candy and my twilight fading years now in Bandra .

So these are my early morning musings I have a meeting with an actor at Versova so I will skip my walk today and perhaps my tennis too..my legs are not in good shape ..but I endured is what matters finally .

Happy Morning From Bandra ...The other side of Rustic Bandra ...

Bandra lies in the Eye of the Beholder .

When I first came to Bandra in the 80 s I was provided full fledged company accommodation so I spent time at Waterfield Road for sometime and than I was moved to another sprawling place at Linking Road called Aradhna close to Mr Rajesh Khannas office .

Than bought my own place at Danpada ..The riots 93 changed everything became a nomad in my own city living at various safe houses in Juhu rented houses at Pali Naka and Ranwar ...of all the places our stay at Ranwar was the best we moved out when Preity Zinta moved in ..

We finally came to stay at 21 De Monte House our first own house at Bandra and the germs of loving Bandra began to grow a d its been ten years staying in our next home at Bandra Reclamation.

And Bandra keeps growing on me the Bazar and all the bylanes of Chapel Road Waroda Road that I pass by on my walks ...I am 're discovering the beauty of Bandra and Bandra has to be felt deep inside your soul ...Bandra is an emotion fulfilling the peace within Bandra is my prayer it keeps my family blessed ...Bandra has not made me overtly Muslim simply in the way I think ..I am happy with my faith perhaps not as indomitable as yours I keep away from Mosques ..I find my God where I want to find him .
I am not come here to preach I have come here to do my time and go away ..I do not want to be you at all keep your religion your faith I can't walk your path perhaps my destination is not the Heaven where you will continue with your sexual gratifications nubile virgins are not for I will be happy to leave my heart my eyes my liver ticking away in another man's body ..yes i am a beliver of God and man I am happy in my heresy it leads me to the doors of my inner peace I could not be an atheist but I am happy of what is on my plate I think dear friend my 3 hour walk for me is a catharsis unlike your prayer .

You don't feed or clothe me you don't take care of my family we are happy and we wish your happiness too ...take care .

Happy Morning ...your words have given me the strength to walk from Bandra to Juhu to prove my point though my legs are hurting like mad
..I shall pray as I walk for over 4 hours or more .

I complete a walk of 21 Km in 7 hours from Bandra To Juhu To Versova ..back to Juhu Beach Danda and Khar ..

I left my house at 5.30 am walked from Bandra Bazar to Linking Road Santa Cruz ,, from Santa Cruz I entered Juhu beach from the Wasaba end was shocked to see the Kali Temple on the beach here that I had shot during Visarjan has been completely destroyed ,, I walked till the end of Juhu met my friend Raju Thapar walked beyond Mora fishing village ,,I crossed the creek that separates Versova from Juhu ,, reached the other end through ankle deep waters .. shot the methi farms and Versova beach is nothing but a open air toilet I shot videos too,, I reached the Beach Classic end ,,,walked out of this horrendous beach that has a huge mass of illegal structures next to the Versova slums also on the beach..

I asked somebody to shoot me near my dear friend Aalim Hakim s salon at Versova and walked from here till Lokhandwala Circle I again returned to Juhu Beach through Ruia Road Godrej Bunglow ,

I shot some more videos ,, I was not tired I had eaten on this long walk two packets of Monaco biscuits 2 apples and drunk 3 small bottles of water ..from here I walked back till Danda crossed the bridge that connects Juhu to Danda ,,.. I pushed myself from Danda and reached Ambedkar Road Khar I was tired now my legs were hurting badly ,, from here I took a riickshah back home ,, I had burnt over 1300 calories,,,,

Yacht Restaurant Was The Boozers Noahs Ark .

Inside in a dungeon of sorrow
Drinking away the pain the poet
Caught in his misery woefully stark
Among his fellow drinkers bilious
In a deserted park ..puffy faces bloodshot eyes hollow cheeks that the angel of Death had marked cheap smell of Charms ..a guy smoked a reefer ....spectral light
Entered the crevices shadow play
In the dark....The empty chakna plate ...of the Municipal clerk ..
In another corner whirling away his time Bruno giving Lester a holistic talk...his crutches watching sadly a few shots without the same crutches miraculously he could walk ...faces hollow masks painted in deathly chalk .

Painted Walls of Bandra

Bandra is beautiful in spite of the overspilling garbage ..but I now see it positively as Fine Art ..I promote Swach Bharat as Fine Art ..I don't live in Simla Srinagar or Kumaon I have in my 65 years never seen or touched snow not even in Vancouver when I was there for a film shoot at Stanley Park.
I used to call myself a blogger but I refuse to be one anymore I can't fuck your mind trumpeting hackneyed blog phrases ..nor do I want to be associated with blog forums or blog railway like platforms .
I shoot the poetry of life and resurrection of dreams in a man's life ..I show you what you see in life everyday but sadly it does not register as an emotion or as poetry on your deadpan inner consciousness...
I love food but I stay a million miles away from the world of food bloggers ..their love for food is merely contagious as pictorial representation only .
The only food blogger with a caustic acidic tongue I like is my son like Assad Dadan. ..he makes you feel food..in a real good way.
Well I am digressing I shoot painted walls of Bandra that have no ears only eyes they see you penetratingly deeper than you see them ..than there are friends who love to cock tease you with delightful food pictures but never once invite you home ..and when they do than you realize you are suffering from water oozing diarrhea ...just my frickin fucked bad luck.
I get a bad dose of shut the fuck of from my wife ...for many reasons on my relationship with beggars I give them too much money and importance she says ..I spend too much time walking and so on and on ...and why do I shoot the same feasts places same people over and over again..I shut the fuck up so now I conveniently shoot on my mobile phone till date over 8000 images on my HTC desire 826 bought in June .
.
This is Nagrana lane a tiny walking lane that connects Hill Road to Waroda Road of Rustic Bandra ..and I like this beggar lady she does not ask me for Money but I always give her substantially. ..and I have never talked to her or tried to find out what bought her here begging for a living ..and these are not street pictures or street art but street stories ...I will video shoot her one day .
Share her story with all of you .
I do not read books or watch movies I shoot the story of life ..this is what interests me real life and no make believe world for me .
I refuse to sit in a movie hall for 3 hours ...and I hope I am in good shape to walk from Bandra to Juhu and back tomorrow ..I will carry my DSLR ..for a change to get a larger picture of Life as it touched me through the Quintessential Third Eye Of Shiva .

My 8.5 km Walk This Morning

After I finished my tennis I walked out to Hill Road through Jeff Caterers lane from Bandra reclamation....headed to St Andrew Church to Chimbai Joggers Park Carter Road ..I had sprout soup and from Carter road end I walked up to Union Park met my dear friend Mr Jagan Chawla walked entire stretch of Bandra Ambedkar road to Pali Naka ..to Hill Road Waroda Road went back to Chapel road to pick up a cake that my friend Fabian Namory had made for my grandkids as his gift to them .
Met Alex Monteiro and returned home via Bandra Bazar Road ..I had walked for over 3 hours .

Facebook Friends Request

All my posts on Facebook are marked only for Friends but the same post that I post at Flickr or Twitter or Blogspot is marked for public,, I somehow dont identify with the Facebook general faceless public at all.
Firstly I am sure I am known for the genre I shoot ,,I shoot India ,,and I shoot a India of rituals customs and its diverse religiosity ,,I shoot Hindu India be it the religious feasts the Kumbhs ,, I shoot Shiasm being a Shia myself ..Moharam ,,I shoot Sufism ,,the Dargahs the various Sufi orders of India including Chishtiya Nizami Rifai Malangs Qalandris ,, I am part of a Sufi Malang order too,,
My main documentation is over 68000 blogs on Hinduism as Hope and Hindutva as Message of Universal Peace ,,is on the Naga Sadhus Naga Babas and Aghoris ,, My Naga Guru is Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj Triveni of Juna Akhara .
My photo blogs are stories of India ..all posted publicly at my other sites ..
Now people will add me if I identify with their rituals or customs ,,
So I add the GSB community without checking for mutual friends or their profile ..I have a great cosmic connect with this community ,,
But others I look for the mutual friends that connects me with them..otherwise I delete all requests ,, I dont want to be part of your political rant your bullying rabid bigotry .. I will add you if you are a serious photographer ,, I dont add people from across the border simply because though we maybe Shiasm my Shiasm is attached to the culture of my country ,,,I dont relate to them geographically or otherwise ,, I have friends but that is it ,, I refuse to add anymore ,, and this has nothing to do with politics either ,,I am apolitical I belong to no party ,, at all,
If you send me a message before sending me a friend request would make the transition into my mind heart more human.. just adding me for fuck sake ,, dosent help me or you for the matter ,,
I dont add hijras ..and I have no issue with your choice of sexuality but I am not interested in your pictures of genitalia and your choice of porn in most cases .
I thought I had to get this off my system .. the picture is of me and my Dada Guru ,, the Guru of my Guru shot at the Maha Kumbh 2013 .
As I was bought up as a kid among Christians I have a soft corner for them and I shoot the Christian Ethos of Mumbai... feasts churches crosses ,,,I am grateful those who added me to their friends list ,, You guys and ladies are the best set of friends I have here on Facebook.. Stay Blessed .. May God Grant all your wishes .
This will be posted publicly at Flickr .. nowadays I blog at Facebook than copy paste to Flickr ,,,

The Tree of Life ...My 4.60 km Walk

My legs are in bad shape I have walked a lot since last few days .
This morning started on a disastrous note there was a huge commotion at the Bandra Bazar Garbage Dump between the chicken truck drivers and the Municipal Conservancy staff as the chicken trucks had blocked the entry of the Municipal dumper that comes to collect the garbage ..The chicken truck drivers were rude and threatening the conservancy staff including me as I video graphed the entire incident and I hope our MLA Advocate Ashish Shelar sees and stop the chicken truck drivers high handedness.
However in the end I mediated peace between both the parties and went to play tennis
After my tennis I walked till Mehboob had a cup of lemon tea at Good Luck Irani Restaurant and reached Bandra Bandstand ..shot a few videos and walked back home through the Bazar I met my Swedish friend Malini shooting the Bazar hawkers .
I had walked 4.60 km in 2 hours 33 minutes .
Marziya has lost lot of weight but is slowly recovering from Typhoid
Happy Morning Happy Friday.

Yacht Early Morning Utara On The Dot

For bevdas guzzlers hardcore boozers the only Camelot ..
A quarter for the parched dry throat
The first shot heavenly feeling safe in a corner deep in thoughts
Moosa thoda chakna de bhai
Happily he bought moong dal
Chakli the simple pleasures we
Got ..I think of the prisoners brothers inmates who enchained to the genie in the bottle eternally rot....I was lucky I flew over the Cuckoo's nest
Somewhat ...I think they wait hoping against hope that one day I will come back to the dark dungeons
Eyes bloodshot ...The fan whirring humid and hot ..within the soul of Bandra the alcoholic spot ..
No I will not surrender to their devious cosmic plot ..no more
Old Monk no more dirty talks of
Tits and Twats...

A Passion Called Bandra ..My 6.97 km walk today .

I had a gruelling session of Tennis ..My friend Fabian Namory presented a cake baked by him to our coach Mr Surendra Pawar .
Fabian has baked a special cake for my grandkids too.
From the tennis courts I took the back lanes of Bandra exited at Jeff Caterers and walked till Turner Road from Turner Road to Carter Road I had a sprout soup and here I met a couple an English lady and an Irish guy they are installing a snow weather station at Carter Road I shot their video I met my dear friend Minaz Khan completed my Carter Road walk and moved onwards to Chimbai than Waroda Road and at Bazar road met a Swedish lady Malini she was video shooting the Bazar for Swedish TV ..I showed her the 16 century grotto heritage of the East Indians my wife was in the Bazar so I introduced Malini to her we exchanged numbers and I told her I would help her shoot the Bazar.
But I forgot to show her our world famous Bandra Bazar Garbage Dump.
It took me 2 hours 33 minutes to complete 6.97 km .
And I have almost succeeded in controlling my blood sugar fasting and PP
92 fasting 120 PP

The Quintessential Muslim Man also known as Miya Bhai

There are lot of them migrants from Uttar Pradesh or Bihar who have come to Mumbai in search of their dreams ..as the politician s of the above two states and notoriously UP have done nothing for the poor and the unemployed they filled their own coffers and became billionaires overnight ..so the people from their states come to Mumbai to make fast money become rich .. some lose out some commit suicide some go back from where they came disillusioned some take to crime some get hooked to drugs .
I met a bhaiyya once at Kamatipura he had become a transgender he was a Muslim and told me his sad tale sodomized by his roommates he was now selling his body walking on the streets ..I asked him if he will ever go back to his hometown or his family he said with a sadness his body was badly diseased he was waiting to die in Mumbai ..he was a pretty boy just 23 year old .
So the story of migrants in Mumbai is a story of pain self sacrifice and death

The Marathi Lasoon Seller Story Telling And Blogging

Necessity is the Mother of Invention they say, this Marathi Manoos sells garlic at Bandra Bazar Road .
But during the mango season he sells mangoes too and most of these Marathi people hardworking dedicated don't have their own stalls like their forefathers they sell their wares on the roads ..and none of the Congress Shiv Sena or BJP have done anything for them .
This Man was cleaning the garlic with his wife and young daughter in law ..he likes to be photographed and through my pictures I am able to tell their story ..and I don't think as a blogger anymore ..I think I am more of a street poet and a story teller ..
Blogging is too much of blah blah and duplication of other people's stories in most cases perhaps for those who are not photographer s it is a borrowed text or picture whereby hangs their tale ..
I post original content I dont search for stories but yes people in my stories cosmically search me out .
And I moved out of blogger platforms forums .
I as a street photographer do not belong to selfie melas of Kala Ghoda Festival elitist misplaced pompous pedantic art and culture .
I shoot simple people I shoot my backyard there is no dearth of stories in and of Bandra .
I take you through my pictures on a morning walk .
One day you too will start walking your own walk you need determination grit and your mobile phone .My pictures are mostly shot on my mobile phone. . Words come later hesitatingly but on the spur of the moment no picture has pre mediated text .
And for the first time I am posting my picture thoughts on Facebook and for the first time I have not deactivated my Facebook account .I mostly took a break from Facebook after every 6 months .
I have never walked so much every morning this too is first time .
Now I shall check my blood sugar report wife has just bought it and decide whether to move out from Dr Shashank Joshi to another doctor less famous and with some time for his patients .In more ways than one our Doctor is God too in disguise as a human .
Ps I have taken my blood test after 3 months it used to be between 250 to 300 .
My new blood report today
92.6 fasting
PP. 121 .5

Happy 30 Wedding Anniversary Coach Surendra Pawar

What The Fuck Is The Problem With Blogspot ,, An error occurred while trying to save or publish your post. Please try again. Dismiss

Mumbai Is The 9 Cleanest City But That Does Not Include Bandra Bazar Road

This Man Is A Hindu but gets his Strength from Jesus Christ .

This is his street stall at Bandra Bazar Road and he sells fruits ..his clientele are most of the old time Christian ladies they bargain haggle but buy from him he will politely offer a slice of the musk melon and that touches them ..
As I was once his neighbor I lived for one month in a house opposite his stall ..in a winding backlane the building was inappropriately called White House it had the biggest bandicoots moving about freely ..he gives me fruits without bargaining he gives me for much less and the other reason for his kindness is that he is fond of both Marziya and Nerjis .
So let it be known that Jesus belongs to almost everyone in Bandra ..even those who buy fruits from him are blessed by the Lord .
So there are lots of crosses in Bandra and every cross has a precious story to tell..
The Cross is not about religion it is about faith hope humility and humanity ...and the Cross reflects the glory of the poor..The Cross is the essence of Bandra living in mutual co existence ..and in Bandra tolerance is very much alive a Mosque comfortably within the sounds of a Sunday hymns from the neighboring St Joseph's Chapel.
And when I said I want to live and die in Bandra I truly meant I don't want to die in Babri or Dadri no not even in Delhi .. I want to die where God lives on a Cross in Bandra ..

My 7 km Walk Today..God gives me pictures on a platter

I have just reached home and I saw this mentally challenged beggar on a cart being driven by another beggar ,, I gave them some money and shot a few frames ,,the cart pusher was in a hurry but the mentally challenged beggar told him to let me shoot him through gestures and sign language ,

Now there is a cosmic story of retrieval here ..I saw them yesterday but I was in the bus ..I have never shot them before but I forced my inner consciousness with a vow that I will shoot them come what may .. and I was carrying some shopping bags when I spotted them at the bazar.. I placed the bags on a shop counter and began shooting them on my mobile phone ,

There are many instances I get a second chance always to shoot a moment that I liked and it eluded me.

Photography is nothing short of mysticism.. and if you have the power of the third eye of Shiva in your lens eye you can perform miracles so to speak... metaphorically ,

Well my back story ..I went to play tennis at 7.30 am did not shoot the garbage and today was my tennis coach Mr Surendra Pawar s 30 wedding anniversary ,, shot pictures video.. and after my tennis session walked out from Bandra Reclamation to Turner Road and finally Carter Road .. had a sprout soup.. at Nitins mobile herbal juice stall.. met my dear friend Mr Jagan Chawla he is recuperating from an ailment ,, and continued my walk chatting with my friend Minaz Khan I shot pictures too and a video of a lonely guitarist ,,

After reaching the open air toilet end of Carter Road I walked back till the Otters end Minaz and I parted I walked towards Chimbai corner St Dominic road and entered Waroda road via Nagrana lane .

I had completed 7 km in two hours ,,,

Jesus Lights Up Bandra Bazaar Road

Bandra s quintessential beauty is the gift of the East Indians ..they kept the Asmita and Mahima his glory his munificene alive building Crosses thanking the Lord for his Mercy .
And by constructing crosses they reminded others that Jesus was there at every corner in every gaothan of Bandra there were many fishing villages in Bandra but I limit my story of crosses to the Bandra Bazra even in its old quaint narrow bylanes there are crosses .
And ever since I became a photographer I began shooting documenting the crosses made my grandchildren shoot them too and made them aware of Jesus .
The two crosses at Bandra speak of Jesus who is one with everyone not just monopolized only by the Christians ..a Hindu fruit seller sits next to the cross and he tells me the Cross has bought him good luck ..he has never had a bad day ..and because of his sincerity of thought I buy fruits from him .
Than there is another Marathi vegetable seller she too sits next to a cross and guards him ...she hardly talks to anyone once I was shooting her picture she was about to blow a fuse I told her I was shooting Jesus. .she smiled and said in Marathi tu changla Manas ahey means you are a good man despite the fact I don't buy vegetables from her ..
There is another Cross and the lady a Gomes takes care of it she cleans the cross and it reminds me of a mother washing her little child ..such motherly care but she is very shy .
There is a cross at Boran Road that late Daniel took care of it they have Novenas there I call it Daniels Cross opposite the Sunni Madrsa.
There is a Cross that is threatened for demolition by the BMC but it stands with hope ...and was once known for the open gutters overflowing it's base ...a Muslim family kept paying people to clean the gutter as the Cross has bought them a lot of luck .
So every cross has a story and I am just telling you a few of them ..The cross that I was close to was my first house at Bandra 21 De Monte street I shot it prolifically ..this cross has a lot of Hindus paying respect to it and a Muslim beggar always stood besides Jesus and begged .
There is another lady who comes here talks to Jesus empties out her heart and I watch from a distance ..and Jesus patiently listening to her silently advising her with love and direction .
I am not a words man I speak through pictures but here I made an effort to tell you a story ..and stories have to be told as stories are the essence of our childhood ..stories that we heard as kids from our grandparents etched deep on our souls ..and it is these short stories of Bandra where I live that I made both Marziya and Nerjis shoot so they too will have stories to tell their children and grandchildren .
Happy Morning From Bandra where Jesus truly lives .

Happy Morning Make In India Garbage Dump At Bandra Bazar Road

I decided not to shoot a video today ,, I was not poetically inspired so to speak.. the dog belongs to one of the scavengers who feeds him bones meat etc from the dump...

From here I cut through the old beef market via the path leading out from the Bandra Sunni mosque to the MET Tennis courts ,, the sad part is that the Municipality has taken over the open grounds and the tennis courts and as there is no security both the places are in a bad mess somebody broke the tennis pole ..earlier there was the MET security and I can tell you that the Municipality is incapable of running the parks and public gardens ,, they only need places where they can make money and I wish somebody proves me wrong ..

The Municipality needs to be discarded and some new corporate entity should take over our citys civic problems management .. people that are responsible and accountable ,,
The Municipality has done nothing to enhance Modijis Swach Bharat project .. our garbage spilling all over is a eye sore .. and I hope after the inauguration of the Bandra Art Gallery our dynamic PM Modiji should have visited Bandra Bazar Road .. and I am sure the Sanghis would have whitewashed this place and made it spick and span..

Well after the tennis session I walked from MET grounds to Bandstand via Good Luck a free cup of black tea from the owner Hamza bhai.. and I shoot pictures while I walk I paid my salaams to Amitji s picture on the Deewar at Bandra on the way to Bandstand and skipped Carter Road .. returned via Waroda road Bazar road and back passing this dump .. to my house ..

The Karamchaari Gang Carter Road Valentine's day

The Quintessential Tourist Photographers of Juhu Beach .

Most of them know me as while they shoot the local tourists on Juhu beach I shoot them as we belong to the same fraternity of camera users for a cause they use it to earn money I use it as my street documentary my street stories ..
There were very few in the beginning but than soon their tribe increased to identify that they are officially tourist photographer s they all were Mr Devanands Jewel thief caps red in color .
I have tremendous respect for their trade they are humble messengers of Amchi Mumbai and no brand ambassador like our poor man's Juhu beach.. The rich use it to walk and jog the tourists use it to hog I use it to photo blog .
Juhu beach the essence of Mumbai it's waters the holy waters of peace beyond caste color or creed .

Hope you never ever have to search for food in the Garbage .

Happy Valentine's day for those who govern us those whom we voted to powet may your life be filled with flowers .

The Karamchaari Gang Carter Road Valentine's day

These kids from areas like Mulund Vikhroli but certainly none from Carter road were cleaning the Carter road beach diligently collecting plastic other harmful materials bottles cans etc which they will hand over to the BMC and forgive my cheek n jowl I thought the lazy BMC might just throw it back in the sea.

And this is how our beautiful Mumbai kids celebrate Valentines Day paying tribute to nature I called them the Toilers of the Sea.

I also wondered on second thoughts would the kids of the tony upmarket Carter Road come down and do the same ...well are you kidding it's not their jobs ..they were having a ball at Otters Club

Happy Morning to all of you above all the members of the Karamchaari Gang from the Beggar poet of Bandra ..

The Kolis of Juhu Beach Fishing Village

I set out from my house at 6.15 am walking from my house to Linking Road Bandra till St Lawrence School I bought a water bottle and moved ahead and suddenly realized I had left my mobile at the shop where I had bought the water bottle I ran back like a mad man and he handed me my phone .
I realized after I completed my walk I should have carried my DSLR and my mobile power pack for the battery got exhausted I had shot a video and 150 stills .
At the beach Ganesha idols were lying strewn on the beach and I felt sad I did not shoot them ..Simply because my Gurus taught me never to hurt people or their beliefs even to prove a point ..don't shoot pictures to ridicule another man's rituals or customs .
I had completed over 10 km when I shot the koli images at the furthest end of the Juhu fishing village ...and it had taken me 2 hours and 30 minutes .
The Juhu beach is well maintained and great job and there were hordes of joggers walkers I met my dear Facebook friend Raju Thapar on his cycle but could not take a picture with him as my phone battery got over .
And this was a great regret specially when I walked back towards the Mayur Mahal end of Juhu Beach this beach facing bungalow was famous for film shoots .
I could have walked home from the Kali temple end on the beach but I pushed myself further taking directions from the locals thus bypassed the entire Gazdar Bandh and reached the Danda shoreline .
I crossed the creek and rediscovered Khar Danda village the Ram Mandir the 150 year old Arab Shah Baba Dargah and came out near the Danda fish Market end moved on to Carter Road Chimbai Waroda Road and finally Bandra Bazar Road ..and I was not tired or panting I had tested my endurance level a small bottle of water and some Monaco biscuits.
I will now make this trip again with my camera and try to walk till Versova. Hopefully.
All the pictures of this walk I have posted at Flickr .

My 20 Km Walk From Bandra Bazar To Juhu Beach And Back

Completed 20 km Walk This morning from Bandra reclamation to Juhu beach Hinduja bunglow end back to Bandra Bazar via Khar Danda Carter Road ..it took me about 4 hours non stop ..no halt just water and a pack of Monaco biscuits ..could not document my return walk as the mobile phone battery got over at Juhu beach .

Will our erstwhile dynamic PM Modiji visit Bandra Bazar Road after inaugurating the Bandra reclamation Art Gallery

flickr


After the Inauguration of the Art Gallery at Bandra reclamation will our dynamic PM Modiji visit Bandra Bazar Road to congratulate BMC H ward for the great work they are doing in garbage management ..promoting the essence of his pet theme Swach Bharat.

Even God Cant Save Muslims From Muslims

fatwa fucked
from asshole
to eternity
he can never
ever be free
caught in
the vortex
of religious
hate bigotry
exhumed from
the grave humiliated
in death...in his next
birth a muslim he would
not want to be ,,,

was he  a sunni wahabi or a brailvi
now an empty hole in a cemetery

a sleeping soul robbed of all humanity

indian express

Travesty of a Mothers Day ..

begging invoking
a stone deaf god
in the hearts of
man but none
hear her plea
a mother
held captive
by a cosmic
force in a
vicious grip
no more free
she lost her
youth her
beauty
lost all
her illusions
her dreams
her hope
mother of
two children
she lost her
humanity
her husband
a lazy drunkard
good for nothing
neglect apathy
forces her to beg
misplaced charity
a wife a mother
to be or not to be

i tried to shoot her
inner angst her emotions
but all i shot was her humility

Kashmiri Beggar searching for Hope in Mumbai

 I have shot him earlier and he saddens me limping begging away from his home in the Valley in the lonely heartless streets of Bandra.

What made him come to Mumbai to beg ..why did he choose Mumbai over Delhi thousands of miles away. I did not ask him he begs in silence .

Alone perhaps he has a family at the the camp near Bandra East where I am told the Kashmiri migrants live in make shift tents .

And such is life of a migrant in the city of dreams called Mumbai .

I have been documenting these migrant s since a very long time now ..most of them are Muslims so why is the government silent on this issue of the people of Kashmir
Why are they not trying to find out the cause and why are they not taking action both center and state .

My 9 km Walk Today

After my tennis I walked through the Bandra transit camp backlanes cut through Jeff Caterers passed St Andrew Church than Chimbai Joggers Park and reached Carter Road at Carter Road I saw a huge crowd at the Ganesha Temple celebrating Lord Ganeshas birthday I shot a video than I spotted a few American hot shot photographer s shooting some urchins on the beach I spoke to one of them and shot their video ..as they went about shooting Make in India the poverty and the kids ..The father of the kids watched from a distance I told him to take money from them the kids deserved a good meal .

From this end of Kolis beach front I walked till Danda and continued my walk till Khar 14 road from here I walked till Bandra 29 th road moved out towards Waterfield Road ..Hill road Boran Road and finally home to Bandra Reclamation ..

I had completed 9 km in about 2 hours .

Ranwar Bandra