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 .
