I was to meet my friend eminent agriculturist Ravi Shankar at 7 am he arrived but it was hard to get in and this is what hits me in the guts I have been shooting Lalbagh Chya Raja for several years the organizers at the top level know it too but yet I have to beg and plead for entry luckily I met a volunteer Ashish an old friend who helped us to enter the Pandal and both Ravi and I were wet .
We shot the Arti I shot Mr Sudhir Salvi the head honcho after the Arti and we moved out towards the main gate and somehow managed to shoot Lalbagh Chya Raja exiting from the gate .
Than we went to Hemant Sawants Ganesh color lab shot him his wife and his two ace photographer daughters Saloni and Sayali
We moved out shooting Tejukaya And Lalbagh Chya Raja on the roads ..and than took a train to VT bought two umbrella s took a cab to Girguam Chowpatty had lunch at Paramount Irani joint opposite the beach.
We reached the beach at about 5 pm and we're told that photography on the beach was banned by a court order .
So we shot from the road ..Ravi left I hung around till 7 pm than walked to Paramount again had a keema Pao the most delicious Irani fare.
I think my Canon 60 D got conked in the rains so I shot on my Canon 7D took a train from Charni Road to Bandra .
And as I reached home I shot Advocate Ashish Shelar and my friend Rohit Madhukar Gaikwad...
I also met another good friend CR Shelare at Girguam Chowpatty.
I am now downloading the picture s but I shot a few on my mobile phone ..
Today first time on a Visarjan day the volunteers allowed me take darshan of the Raja on the stage .
Verily no doubt about it the Raja is blue blood king.
Once I used to walk with him from Lalbagh to Kumbharwada but I have aged and my old legs can't do the long journey with the Raja anymore .
I have shot the Lalbagh Chya Raja for over 16 years now .
I shoot him bareeet so my legs are in real bad shape and to add to my misery is non stop running nose with a bad cold .
Jai Shree Ashtavinayaka
Lalbaugcha Rajacha Vijay Aso -
