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 .