One thing I can say with utmost confidence Ma Khamakhya likes me ,,I was gifted a flight ticket Mum Guwahati Mumbai by my patron Mrs Shatrughan Sinha .she once again sponsored my trip and my humble MLA President of Mumbai BJP Advocate Shelar helped me too..
I had no place to stay in Khamakhya as the old ashram I stayed in last year had shut down for good ..but I was given a room free lodging boarding by a friend Niku Sarma a Panda from the priestly family of Khamakhya Dham.
Last year I could not get the Darshan of the Goddess because of long unending lines people waiting 30 hours once the temple doors opened on 26 June .but this time the Goddess pulled me in and I went into a Sufi trance in the sanctum sanctorum.
Photography is banned in innr sanctum even with mobile phone fine of Rs 5000 ..
I shot the Aghoris at Khmakhya Crematorium at midnight ,, shot the tantrics hijra shamans and in the daytime I shot the Juna Akhara Khamakhya Dham,
I was lucky a Naga Guru I know since Maha Kumbh Allahabad 2013 Bhagwati Giri was attending too he introduced me to Mahant Ganesh Giri in the picture , Mahant Govind Giri young dynamic Thanapati handling the Akhara where I had my meals ..Shri Ronjitadas Giri from Kolkatta .. Shri Manuj Pahwa Puri Kotwal who got our Akhara IDs done for me and my French photographer friend Laurent Salesse .
On Monday Laurent and I shot the Eid Namaz at Eid Gah Guwahati.
As Lauren stayed at Guwahati Paltan Bazar a long distance from Khamkhya he shot a few events I shot the bulk as I stayed next to the temple .. rooms here are Rs 4000 a day for me it was free.
I will keep my narration short I reached Khamakhya 21 June I returned tonight at 9 PM. 27 June 2017 . Laurent and I parted at the airport he has gone to shoot Ladakh tribes remote areas of the mountains he shoots portraiture with backdrop tripod medium format film with ring flash.
Laurent is a great teacher he has shot India Pakistan Afghanistan tribes for 30 years He is my teacher too since we first mt accidentally in Lucknow 2007 shot Moharam Ashura we shot 2009 aftermath Mumbai bomb blasts 2013 Maha Kumbh Allahabad 2016 2017 Makanpur Urus and Malangs.
Among the few foreign photographers I have met and shot with I am very comfortable with Laurent Salesse and Boaz .
The others I met fucked me with their arrogant attitude ..
So his is my new series first the mobile photos than the images from my DSLR
I shot a lot of videos but I was not happy with the results of my new OPPO F3 it let me down very badly.
I was using Jiyo network and posting most of my stuff shot at Khamakhya at Twitter ..I have given up Facebook since last year ..I like shooting videos all on You Tube ,,
KamakhyaFlickr
