My Friend Nagesh from Union Bank of India Walks Barefeet

Beyond Kutch ,, in the forests is the Temple of his Goddess Hartosh .. an avtar of Durga and Kali and he has walked barefeet ,,he is totally devoted to this Goddess,,

The Bandra Beggar Kids - My Beggar Blogs

This was shot  a long time back , at Mount Mary steps during the Mount Mary Fair Bandra , the back steps and these kids were the same kids that normally begged at the Turner Road Traffic Signal and were forced to beg here at the iconic Bandra Fair ,, I was told each kid could make about Rs 3000 in a single day from morning to night as the crowds keep on coming and the flow does not stop and the Christian devotees give generously unlike the Muslims who give a few coins to their beggars , the Christians give notes , hard currency..and once the kids came to Mount Mary the Turner Road Signal would wear a deserted look..

Now the kids beggars and even the hijras have been removed from the signal because of the affluent jewelry shops all around the signal..and the owners well connected politically so the cops have stopped begging on this signal pushing the kids towards Linking Road Pamposh signals.

All these kids their dirty filthy families once many years back stayed on a Mound off Rang Sharda Hotel  Bandra Reclamation , they would drink fight abuse , they were finally evicted from here now the Mound is used as an open toilet by the Migrant Rickshawalas.


And I miss these beggars kids I documented for many years knew almost everyone .. today they must be grown ups , the girls mothers with kids ,, I see some of them and they come to show me their kids and ask me to bless them..these kids in arms , must be the youngest child laborers in the world not even a month old drugged with cough syrup , hung on the shoulders of older kids they are forced to beg by their parents and here I am sure there is a beggar mafia at work.. the comely girls disappear much before they reach puberty ,, most of them have incestuous relationships , even the drunk father will sleep with his daughter to get a child that will handsomely add to their income .

And these are my Beggar Blogs ,,Bandra Blogs ,, memories within memories and stories of the street ..

I Shoot People Who Dont Even Know I Am Shooting Them

And I shoot people who perhaps dont even know why I am shooting them,hard industrious Indian people of the street , the entire family at work eking out a living ,, very close to where I stay .

I have always shot them from a moving cab or bus many a times the softer sensitive part of me has wanted to reach out too them talk to them but I have no time ,,and than I wonder what do I talk to them , I am a street photographer and not a storyteller of words .

And they live on the streets close to the Muslim slums ghettos of upscale Bandra among ruffians drugaddicts too, and this community can be found near Mahim station too where their girls boys beg at the traffic signals to supplement the family income ,, their children are abused molested , attempts were made to kidnap them but they continue to live make cane baskets.

I dont see any other community making these baskets in the suburbs , there are some Marathi folks making these baskets in one of the bylanes close to Chor Bazar too.

Most of these weaver women come to Bandra Bazar to buy the leftovers of chicken from the chicken shops .. it is the only cheap meat for the poor ..

The women of this community are frail looking not heavy boned , but work non stop they wear a long skirt and a long sleeved blouse .. very simple attire that does not change .
The guys wear dhotis and long shirts very rustic and are cutting the bamboos the kids also peel the bamboos ,,

In a rough shod cradle hanging on a support is the new born baby unaware of its surroundings and you can see its silhouette when you pass by in a bus or a cab.

Even the kids of these basket weavers beg at Bandra Reclamation signal but young Muslim kids from the slums beg here to after they return from their Municipal schools .


And Bandra sadly has not changed much in 15 years not the poor side of Bandra , more slums keep coming up on empty public spots , they soon become vote banks for the long lasting political sartraps of our area .

Change in Bandra is for those living near Joggers Park Band stand .. the poor live as they and will die as they live ..political generosity has been showered on those who help the leader , he is the head tout who gets things done and reaps the rewards in extra rooms and other such benefits ,, this is also seen where they live .

I am a Sobo person but now living in Bandra since 26 years ...and the Bandra I live in is the most neglected ugliest filthiest place abutting a disease prone market with no garbage management , open gutters , and thanks to the pictures I have shot of the many open garbage dumps and taught my grandchildren photography shooting these dumps even foreigners from Italy Australia America France come here to shoot these dumps they say it is Fine Art ,,

Our local representatives are like seasonal frogs you see them hear their voice during elections once they get win the coveted seat you get to see them hoisting our National flag on Independence day.Than they disappear and the poorest of the poor has to deal with their chamchas and white clothed henchman in white footwear  too..

I have become totally disillusioned with this democratic process of voting for most of these wrong guys like you I too got carried away by the Am Admi Party I saw a great opposition , values etc but than they were just a short time dream..less said the better ..

The only Man who connected to the poor , the shopkeeper the residents was late Mr Sunil Dutt and sadly  even God has stopped making leaders like him..is all I can say about Dutt Saabs heritage , I feel sorry his wifes name is associated with the dirtiest slum in this part of Bandra called the Nargis Dutt slums amount the other slums such as Rajiv Nagar Indra Nagar and Shastri Nagar ,,

So a picture sometimes is therapeutic it adds to the catharsis of the urban fucked soul of the common man of Bandra ,,

Shooting Eid Ul Adha Namaz At Bandra Station Road

I showered got dressed and left barefeet to shoot the Bakra Eid Namaz at Bandra Station at  7 am .Last time I shot the Eid Ul Zuha namaz from down below as over the years I had been shooting from the Bandra skywalk..
This time  I thought of using my 55 -250 lens from above the skywalk.

When I reached the skywalk there was just one photographer , he said Hello to me and  he was from Girish Mistrys Shari Academy .. His name was Amit , I told him that I had made Girish Mistrys wedding wardrobe and we shared a great relationship.. I told Amit if the cops hassled him to tell them he was with me as all the Bandra cops know me and I always carry my Press Card.It was Amit who took this shot of the iconoclastic Beggar Poet Of Bandra .

As soon as the Namaz was to end we both came down below , my good friend Satish Malavade was there too..After shooting the namaz the beggars I cut through the Bandra Slaughter House slums and took shots of the Eid Namaz in the slum lane.

Normally I shoot the slaughter of goats bulls etc but this time I have decided to cut own on my blood shots ..I shall make up for it shooting Moharam Ashura in Hyderabad .

This is my new set at Flickr.

About Eid Ul Adha
From Wikipedia
Eid al-Adha (Arabic: عيد الأضحى‎ ʿīd al-aḍḥā [ʕiːd ælˈʔɑdˤħæ] meaning "Festival of the sacrifice"), also called the Feast of the Sacrifice (Turkish: Kurban Bayramı; Bosnian: Kurban Bajram; Persian: عید قربان‎, Eid-e qorban), the "Major Festival",[1] the "Greater Eid", Baqr'Eid (Urdu: بقر عید‎), or Tabaski (West Africa), is the second of two religious holidays celebrated by Muslims worldwide each year. It honors the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his promised son. Ishmael (Ismail)a as an act of submission to God's command, before God then intervened to provide Abraham with a lamb to sacrifice instead.[2] The meat from the sacrificed animal is preferred to be divided into three parts. The family retains one third of the share; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbors; and the remaining third is given to the poor and needy.

In the lunar-based Islamic calendar, Eid al-Adha falls on the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah and lasts for three days.[3] In the international Gregorian calendar, the dates vary from year to year, drifting approximately 11 days earlier each year.

Eid al-Adha is the latter of the two Eid holidays, the former being Eid al-Fitr. The basis for the observance comes from the 196th ayah (verse) of Al-Baqara, the second sura of the Quran.[4] The word "Eid" appears once in Al-Ma'ida, the fifth sura of the Quran, with the meaning "solemn festival".[5]

Like Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha begins with a Sunnah prayer of two rakats followed by a sermon (khutbah). Eid al-Adha celebrations start after the descent of the Hujjaj from Mount Arafat, a hill east of Mecca. Eid sacrifice may take place until sunset on the 13th day of Dhu al-Hijjah.[6] The days of Eid have been singled out in the Hadith as "days of remembrance". The takbir (days) of Tashriq are from the Fajr prayer of the 9th of Dhul Hijjah up to the Asr prayer of the 13th of Dhul Hijjah (5 days and 4 nights). This equals 23 prayers: 5 on the 9th–12th, which equals 20, and 3 on the 13th.[7]

The Arabic term "festival of the sacrifice]", ʿīd al-aḍḥā/ʿīd ul-aḍḥā is borrowed into Indo-Aryan languages such as Hindi, Bengali, and Gujarati, Urdu and Austronesian languages, such as Malay and Indonesian (the last often spelling it as Aidiladha or Iduladha).[citation needed] Another Arabic word for "sacrifice" is Qurbani (Arabic: قربان‎), which is borrowed into Dari Persian and Standard Persian as عید قربان (Eyd-e Ghorbân), or in Urdu as قربانی کی عید (Qorbani ki Eid) Tajik Persian as Иди Қурбон (Idi Qurbon), Kazakh as Құрбан айт (Qurban ayt), Uyghur as Qurban Heyit, and also into various Indo-Aryan languages such as Bengali as কোরবানির ঈদ (Korbanir Eid). Other languages combined the Arabic word qurbān with local terms for "festival", as in Kurdish (Cejna Qurbanê),[8] Pashto (د قربانۍ اختر da Qurbānəi Axtar), Turkish (Kurban Bayramı), Turkmen (Gurban Baýramy), Azeri (Qurban Bayramı), Tatar (Qorban Bäyräme), Albanian (Kurban Bajrami), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian and Macedonian (Kurban bajram, Курбан бајрам), Russian (Курбан-байрам), Bulgarian (Курбан Байрам), Mandarin Chinese (古尔邦节 Gúěrbāng Jié), and Malaysian and Indonesian (Hari Raya Korban, Qurbani).[citation needed]

Eid al-Kabir, an Arabic term meaning "the Greater Eid" (the "Lesser Eid" being Eid al-Fitr),[9] is used in Yemen, Syria, and North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt). The term was borrowed directly into French as Aïd el-Kebir. Translations of "Big Eid" or "Greater Eid" are used in Pashto (لوی اختر Loy Axtar), Kashmiri (Baed Eid),Pakistani(Baṛī Īd), Hindustani (Baṛī Īd), Tamil (Peru Nāl, "Great Day") and Malayalam (Bali Perunnal, "Great Day of Sacrifice"). Albanian, on the other hand, uses Bajram(i) i vogël or "the Lesser Eid" (as opposed to Bajram i Madh, the "Greater Eid", for Eid al-Fitr) as an alternative reference to Eid al-Adha.[citation needed] Some names refer to the fact that the holiday occurs after the culmination of the annual Hajj. Such names are used in Malaysian and Indonesian (Hari Raya Haji "Hajj celebration day", Lebaran Haji, Lebaran Kaji), and Tamil (Hajji Peru Nāl).[citation needed] In Urdu- and Hindi-speaking areas, the festival is also called Bakr Īd,[10] stemming from the Hindustani word bakrī, "goat", because of the tradition of sacrificing a goat in South Asia. This term is also borrowed into other languages, such as Tamil Bakr Īd Peru Nāl.[citation needed]

Other local names include Mandarin Chinese 宰牲节 Zǎishēng Jié ("Slaughter-livestock Festival") as well as Tfaska Tamoqqart in the Berber language of Djerba, Tabaski or Tobaski in Wolof,[11][12] Babbar Sallah in Nigerian languages, Pagdiriwang ng Sakripisyo in Filipino and ciida gawraca in Somali.[citation needed] Eid al-Adha has had other names outside the Muslim world. The name is often simply translated into the local language, such as English Feast of the Sacrifice, German Opferfest, Dutch Offerfeest, Romanian Sărbătoarea Sacrificiului, and Hungarian Áldozati ünnep. In Spanish it is known as Fiesta del Cordero ("festival of the lamb").[citation

According to Islamic tradition, approximately four thousand years ago, the valley of Mecca (in present-day Saudi Arabia) was a dry, rocky and uninhabited place. God instructed Abraham to bring Hagar (Hājar), his Arabian (Adnan) wife, and Ishmael, his only child at the time, to Arabia from the land of Canaan.[citation needed]

As Abraham was preparing for his return journey back to Canaan, Hagar asked him, "Did God order you to leave us here? Or are you leaving us here to die." Abraham didn't even look back. He just nodded, afraid that he would be too sad and that he would disobey God. Hagar said, "Then God will not waste us; you can go". Though Abraham had left a large quantity of food and water with Hagar and Ishmael, the supplies quickly ran out, and within a few days the two began to feel the pangs of hunger and dehydration.

Hagar ran up and down between two hills called Al-Safa and Al-Marwah seven times, in her desperate quest for water. Exhausted, she finally collapsed beside her baby Ishmael and prayed to God for deliverance. Miraculously, a spring of water gushed forth from the earth at the feet of baby Ishmael. Other accounts have the angel Gabriel (Jibrail) striking the earth and causing the spring to flow in abundance. With this secure water supply, known as the Zamzam Well, they were not only able to provide for their own needs, but were also able to trade water with passing nomads for food and supplies.

Years later, Abraham was instructed by God to return from Canaan to build a place of worship adjacent to Hagar's well (the Zamzam Well). Abraham and Ishmael constructed a stone and mortar structure – known as the Kaaba – which was to be the gathering place for all who wished to strengthen their faith in God. As the years passed, Ishmael was blessed with prophethood (Nubuwwah) and gave the nomads of the desert his message of submission to God. After many centuries, Mecca became a thriving desert city and a major center for trade, thanks to its reliable water source, the well of Zamzam.

One of the main trials of Abraham's life was to face the command of God to sacrifice his dearest possession, his only son. Upon hearing this command, he prepared to submit to God's will. During this preparation, Satan (Shaitan) tempted Abraham and his family by trying to dissuade them from carrying out God's commandment, and Ibrahim drove Satan away by throwing pebbles at him. In commemoration of their rejection of Satan, stones are thrown at symbolic pillars signifying Satan during the Hajj rites.

When Ishmael was about 13 (Abraham being 99), God decided to test their faith in public. Abraham had a recurring dream, in which God was commanding him to offer up for sacrifice – an unimaginable act – his son, whom God had granted him after many years of deep prayer. Abraham knew that the dreams of the prophets were divinely inspired, and one of the ways in which God communicated with his prophets. When the intent of the dreams became clear to him, Abraham decided to fulfill God's command and offer Ishmael for sacrifice.

Although Abraham was ready to sacrifice his dearest for God's sake, he could not just bring his son to the place of sacrifice without his consent. Ishmael had to be consulted as to whether he was willing to give up his life in fulfillment of God's command. This consultation would be a major test of Ishmael's maturity in faith; love and commitment for God; willingness to obey his father; and readiness to sacrifice his own life for the sake of God.

Abraham presented the matter to his son and asked for his opinion about the dreams of slaughtering him. Ishmael did not show any hesitation or reservation even for a moment. He said, "Father, do what you have been commanded. You will find me, Insha'Allah (God willing), to be very patient." His mature response, his deep insight into the nature of his father’s dreams, his commitment to God, and ultimately his willingness to sacrifice his own life for the sake of God were all unprecedented.

When Abraham attempted to cut Ishmael's throat, he was astonished to see that Ishmael was unharmed and instead, he found a dead ram which was slaughtered. Abraham had passed the test by his willingness to carry out God's command.[1][13]

This is mentioned in the Quran as follows:

100 "O my Lord! Grant me a righteous (son)!"
101 So We gave him the good news of a boy ready to suffer and forbear.
102 Then, when (the son) reached (the age of) (serious) work with him, he said: "O my son! I see in vision that I offer thee in sacrifice: Now see what is thy view!" (The son) said: "O my father! Do as thou art commanded: thou will find me, if Allah so wills one practising Patience and Constancy!"
103 So when they had both submitted their wills (to Allah), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (for sacrifice),
104 We called out to him "O Abraham!
105 "Thou hast already fulfilled the vision!" – thus indeed do We reward those who do right.
106 For this was obviously a trial–
107 And We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice:
108 And We left (this blessing) for him among generations (to come) in later times:
109 "Peace and salutation to Abraham!"
110 Thus indeed do We reward those who do right.
111 For he was one of our believing Servants.
112 And We gave him the good news of Isaac – a prophet – one of the Righteous.

—Quran, sura 37 (As-Saaffat), ayat 100–112[14]
Abraham had shown that his love for God superseded all others: that he would lay down his own life or the lives of those dearest to him in submission to God's command. Muslims commemorate this ultimate act of sacrifice every year during Eid al-Adha.

While Eid al-Adha is always on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year since the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar and the Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar. The lunar calendar is approximately eleven days shorter than the solar calendar. Each year, Eid al-Adha (like other Islamic holidays) falls on one of about 2–4 different Gregorian dates in different parts of the world, because the boundary of crescent visibility is different from the International Date Line.

The following list shows the official dates of Eid al-Adha for Saudi Arabia as announced by the Supreme Judicial Council. Future dates are estimated according to the Umm al-Qura calendar of Saudi Arabia.[22] However, it should be noted that the Umm al-Qura is just a guide for planning purposes and not the absolute determinant or fixer of dates. Confirmations of actual dates by moon sighting are applied to announce the specific dates for both Hajj rituals and the subsequent Eid festival. The three days after the listed date are also part of the festival. The time before the listed date the pilgrims visit the Mount Arafat and descend from it after sunrise of the listed day.

Future dates of Eid al-Adha might face correction 10 days before the festivity, in case of deviant lunar sighting in Saudi Arabia for the start of the month Dhul Hijja. In many countries, the start of any lunar Hijri month varies based on the observation of new moon by local religious authorities, so the exact day of celebration varies by locality.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_al-Adha

Happy Eid Mubarak to all my Muslim Friends ..Let there be Peace in the World and Tolerance too.

I was at Juhu visiting an actors house for some work on my return I thought I would shoot North Bombay Durgotsab , but somehow my ricksha guy goofed it  there was no U turn  and I left the rickshah I thought I would walk it to the Pandal at Tulip Star , but my legs are in bad shape due to my diabetes , so I decided to skip shooting and took another rickshah to Bandra shot the Natunpally and from there went to shoot the Ram Krishna Mission Durgotsav as I know the head Swami there and the first thing as I touched his feet he asked me where is your grand daughter who shoots us ,, Marziya Shakir but they were at home as my daughter Samiya and Sakina Qazilbash  their youngest aunt were coming home .

I wont be making a new set I have too many sets at Flickr this is again part of my Hindu Blogs Hope And Hindutva Message of Universal Peace .
I did not shoot the other few iconic Pandals of Dadar Lokhandwala and Oshiwara this year my bad luck.

The Children of The Street

vulnerable
fragile
a face
that has
yet not
learnt to
smile
born
to be
defiled
the birth
of a girl
a curse
looked down
upon reviled

a moment lost
in agony i
shot on my
mobile..

her eyes haunting
my soul captivating
my imagination
as i politicized
this beggar childs
profile ..i almost
saved her from
the jaws of a
human crocodile

she was being lured by a drunkard
i took his picture and he fled from her ..
he was offering her rs 10.. and asking her
change ..
i fired him ..but this is  mumbai where her
own parents living on the road near the jari mari temple bandra force her

Jesus And The Muslim Beggar At De Monte Street Bandra

Our representatives that we voted to power locally  never really did much for this area an extension of Bandra Bazar Road ..This area is a gaothan , once a fishing village owing its ancestry to the earliest inhabitants of Bandra .. The East Indians .And as this area once belonged to the Portuguese it has its remains at a cornerstone a few blocks away from this place ,, it is a grotto and Novena is held every Wednesday.

I stayed in De Monte Street for some years , and I still pass by my old house and remember it fondly , I meet Mrs Gonsalves even now,  a widow   her daughters settled in Canada , her son died tragically.. This are was marked with cottages and fruit bearing trees under the pretext of repairing and in collusion with builder politician municipal rogues , the entire cottage would be pulled down and inits place ugly monstrous buildings hurriedly instructed on iron channels came up first was ground plus one , than surreptitiously it became ground plus two..

And when the rains came the building badly built wept , water seeping in all the rooms and disaster for those living on th first and second floor westerly flats..

We left it despte the fact there were no buyers for this kind of utility , my wife sold it for peanuts and today the same place costs a fortune , and at unimaginable rates..

This was my first house in Bandra after living on rent everywhere during the riots and this was bought after we managed to sell our pagree house at Danpada Khar Danda after going through the 93 riots and its after effects on our lives specially the children.. and all this mayhem under Congress rule .there are deep wounds but we have left them behind .


There are a lot of beggars on this stretch , yesterday I saw a new girl sitting tat Boran Road , and  two old faces . There is another burkha clad lady she sits where the leper lady Maria used to sit.

Jaffar Bhai and the other Old beggar I shoot have disappeared too.

However there is a lady from  good house  she walks with a stick , she was a BJP supporter , but now she begs outside  Globus .. and a wheelchair beggar with a mobile phone he too stays at Bandra Bazar Road begs at the same place .

Ever since my grandkids went on a holiday I hardly move out with my DSLR ..I shot the Marriammen cheek piercing feast both at Nehru Nagar and Madraswadi .. that was the only time I used my Canon D60.

Now each time I go out I shoot pictures on my Motorola G.. a big change , but I still get the big picture and better results , the DSLR is a frontal attack the Motorola G is unobtrusive so to speak.

It has rained this morning , and it will be a break from hot humid weather , I keep shaving my head unable to bear the heat and humidity.

As I am a diabetic it gets worse for me , I change my Tee every time I come home , bather 4 times a day.

Yesterday I went for my eye check up, at Holy Family Hospital a very long wait , and when Dr Anil Dudani eye specialist saw my eyes he said my cataract was under control and I had to keep my diabetes in control too.

The ayurvedic l medicine Neeri I have been taking since 3 weeks for my gallbladder stones... drinking barley water every night .. there is a Koranic verse dua that my wife recites  before making me drink the barley water.


And Zinnia Fatima my third grand child came home last night from her vacations gave ma big hug..

Waiting For Hope On The Sidewalk

she sits silently
gestures with
her eyes
her eyes talk.
.people see
her walk..hearts
made of rock..
a few give her
some coins ,,,
her doomed
destiny all
doors locked

this is the fate of a
neglected muslim mother
you should not at all
be shocked ..she begs
round the clock

we are all just prisoners here, of our own device’

We are programmed to receive.
You can checkout any time you like,
But you can never leave!

Mr Gopinath Munde..He Leaves Behind His Imprints On The Soul Of Humanity

What is the Future Of A Muslim Beggar Kid

I shot a picture , I did not squat focus I just shot the expanse and the beggar mother and her child I gave them money but I took several shots , because I saw something very powerful in the kids eyes, and though I ask myself what is the future of the Muslim beggar child ..I am certain this kid will rise one day go places see his body language he is protecting his mother from my camera evil eye ,, the eye that  steals souls ..

This is the eponymous Bandra Bazar Road , it extends beyond till JJ Colony though it touches the Jain Mandir ahead and becomes Jain Mandir Road when it exits out towards Bandra Hill Road , and if you move towards the back of my camera it passes Ram Mandir and the Shia Mehfil and reaches Pahelvi Hotel one arm goes towards the Bandra Bazar Market and one arm touches St Peter Road Waroda Road Chapel Road.. from Pahelvi one bylane goes to Boran Road touches Bandra Hill Road.

From Pahelvi if you take a right you enter De Monte Street a further ahead Chinchpokli Street and touching Jain Mandir Road beyond this Haji Nura Lane Lucky Hotel and out to Bandra SV Road and you cross it you reach Bandra Station , you can take the haunted skywalk too.

Why have I described these lanes , these are the lanes that are the hunting grounds of the various beggars that come to Bandra to beg..

And this area is home to East Indians the original inhabitants now a dwindling number overtaken by the Muslims, Bohras Maharashtrians, Marwaris,  Gujratis and other communities some Sikh some Parsis ..the people are humble generous and kind towards the beggars and that is why beggars come to Bandra Bazar Road , alms are guaranteed.

And today 75,936 peoplehave visited my Flickrblogs till now ,,I am a blogger but I shoot pictures that become photoblogs ,, stories depressing tale of life defeat and fall of a certain segment of humanity .

There are beggars among Hindus too but I have showcased the pain pathos of the Muslim Beggar neglected both by the Muslim community and society at large.

I shoot beggars per se ..but the veiled lady covering her mortal wounds is the subject of my choice ,I can write a poem too but than every pictures does not fit in as poetry though I call this path I have chosen to document as the poetry of Life .

I use Aviary for robbing the details of my original color pictures ,I use harsh contrast I add lots of black for that is the color of their doomed lives .

I dont use selective focusing I shoot wide. will camera clubs ever invite a person like me to talk on Beggar Photography , it would be an insult humiliation of their Fine Art status , camera club denizens only shoot with their camera they shoot what others shot , they shoot what others will shoot .. as a blogger I can smash my camera and still shoot pictures by uploading a black image and fitting texts to match..

This is the lane I walk and its been a few years after I shot this image but I never saw this mother and her child instead a Muslim beggar sits there silently with a skull cap on his head and nicely dressed .he does not talk at all.

So this is the beggar child his eyes inspired me to add text and highlight his future .. wherever he is I pray and wish him well.. he is far braver than me and you .. he protects his mother ... I failed my mother in more ways than one .. but I remember her ,no denying , I was in Muscat I used to send Rs 1000 to my mother every month and Rs 200 to my wife in the early 80s simply because my mother cared for seven of us including my
wife and a kid at that time.

My God Has Forsaken Me

or is he testing my faith
my devotion she said
among the living
i am almost dead
but to his mercy
i bow my head
at an early age
uneducated
illiterate a liability
to my poor parents
i was hurriedly wed
a bed of thorns my
fear my dread
sitting here begging
for alms instead
my fate touched me
with misery stealthily
fled..i beg i earn
my bread..

Jab Bhudapa Ata Hai Toh Apna Saya Bhi Sath Chod Deta Hai

He was a beggar who had come from Meerut UP , I asked him politely why Mumbai , he answered , Mumbai people are kind hospitable and generous so he had come here to beg on the streets of Mumbai.

I did not broach any further , gave him money for food and he blessed me and left ,, and sometimes I think it is the collective blessings of the beggars that have  bought me so far.

There are so many beggars  I want to shoot because of the positive hope in their eyes , and so many beggars I shot , I never saw them ever again.

And there are heartless families that drive their parents out of the house usurping their property savings and wealth.. there are far too many stories of pain and despair.

And Uttar Pradesh has always got a raw deal whosoever they elected to power  from one vulture they fell again to another set of vultures..who ate away the heart and soil of the land of the Ganges.

And shooting beggars is showing the world the underbelly of pain and misfortune.

International Children's Day - 1 June

The World Conference for the Well-being of Children in Geneva, Switzerland, proclaimed June 1 to be International Children's Day in 1925. It is usually marked with speeches on children's rights and wellbeing, and other events involving or dedicated to children.

A similar event, Universal Children's Day, falls on 20 November. It was established by the United Nations in 1954 and aims to promote the welfare of children around the world.

today 1 st june
 they celebrate
 international
childrens day
a curse or a boon
best wishes to all
of you from the
dark side of the
moon ..muslim
beggar kids
born from a
womb of
misfortune
living hungry
hands stretched
out.for a few
coins children
held captive
in a cocoon
watching
enviously
the rich mans
child licking
an ice cream
holding a
colorful baloon

mother pays
protection money
to beg on the streets
to the cops the local
goon..misery sorrow
caught in a cosmic
vortex of pain that
wont go soon

roti kapda makan
chulu bhar pani
aur kapda dhone
ka saboon ..

The Fear Of Tomorrow

While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and everything else are also God's creation.


 Maya Angelou quotes

This Muslim beggar even today sits across on the pavement opposite Eros Stores at Bandra Hill Road and the road facing her is the Bandra Police Station ,

This is the main roadway of Hill Road that leads to the shopping center ahead or if you take a U turn you go straight towards  the Bandra Station .

So she is in the right spot , she moves about within this stretch and it has been over 3 years since I shot this image .

Every beggar I am sure has a past and a story the only fear is the depths of a tomorrow to come ,, what does it hold if a  cop catches her she has to pay Rs 1200 a large sum , but mostly there is a understanding  and in some cases protection money is paid weekly hafta.

All these years that I was located here I shot the beggars , specially  the lady and her child who came on Thursdays.

When I was located at St Peter Road Bandra I shot Stanislaus School or the St Peters Church.

I was mind and soul trigger happy ..and gradually all that changed now I hardly take my camera out, mostly if I do it is to assist my grand daughters Marziya 6 and Nerjis 2 and a half to shoot the Bandra Bazar and the Muslim beggars .

Of late I try to use my Motorloa G ..and it has a different feel touch as compared to the ubiquitous DSLR .

I shoot so as to stay connected with reality and my reality is the pain that resides on the streets and in the closed eyes of a dreaming beggar child.

My eyesight due to diabetes makes it difficult and when I type with one finger I am prone to miss a word or miss a line too.

Did you see the childs tiny feet ,,comfortable at home in penury ,despite the mothers discomfort ..what is her story , if she has a child so small than obviously she has a husband , and sh has another big child I have shot him too,,
Why is she begging . where did she or her husband come to bad times ..I never ask questions getting to shoot them is tough enough , asking her her travails is beyond me ,, earlier as I am 60 I could be taken for a fatherly figure but after the Asram Bapu
rape case nobody trusts old people anymore ..and if it is Sunday this must be Bandra.

I miss  shooting the Muslim ladies of Bandra .. some I see even now but I just move ahead ..I have a tomorrow but sometimes I find it is more bleak than the beggars tomorrow.. I dont know why .. age has swept me over swamping me under a debris of lost illusions of nothingness.

Under the Racist Tree

sits a muslim mother
a beggar her child
gone to sleep hungry
the great divide we them
created by muslim society
male dominated fatwa
spewing do not want women to
be educated or free beggars
 living of charity ..
will they ever see good days
begging from door to door
gully to gully ..at everyone's
mercy..

The Muslim Beggar Childs Pain

sitting beneath a tree
a beggar mother you
see pondering to be
or not to be on the
other hand in silence
a little baby tiny legs
born in captivity wonders
bemusedly this world
of pain torture suffering
hate sectarian strife
that they call humanity
did i make a mistake
the womb was far better
its darkness comforting
motherly .. i was being
nurtured fed ..not anymore
says she ..withered milk less
teats sucking the life out of me

Its Tough Being a Muslim Beggar Child

 I have bought this post from the past forward to my timeline ..it was shot 4 years back

She and her mother come to my workspace every Thursday, I give them money and take a few pictures , the little one like being photographed..through my picture she gets to see the world free .Whats her future , well future is shy state of ones mind , it has hidden beneath the next toadstool..

She likes me and stands outside the doors of my shop , she knows I am the only guy who takes her picture and through my picture I give her respect, respect for being so small and taking up a selfless job of begging assisting her mother diligently.

And I meet them , or beggars like them , they meet me on the crossroads of the path of my camera.,,they are my subjects I shoot their life on the streets in available light , and I show you what others are too shy to show..that pain is universal, beyond the scathing realm of religiosity.

A normal beggar does not evoke such feelings like the Muslim women beggar and her child..I dont sell my pictures so you cant accuse me of profiteering through pain..

And for once just look deep in to the beggar childs eye ..and hold your vision , you will see my culture , you will see bombs demolished mosques , you will see suicide bombers you will see not one but a million Kasab..and within her eyes you will see sectarian strife, you will see collective eunuch silence you will see the clergy with a mouth gagged ,.. you will see so much and much more provided you see as I do..and you dont need a camera too..

So this is what I saw and I share it with you ..yes a child's eyes are windows of Gods soul too..


Its tough being a Muslim beggar child and carrying the heritage of pain for over 1400 years..

The Muslim Beggar Lady of Bandra Hill Road

Among the Muslim beggars I shot , this was one lady who did not take kindly to me , she did not want me to photograph her , but I did and I paid her too .

Than  I simply stopped shooting her she sits now even today at Bandra Hill Road opposite the Bandra Police Station.

And mostly people give them coins to get rid of them sometimes they are lucky a kindly person will give them money for clothes and food.. there are many kind people and more as there are misers on this street ..the second most famous commercial street after Bandra Linking Road.

I have never talked to her and try to decipher her pain through the silence of my shot.. I shoot you fill the blanks and I hate adding text  as I type with one finger , it hurts after some time ..and I have 295000 blogs touched by this one magic finger that bemoans belonging to me lol

The Muslim Beggar Child

I have been shooting this child from the time she was a toddler and visited my workplace with her mother for alms ,,

Both mother and daughter came every Thursday and begged  from the shops on Bandra Hill Road .

I have not seen them now since 3 years ..

This lady had 3 daughters .

And it is fortunate I gave her my grandkids  old clothes and toys .. and money from time to time .

But she needed education , mother needs a job but than who hires beggars in Mumbai..