Day Dreamers of Bandra

These are migrants from North India Uttar Pradesh who come to Mumbai with lure of money they work as hawkers of these carts selling roasted maize or some other item .

They live on these carts as housing is very expensive in Bandra and they live out their dreams ..

The guy who owns these carts too is a migrant and he gets these guys from his hometown as cheap labour .

Life in Bandra is self explanatory through pictures but nobody really cares about them but Mumbai is a migrant destination and migrants have made it big in this city ..

There is no migrant policy a lot of migrants who can't get jobs become drug addicts take to crime ..

I have lived in Mumbai for over 64 years ..30 years in Colaba and the rest in Bandra ..life for the migrant is certainly not a bed of roses ..

A lot of migrants come as helper boys for the Slumdog Caterers and save money learn the trade and start their own kiosk supplying food for religious events weddings etc.

I know of caterers that made it big have their own apartments in Bandra and shops ..

But more than hard work perseverance you need Lady Luck ..she is the ultimate game changer ..she can turn your rags to riches or your riches to rags .

Welcome To Mumbai The City Of Nameless Migrants

I shot this in the evening near the taxi stand Bandra Talao..

Why has he come to Mumbai..
What are his dream he is an
nomadic wanderer it seems
he was faceless nameless
with a click i pulled him into
my photo stream will his
quest be redeemed he is
one in a million living in
Mumbai a city bursting
at the seams ..she shouts
she cries she screams
as they defecate on her face
urinate on her hopes letting
off stream.. she curses the
people in power for her
sanctity being blasphemed
overburdened to the extreme
as the politicians extort
scheme rob her of self esteem

Pitru Paksha Banganga 2014 ,,

Since last evening I was trying to find out the exact timing of the Pitru Paksha rituals , I called up a few people but got no response than I finally called my dear friend Prashant Singh from my camera club PSI  Mumbai,,

He told me that it was 23 September and 24 September till 9 am.

So after feeding Marziyas Java finches her Flowerhorns Blackghosts ,,I showered  took a rick to Bandra station and a train to Grant Road Station a share a cab to Banganga .

I  had about an hour and a half and there wasnt much crowd so I decided to shoot the religious tonsure and barbers after shooting the rituals of Pind Dan on the steps of the Banganga Tank.

I met my good friend Danish Siddiqui from Reuters and another Kashmiri photographer friend ,, there were two photographers from Bangla Desh students actually.. and photographer enthusiast Brij Lakhani with his dad.

Everyone knows me as I have been shooting the Pitru Paksha for almost 10 years now.

I took a bus on my return and a from Charni Road reached Bandra , I shot the Pitru Paksha barefeet..

I walked home via Bandra Slaughter house shooting the Bandra streets .. hijras and more ,,

This documentary of Pitru Paksha is part of my Hindu blogs .. Hope And Hindutva Message of Universal peace a set at Flickr of over 58000 blogs ,,

You can call this anything but Love Jehad I love my cultural inheritance and showcase it as the unique unity in diversity of my country , my motherland.