Documenting Hope And Hindutva On The Banks of Banganga Pitru Paksha 2017

I have been shooting Pitru Paksha at Banganga Walkeshwar for many years the Hindu Brahmins North Indians paying homage to their departed ancestors here .

This morning I was in two minds about shooting this iconic Hindu festival a day before Navratri..it has rained very heavily and I have no contacts with anyone at Banganga I had a contact of Praesh Gurav who lives near the Banganga tank but I lost his number

However I dressed up in my Sadhu Fakir attire barefeet I set out by train to Grant Road a share cab to Banganga,

First I shot the religious tonsure to add to my set Barbers of India ..I am doing a documentary on street barbers ..it was raining so it was tough handling the camera and the umbrella.

After that I entered the Banganga and was saddened by the absence of a Sadhu who I shot since I began documenting Pitru Paksha his son told me h had expired .

I shot the rituals on the tank almost everyone knows me but hardly any of the Pandits there know that I am a Muslim..so this Pitru Paksha through the eyes of a Muslim fakir or Malang .

I shot for about 2 hours the light was beautiful but I know when to stop.. I shot 3 videos and than exited the tank..I am accident prone I slipped hurt my leg again ..walked up the steps shot the beggars again the barbers and finally took a share a cab to Grant road a train back to Bandra ...

Photography is not just hanging a camera around your neck and going out to shoot pictures it is much more it is a solemn monent when you and the camera become one through the Third Eye of Shiva.

This is the feeling that enters my soul when I am shooting the Kumbhs Khamakhya or other Hindu feast..

Photography while shooting Shiasm or Sufism it is the power of Imam Ali..

Ali imam-e-manasto manam ghulaam-e-Ali , Hazaar jaan-e-giraami fidaa-e-naam-e-Ali.

Haidariam qalandaram mastam, banda-e-Murtaza Ali hastam.

Peshwa-e-tamaam rindaaram , Kay sag-e-koo-e-sher-e-yezdaanam.

Kabhi deewar hilti hai kabhi dar kaamp jaata hai, Ali ka naam sun kar ab bhi Khaibar kaamp jaata hai.

Shaah-e-mardaan Ali, Ali Ali Ali, Ali Maula Ali.

Ps These are my cell photos my Camera photos at Flickr

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.