I shoot garbage as Fine Art

a poem for my Flickr
friend Felip 1 i start
why do I shoot garbage
who will shoot it after i
depart a thought that
saddens me breaks my
heart tell me in your city
do they litter throw garbage
like this or they use a garbage
bin or cart ..

our garbage is an artistic
exploration into the soul of
Man his failings his warts
a journey he must chart

my local representatives
who were elected with our
votes will never see this
its worse than Cupids
poisonous dart ,,
hands folded with slimy
smiles they will come when
their term gets over Bandra
Queen of The Suburbs their
sweetheart ..they hardly care a fart
disillusioned democracy the system
like a computer needs a restart

Hope you never ever have to search for food in the Garbage .

Happy Valentine's day for those who govern us those whom we voted to powet may your life be filled with flowers .

This Was Our Garbage Dump Shot In 2011 ,, Much Before Modijis Swach Bharat

This was the era of Ms Priya Dutt  MP and Mr Baba Siddiqui MLA Congress Party ,, and now in 2015 we have a new set of Bandra ministers Ms Poonam Mahajan MP and Advocate Ashish Shelar MLA both BJP .. our new custodians ,, though the civic corporator is Mr Tanvir Pate of the Congresas Party,,, I dont think he knows about this dump.. the most famous iconic dump of Bandra ,, photographers from all over the world come here to shoot this art form.. the smell , the urban chaos decay and the lilting reminder of mortality and morbidity ,,

My grandchildren got their first lessons in street photography shooting this garbage dump..it is one of its kind and it is prominently placed at Bandra Bazar Road once the heritage and crown of the Bandra Bazar gaothan.


This part of Bandra has gone to seed ,,more than 1200 images and over 80 videos renamed as a set Swach Bandra Bazar Road and Garbage porn.. it will always be here unless the Chicken market shifts to Vashi.. and Mutton and Fish and Buffalo or Buff Meat are banned too.


I call this the Temple of Garbage of the Lord of the Flies ,,young students of photography come here to shoot it too and I am waiting to do a fashion shoot here ,,,

Sadly the residents living here next to this dump hardly care a shit , instead they love and glorify it with dumping their own garbage too.. now we dont have a Mr Rishi Kapoor here , or this place would be as beautiful as Pali Hill..

At Bandra Bazar even the youth are stunted dwarfed and have aged seeing this garbage all their life ,, the slum kids come to play here , women scavengers come here to search for food , meat fish prawns ,,

There was a huge photo op by the BJP party to build a ladies toilet a bhumi pujan but it has yet to see the light of day.. BJP is the only party that promises the sky the moon and the stars ,, but leaves you with Thulla .

I voted for Progress and Development and frankly a Congress Free Bandra and despite the shortcomings of the BJP I will still vote for it as there is no other alternative this side of Bandra .. the Congress decimated demolished the ex ministers hardly come our end ,, The Am Admi party sent us Phiroze Palkiwala .. and we could have had a better choice with Mr Ayub Khan.. a sincere humble Bandraite by birth and not by choice ,,

So these are early morning stray thoughts as I go through my Flickr archives that disappeared for a few minutes last night causing sheer pain and trauma at the Flickr Forum..


My 355000 images came back ..miraculously ,, my entire wealth so to speak poetically and visually ,,

Scavenging For Chicken Parts Food In The Garbage Dump At Bazar Road

I shoot this dump every morning in order to awaken the soul of Mr Ajoy Mehta head honcho BMC ,,One day I am sure he will see it and make amends . understandable that this is a market dump but can it not be managed without making it a eyesore for others who walk pass this place..

The local representatives the lone Congress Corporator have never seen this as civic sense in this part of Bandra is not as important as Pali Hill Bandstand or Carter Road..

Now imagine the Bandra Slums a few notch below this area .. the Bandra Bazar Town market will one day collapse held on bamboo beams .. and than perhaps everyone concerned will wake yup..

One thing I am sure if by chance PM Narendra Modiji visits the house of BJP Mumbai President Advocate Ashish Shelars house this garbage dump will have a huge screen with a banner welcoming our dynamic Prime Minister .. no garbage no garbage dump.. for sure till that time we suffer , and those who see my garbage pictures day in and day out suffer too..this is a lone bloggers battle ,, and luckily I am not documenting any murder crime ,, standing outside Khar Police Station.. lol

The Filthiest Dirtiest Ugliest Bandra Bazar Road Market

This is perhaps the dirtiest place in Bandra Bazar Road , and the fish market is held on pillars and will soon fall on those who come here to buy fish.. total neglect apathy ,, thanks to the Bandra Municipality , the ineptitude , and lack of vision and foresight .

I mean the local representatives barring one have lived here yet they too seem to be helpless , they are busy adding beauty to where their vote banks exist , the roads were repaired but in such a shoddy manner that it is an eyesore .

The residents really dont care , if there was some will within them this situation would have never been there in the first place ..the youth of this area .. they are listless most were lackeys of the decimated Congress Party ,,,and none of the political parties not even the erstwhile BJP that gave a death blow in both the elections really care. ..

But I know the day Prime Ministe Modiji comes to visit BJP Mumbai President Advocate Ashish Shelar this place will transform into another chapter from Swach Bharat ..I can say this with moral conviction..or I will eat my words , the BJP Bhakts , volunteers even the residents will leave no stone un turned to welcome our dynamic Prime Minister .

In the meantime we suffer , with the open drains garbage dumps and chicken trucks ,that have no mercy for the residents living here ..

No ladies toilets and sadly this area was a total Congress fortress and the Congress party did nothing 15 years they vilified the ethos of this beautiful East Indian Gaothan.

Sadly those who are elected from this area hardly love this part of Bandra ,,,I came to Bandra Bazar 25 years back but I love Bandra it has given me peace hope humanity ,, so when I see Bazar Road going to the dogs it hit me hard ,, as a photographer as a poet and as senior citizen..

This Is A Picture A Day But Garbage Wont Go Away Bandra Bazar Road

This is the garbage dump near my house at Bandra Bazar Road .. and the issue is not about just dumping the garbage but the callous attitude of those who throw the garbage on the floor instead of the garbage bins , and the garbage generated from this filthiest Bandra Bazar market is in tons , which the two now painted garbage bins cant hold , people are lazy , so they litter the place around the garbage bins ,

There is is no CC Tv here no security guard , who could catch and instantly punish the offenders with hefty fines ,,, frankly the Bandra Municipality does not care nor does our only Congress Corporator , he hardly comes this end ,, I have nothing against him but we voted for him we need to see that he addresses our problems to the satisfaction of all concerned , And honestly the Congress party does not care about Bandra they once did during the times of late Mr Sunil Dutt .


So every morning I take pictures and I have been shooting garbage since more than 5 years or more .. even the Municipal Conservancy staff are tired of this garbage site , the stink the filth and I think you can blame them for bunking from work as filthy as this .. suspending the Municipal conservancy staff is an understatement , all the Municipal think tanks and guys in charge of garbage disposal should be sacked not suspended for destroying our beloved Amchi Mumbai.

And I can assure you in totaly sincerity you will not find such a glaring sire at Bandra Kala Nagar near Matoshree Bandra  East , you wont find this at Pali Hill  Band Stand or Carter Road ,,As a senior citizen not affiliated to any political party , as a man who shoots pictures I have captured this all with no hidden agenda , I simply want to show the crass and empty hyperbole called Swach Bharat that is in deathly state of inertia at Bandra Bazar Road .

When will the Bandra Municipality get serious the day they hire security here and fine the litterbugs this place will be back to normalcy.

When our MLA Advocate Ashish Shelar did a Bhumi Pujan for ladies toilet it was splendidly cleaned , why is it in a mess now ,, I have decided I may not have the selfie record , but on my Flickr timeline you will see the largest collection of Garbage Porn pictures of Bandra .

Mostly The BMC Does Not Care About Garbage At Muslim Slum Pockets

Believe me I have shot so much of garbage and much before Modiji gave his clarion call for Swach Bharat Clean India .

And I have an entire set at Flickr documenting the horrible horrendous garbage sites in Bandra one close to my home and also as close to our Local MLA s house .And despite BJP winning both the seats from Bandra the situation of garbage management is on the backfoot ,, Nobody cares but I know for a fact if any of the Big Bosses of BJP were to arrive in my area this place would look pristine and unbelievably Garbage Free .

Well I digress but this garbage site is in Bandra Slaughter House slum this small space under a staircase for all the slum pockets in this area , there is a very big one outside the NCP office too on the road from Shastri Nagar slums .

Mostly Muslim area like this the garbage is never picked up and I have seen concerned people paying the sweepers to clean it ,,and it is the same at other Muslim slums in my area too Indraji Nagar etc

Now you will never see this kind of display at Joggers Park, Carter Road BandStand where the two Bollywood Icons stay you wont see this even at Pali where Mr Rishi Kapoor stays , they wont allow this to ever happen as they love Pali Hill and have nurtured it for long .. And you wont see this at Turner Road so why such an anomaly in garbage removal..

One thing is sure with so many of our politicians going on junkets to learn something from other countries they learnt nothing about garbage disposable beats me ,, could they not hire a CEO from Singapore

Mumbai needs people that love Mumbai not people who want to destroy Mumbai ,,. The Politicians The BMC and above all the residents are to blame .. if there was a CCTV at these garbage sites , it would be the first item to be stolen you can be sure ..

The BMC Beat Marshalls were badly outsourced , uneducated uncouth , and nothing less than extortionist .. you need an event management company to gt rid of garbage as an eyesore in Mumbai.. and this is our legacy of garbage that we will one day give to our generation next..

Supoose You Had A Camera And Had Nothing To Shoot But Garbage

no rivers
no mountains
no streams
swach bharat
a set of stolen
dreams ..making
you feel like kids
with melted
icecreams
the spirit was
willing the fetid
flesh screams
oratory skills
delusional
lost moments
sometimes
seem..highly
extreme
every friday
like a bollywood
film opening
at a theater
a new ban
a new theme
will the messiah
come and redeem
the common man
sulkily as he
daydreams

Scavenging For Food In The Garbage Dump At Bandra Bazar

Seeing them gather tomatoes other vegetables that were thrown in the dump, prawns and other edible items , items that they get free from this horrendously ugly garbage site and they will wash clean it and it will be a luxury for these dwellers on the streets..and it kills me ,,

I saw some women scavenging food today but there faces were visible to my camera and I did not shoot them I did not want to humiliate them.. and for a government busy with bans as political gimmick and appeasement that the poor have to scrounge for food from garbage bins  ..can you imagine the desperateness , the stench the filth and searching for a few good leaves of vegetables a few smashed good tomatoes , and fish head ,, chicken parts anything that can be cooked and made as food.

And am I showing India in bad light ,, I am showing you reality truth of living , you in apartments living in air conditioned comfort so taken up by street photography wont feel the emotions of being hungry unless you are fasting to appease your god ,, but try once joining these women and pretend scouring for food and you will know the meaning of hunger and the narrow mindedness of your street shooting camera lens ,,I dont know if I would have the guts to shoot their video and than request them to take me to their house on the roads to see how they cook all this as the young children hungrily waiting to gulp it down.. I am now fed up of using my camera as a single frame shooter I want to shoot an entire story board cinematic ally ,,capture in the city of Mumbai the dimensional quirkiness of Hunger .

And I will shoot garbage of life as the poetry of Life till I die ,, there are times I want to renounce all this my camera go live in the mountains with the monks but than that would be an easy way out ,, becoming a fakir like Palanpur photographer of yore late AS Syed I  think..


I dont have nature to seduce me photographically only garbage bins  I dont have running streams only open gutters and so I shoot what is close at hand ,,I was at Worli Sea Face meeting a very important famous person and I had to wait a long time but I had no heart shooting the tetra pods silhouettes of people at the seaface .nor the Sea Link that I took after completing my work from Worli to Bandra ,, I was not interested in shooting all this I prefer to shoot Garbage and human scavengers searching for food where goats shit , dogs piddle rodents eat the stuff that these humans will gather to feed their kids and fuck this is happening in Amchi Mumbai not Sholapur Kolhapur or Sangli..

The Municipal Guys Keep Bandra Clean..Celebrities Take Their Broom Their Task Demean

simply because on TV newspapers
they want to be seen paid media has
a field day you know what I mean
its these humble conservancy staff
without masks gloves safety shoes
that keep our beautiful Bandra clean
but treated as jamadars mehtars these
are the people that make Bandra pristine
Swach Bandra Swach Bharat ..evergreen
Bandra thats its residents are bent on
calling it The Garbage Porn  Queen...

Most Indian Men Are So Sexually Repressed Forget Women They Will Drill Holes In Walls Too

be it a 71 year old nun
a child a young boy
all they have on their
mind is to rape screw
nothing you can do
misplaced swach bharat
that tells women fuck you
i feel ashamed at all
the nirbhayas even god
cant save them its true
we just want to clean
street garbage with
a broom as the real
garbage moves around
freely sexually assaulting
the soul of humanity phew
a disease worse than swine
flu ..how to stop rapes
despite stringent laws
the lady with the blind
fold has no clue ,,,

Temple Of Lord Of The Flies

lord of garbage
under the blue
skies a new
collection
every day
our public
wealth in
disguise
garbage
that to
our leisurely
life adds
sugar n spice
bandra bazar
road garbage
dumps an art
form nice
friendly crows
boisterous
mice gobbling
food meets
the eyes
offerings
of dead
flowers
to the lord
who bandra
folks deify

This Morning I Bowed My Head Reverently To The Lord Of The Flies

he was up earlier than me
grooming his garden as i
was about to pass by
his face red puffed up
drunken morbidly high
he asked me you guys
really generate garbage
fasten than the blink of
the eye ..why ,,i told him
you are the lord the only
chosen lord of the flies
every morning you are
fed dressed cleaned
i did not wish to pry
but i shoot your temple
every morning as my
tribute to your followers
bandra bazar residents
demand and supply
the crows cawing
adding a chorus
of respect as reply
they bid me goodbye
a fat bandicoot in one
corner cursing grunting
no beef no beef no beef
with a huff puff and a cry
why have the politicians
added misery to what he
ate deliciously now a meat
vilified .he looked terrified

Swach Bandra Swach Bharat

bandra bazar road dump
hits you in the guts ,,eye
sore ever smelling rut
like a film strip you cant
edit or cut ..this could
be a childrens park
or better managed
put to better use
the dirtiest ugliest
garbage dump
badly stumped

sandra from bandra
doesn't come here
to flirt ..she might
dirty her mini skirt
or folks would
call her a bandra
slut ,,guys going
crazy going nuts

on the soul of the
people of bandra
bazar voiceless
spectators a kick
on their silent butts

bandra municipality
kicked them first

The Ragpickers Of Bandra And Slowly Dying Bandra Bazar Road

This is an open space close to the Bandra Bazar Sunni mosque and  facing the fish and beef Municipal markets of Bandra Bazar.

And it has never been cleaned, all the junk lies here as an eye sore , and those who go to Namaz see it too , but the residents of Bandra are totally mute they dont say a word simply because  it is not their problem .

Having lived in Bandra for over 25 years and this was the first time in 15 years that the Bandra vote shifted from Congress to BJP.. in the main elections.

Here in Bandra one never saw or imagined any other party other than the Congress.

And this time the will of the people walked all over the Congress dreams .and laid low their expectations of talking the people for granted .

Among the corporators of Bandra Bazar it was only Raja Bhai or Mr Rahebar Khan who won the elections as an Independent before Mr Tanvir Patel of Congress ..who laid his stamp of sincerity , personally working round the clock for the improvement of this highly neglected area.
He was accessible humble a local hero among kids being a sportsman and a guiding spirit who never played the religion card .

But ever since the Congress won the Corporation elections this area has gone from bad to worse and I am not a political person but a resident of this area.. and it is the ugliest dirtiest filthiest area from the Bazar Road end ..

The mutton market the chicken market beef market fish market totally in shambles ..absolutely no garbage management of the waste that is generated from the market ,,

My pictures of the open garbage give testimony of neglect and now even with the new local representatives the area is as bad as ever.


The beauty of Bandra Bazar is its universal harmony , no sectarian strife , no muscle flexing by any community ..all religious feasts festivals are symbolic of universal tolerance too Sunnis living amicably with the Shias , Muslims living amicably with the Hindus .
Christians or East Indians the original inhabitants have got a raw deal.. their heritage in bad state , the paver tiles with all its ugliness destroyed the ethnicity of this fishing village called Gaothan.

 The Borhas Dalits Jains everyone lives in peace but sadly nobody opens their mouth to see this beautiful area of Bandra going to see , going to the dogs.

There is no Bandra Bazar Festival that would help in improving its visibility , the only saving grace student photographers , foreigners that come here to shoot Bazar Road . And the graffiti artists that have added their art to the walls of this rustic Bandra .. once Queen of the Suburbs now nothing less than the Queen of Garbage Porn thanks to the apathy of Bandra Municipality .why does Bandra Municipality neglect Bazar Road beats me till date ..Bandra Bazar needs a Bandra person to nurture it and save it from the politician builder nexus ..the ugly repair permission houses , that destroyed the pristine ethos of Bandra Bazar Road .

I have had calls from photographers from abroad who while on a visit want to shoot the Bandra Bazar Garbage dump, there have been Italian French American Dutch British photographers that have shot documented our quintessential
Bandra Bazar Garbage porn.

And as I have words to back up with pictures I narrate to you the sadness of Bazar Road shooting garbage every day on my morning walks and at the same time paying tribute to the ragpickers who do a better job than the paid staff of Bandra Municipality .

And Swach Bharat of our erstwhile Prime Minister Modiji in Bandra Bazar is utter failure unless he drops by via this lane to meet Mr Salim Khan and Mr Salman Khan. during their Ganpati Visarjan,.

The Shastri Nagar Slums Bandra Should Get The First Prize For Swach Bharat Abhiyan

Bandra The Eternal Queen Of Garbage In The Suburbs

The MET Grounds Bandra Reclamation Where I Take My Walks

I began walking since 10 Feb ..I walk for about an hour ..
For instance okay  I left my house wearing a new pair of non branded keds ..as I normally walk barefeet or wear slippers I was wearing my wifes keds ,,

This morning I left my house at Bandra Reclamation at 5.40 I walked all the way till the end of Bandra Reclamation beyond the bus depot and took a U turn from Agasty building ,, last building there .. I reached there at 6.09 and walked back via Leelavati Hospital to the MET Grounds to the second part of my walk..

I entered the grounds at 6.15 am .. took 10 rounds the ground is 280 mtrs I was out by 6.45 am than took some street shots of our famous garbage sites at Bandra Reclamation a BJP stronghold and Swach Bandra to me is an impossible dream simply because  the residents mostly slum dwellers dump the garbage in the most abominable manner the garbage bins overflow and the garbage is mostly aimed to the bin but fails to make its mark..

And the garbage bin outside our erstwhile MLA Advocate Ashish Shelars office is another ugly site , here to the slum dwellers throw the garbage outside the bin.. and the Bandra Municipality is the laziest it hardly has staff that can implement Modijis favorite  Swach Bharat Abhiyan..and I say all this as a Bandraite , and this part of ugly Bandra has literally gone to the Dogs.

And I dont merely talk I show it with pictures be it on my mobile hone and it is a sad display of peoples love for filth that they will throw carelessly on public property and roads ..

Neither am I an activist or member of any political party I am a resident of Bandra if it hurts me I am sure it should hurt my MP and my MLA too... our Congress Corporator wont even come to this side of Bandra because of the recent Congress losses ..is all I can think in his defense.

Mumbai Yatra ,, Showing All The Main Garbage Sites To Foreigners And Desi Tourists

We  have garbage heritage sites in Bandra ..as I stay in Bandra ,, lets start from here first ,,,

First we start with the mother of all ,,
Bandra Bazar Market fish prawn meat left over dumping yard ,

Second opp our Local MLAS office at Bandra Reclamation opp Friends Building ,

Now you move with me to the holiest one in Bandra
aptly called St Peter Road , this is a creative spot to shoot win prizes .. and a free trip for two to Hawai.

The fourth stop Chinchpokli Road highly aesthetic open garbage yard , with a nice group of cats dogs and goats .the best shot  will be judged by our curator Magic Eye ,, the gift now hold your horse a free Royal Enfield and free entry to Bisons Club.. an autograph from our own Sallu Bhai .

Move from Chinchpokli take a left  the road side dump near the Mochi .. here it is food essentials left overs , than you cut across the tiny bylane and here opp the Ram Mandir is a the dirtiest  open garbage ,, . than you move towards .. JJ Colony bylane near the Jamatkhana , this is the ugliest place for shooting great garbage shots , you could shoot it on Eid or any Muslim festival it is evergreen garbage ..the best shot here gets you a ticket for two at a famous eatery it is a surprise .

Than you cross over towards the Bandra Station move closer to Shastri Nagar Slums near the Bus Depot  , the only time our  netas came here was to seek the precious slum votes this is a horrendous garbage photo op ,, a lot of drug addicts ,and drunks you can shoot free ..

Now move with me straight ahead till we reach a curve the Bandra Compound here the  garbage is waiting to be shot ..smile at the local Bhai here be formal and your dress code should include a head scarf Bhai would like that ,, you could take a group shot here with the famous butchers ,..here the best shot is a fabulous prize one bedroom studio apartment in a new block coming up at Bandra Reclamation..

Lets walk a little ahead in a tiny bylane near the Beef Butcher hidden away from the main public path is a lovely garbage site beneath the staircase of a building in the Slaughter House Compound ,, here the display of garbage is in the form of a jigsaw puzzle the person to shoot and solve it first gets a Valentine Trip to Udaipur for two.. the sponsors are promoting Swach Bharat Abhi Yahan aur Wahan and are really excited this tour is their idea.. bus loads of foreigners Indian tourists ... mobile toilets will be available close to the garbage sites and free Bisleri water ,,

First Come  First Serve ,..

Bandra is the only drug addict friendly suburb of Mumbai..

the cops see them but turn the other way
simply because like other criminals drug addicts
do not pay ,, no hafta in simple common mans
language they say..why are the criminals not
scared of our cops snatching bags from ministers
wife of the ruling party daring defiance i must say
every mornings paper has a new crime on display
a builder shot , a van escapes with loot ,these are
not incidents stray..as every evil act attack the soul
of mumbai ,, as she weeps as always .. rape of children
molestation eve teasing , fake police more original than
the actual cops the fabric of peace hope humanity all
frayed , riots , hindu muslim animosity no healing hand
to give succor hate everywhere ,,everybody all the
prime ministers men busy with Swach Bharat , the real
garbage of crime criminals no brooms to drive the away

acche din ka intezar ,, ab ki bar has taken a lot of time
for good law order management .. good governance
to the god almighty we pray ,,,je suis Mumbaikar  in pain
seeing the scenario my poetic thoughts  cosmically flayed

“No place to come to, and you’ll end where you are, Deep in the centre of the endless maze” — Edwin Muir

poor kids are wondering if they too will end up as beggars too, our municipal education sucks ,,a farce played without heart without dedication..like our cleanliness drive ,, we want to clean our surroundings but not our inner corrupt self,,, and sadly corruption resides deep in the heart soul of the common Indian..he encouraged it pushed and promoted it .. there is dirtiness ugliness in corruption in every walk of life ,, you have to give something to get something.. politics religion bureaucracy police every section of society has been infiltrated by corruption.even education.. RIP.. Cleanliness .


photography is not just shooting pictures it is aligning mind to matter