The Shia Pandit of Mumbai

The Shia Pandit of Mumbai, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Dahi Handi Dadar 2009

Dahi Handi Dadar 2009, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Black and White Jatkar - Revisited

Black and White Jatkar - Revisited, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

I have erased all detail from this picture ,I wanted a starkness , I wanted to show you the calisthenics of spiritual freedom..

when a man dies
leaves this mortal world
of pain and despair
where he lived in transition
building a castle in the air
not knowing that one day
he will be bound to yama's snare
to another world his life prepare
calisthenics of spiritual freedom
beyond the words of a prayer
life endured though unfair
wear and tear
travails and tribulations
with his loved ones
he did share
in the next world
one way ticket
without any fare
his karmic soul
he will repair
rediscover
peace hope harmony
love brotherhood
away from this
vanity fair

Shooting Dahi Handi 2009

Shooting Dahi Handi 2009, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

I normally shot Govinda or Dahi Handi at Ranade Road, but this year I gave it a skip, as Ranade Road , one gets pictures but one cant avoid the commercial banners sticking like a sore thumb..

I shot all my pictures from Khandke building,and met some old friends too, I walked to Ranade Road later but the show was over out there so I came back to Khandke building , from there I took a bus and got off at Lal Mitti.


Later in the evening I shot Advocate Ashish Shelars Dahi Handi, I was here for several hours till the end..

At Dadar I shot the Dahi Handi barefeet.

Ala Re Ala Govinda Ala

Ala Re Ala Govinda Ala, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

mach gaye shor nagri mein
ala re ala govinda ala

ek don teen char
jatkar saheb che pore hoshiyar


govinda re gopala
bol bajrang bali ki jai

Today is the most vibrant moment where Maharashtrians , will keep the Swine Flu on the back burner and participate in the Dahi Handi festival..

I missed it two years back as I was in Bangalore , but I have shot it year after year.

Last year I was the only guy from Bandra to have shot the world record breaking dai handi at Thane ..and met my dear friend Purvesh Sarnaik his dad Pratap Sarnaik had organised the event and two teams won it I am told , but I shot the Talwadi Mandal

This festival and the Ganesha Immersion , I try not to miss..

And Mr BW Jatkar had once come along to shoot this with me many years back..I shall certainly miss him and my new set is dedicated to him, his memories and his friendship that I cherished..

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna_Janmashtami

Krishna Janmashtami (Devanagari कृष्ण जन्माष्टमी) , also known as "Krishnashtami","Saatam Aatham" ,"Gokulashtami", "Ashtami Rohini", "Srikrishna Jayanti", "Sree Jayanthi" or sometimes merely as "Janmashtami", is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna, an avatar of god Vishnu.[1]

Krishna Janmashtami is observed on the eighth day, Ashtami tithi, of the dark half or Krishna Paksha of the month of Bhaadra in the Hindu calendar, when the Rohini Nakshatra (called Aldebaran in the West) is ascendant. Rasa lila or dramatic enactments of the life of Krishna are a special feature in regions of Mathura and Vrindavan, and regions following Vaishnavism in Manipur.

In Maharashtra

Janmaashtami, popularly known in Mumbai and Pune as Dahi Handi is celebrated with enormous zeal and enthusiasm. The handi is a clay pot filled with buttermilk that was positioned at a convenient height prior to the event; the topmost person on the human pyramid tries to break the handi by hitting it with a blunt object, and when that happens, the buttermilk is spilled over the entire group, symbolizing their achievement through unity. Various Handis are set up locally in several parts of the city, and groups of youngsters, called Govinda, travel around in trucks trying to break as many handis as possible during the day.

Many such Govinda Pathaks compete with each other, especially for the handis that dole out hefty rewards. The event, in recent times, has gathered a political flavor, and it is not uncommon for political parties, and rich community groups to offer prizes amounting to lakhs of rupees.

Some of the most famous handis are at Dadar, Mazgaon, Lalbaug and some in Thane a neighboring district of Mumbai and Babu Genu, Mandai in Pune.

Cash and gifts are offered for Govinda troops to participate; for over 4000 Handis in Mumbai, 700 Govinda troops compete for the prizes.

Drunken Streets of Despair

Drunken Streets of Despair, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

87,307 items / 528,781 views

she drinks gets drunk
to forget her inborn pain
her husband who also drank
died of a tumor of the brain
she sleeps drunk on the street
she will be there even when it rains
sorrow and despair her both
feet bound in chains
at the end of the day
only her degradation
into the gutters of life
drains ..she has a new born
child too
this is what hurts and remains
as seen through misty
camera eyed window pane

Life is an Optical Illusion

Life is an Optical Illusion, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

87,198 items / 528,246 views

life is an optical illusion
clouds as reflectors
light from a single sun
a picture within a picture
within a picture
of my souls exertion
on a landscape of pain
a mindless excursion
the rise and fall
of the beast within me
photographerno1
blogs as dreams
homespun
night after night
i churn
a complexity of confusion
my inherited delusion
so much remains
on an unpainted
canvas of my mind
unfinished
unworked
undone