Was God Incapable of Creating a Hijra !

Was God Incapable of Creating a Hijra !, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

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creating man was easy , creating woman was a bit complicated and god would have a gone a step ahead but time was short , far too short and creating the hijra god left to man , man engineered the hijra through his restless angst..the hijra is the most exotic creature holding two entities within one...

man created the hijra from his androgynous soul with an amorphous form, delicate, yet strong, the hijra is a born dancer the best in the world...they have mastered the technique pirouetting their lithe bodies on fire wind or air..

since the time i began shooting hjras i captured their fairy tale persona on wings..the most beautiful moments of a mujrewali hijra , is when she begins her make up, they would put the greatest stylist to shame,the transformation is poetry, than she enters the privacy of the kotha , kissing the floor , while the musicians begin their piece , madam fully decked pan juice reddening her lips she give a glint of a smile , a lot of pride for her protege..

the clients are rich overloaded bhais from dongri, null bazar , all in white clothes , the bulge of their country made pistols no pun intended..and with their cronies around them..the lights are dim , the tunes are sad , wife children , the rigors of hard day all forgotten,

the setting could be bacchu bhais wadi, congress house famous for mujra, or a cottage at Madh Island..the mujrewalis stay at hijra gully no1kamatipura, a sleepy lane populated by wagris and hijras..


i had taken my american friend dr losack md the furious physician, but the building was being repaired and my friend hijra guru zeenath was not around..hijra gully no 1 visit it once before you close your eyes..

so this is the enchanting world of the hijra nautch girl, even god could not create her she is a pure craftsmanship a masterpiece alas only in her hey days..

i met a lot of them over the years at haji malang during the urus, at peela house mumbai cages purely for pictorial reasons, and the greatest hijra abode ajmer sharif..

i met such beautiful dancing girls nameless but with beautiful faces ..kind hospitable and some arrogant conceited too..the hijra and my own soul is locked in a battle within the soul of a memory card..i knew a young nubile boy a shia he would meet me at govandi during moharam, or in town during our scourging , and than i met him , he had changed come to terms with his sexuality , he had become a full blown hijra..

hijras are articulate and can be crafty too, i have been lucky to befriend some of the most beautiful hijras, and show them to you without scars or blemish., they maybe wounded badly within..

i met the hijra bawas a very rare breed danced the kaif with my camera around my neck , went into a trance at char yar without any drugs..and the irony is i am able to touch the holy shrine in spite of my precarious position in life..ajmer beckons me moti katra, sola khamba i must be the only one who shots the hijras the bawas the malangs and the rafaees..

as i have stopped shooting ganesh visarjan at girgaum chowpatty ,i dont meet hijras any more , mostly from kamati pura , i have been following lal bagh ka raja instead from labagh to kumbharwada for two years barefeet..i am barefeet at ajmer and haji malang too.

why do i shoot hijras i wish i knew, they stalk my soul as i stalk their souls, hijras come in all sizes all shapes i have met hijras who wanted me to shoot them in their birthday suits i politely refused , this is not why i shoot hijras ..i hardly gives pictures of hijras i have shot the only hijra i made the exception was heena hijda queen from peela house , i gave her 200 copies ..

and heena loves me like no hijra has, and this is a pure sufi brotherly love she considers me like her elder brother, ..on ashura i cut my head very badly and the sahara newspaper carried my picture, heena called me to her quarters on 11 moharam , pleading with not to cut myself badly with tears in her eyes and this beautiful hijra was a few years back kidnapped by the greatest don of mumbai now dead..perhaps this why i shoot hijras not as a blogger not as a voyeur not as a photographer ..heena wanted me to come to raipur for a hijra conference she offered me a ticked boarding lodging but i could not accept her offer..

i have not met her since a very long time, she has changed her number too and i hardly go to town..the other hijra influence are the beggar hijras but i hare not met them too since a long time..i have cut down my blogging time at flickr, so perhaps this illness is making me empty out my bin of memories..

Thank You Ya Khuda - Break Dance of Democracy Ends

Thank You Ya Khuda - Break Dance of Democracy Ends, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

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Mr Baba Siddiqui erstwhile sitting MLA Mumbai Congress I/ NCP combine , won from the Vandre Constituency with a very slender margin defeating Advocate Ashish Shelar , since the results were announced there was some inter party skirmishes but the immediate arrival of the Mumbai Police saw calm and a greater calm prevailed at Bandra Bazar Road..basically it is vested interest bent on disturbing the canvas of peace of Bandra the Queen of Suburbs.

I did not shoot any pictures and thanks to the presence of the cops who were near my shop, there was a total ban on bursting of crackers..so the Congress Party NCP are back at the helm..let them bring constructive hope and solve the grievances of all concerned.

I met Advocate Ashish Shelar BJP who thanked me for shooting his rally..and hoped better luck in the next hustings and had the best regards for the winning candidate..

Now my poem

Ya Khuda
Break Dance
of Democracy ends
with your blessings
with your grace
the voter
the winner
to the Vidhan Sabha
sends ..
the loud mouthed losers
totally quiet
into the darkness blend
they have other jobs
to tend
choked
on the political
river bend
so many
fences to mend
for the sake
of the populace
their supporters
their friends
time to shake hands
make amends
the city
more important
than self on
good governance
good law and order
depends
please think
of the voters
in the hot sun
old poor very poor
who voted for you
some with their backs bent
some who never got their
voters cards were hellbent
the healing hand
is back in power
the homeless dont
torment
breaking their shanties
their tents
fires of divide and rule
dont foment
be kind to the north indians
treat them as
your own brother
without any evil intent
a new order
of peace hope and harmony
you must invent
thank them
with a nice Diwali present

Big Boss Are You Listening

Big Boss Are You Listening, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

100,344 items / 614,262 views

Its High Time they bought Laxmi Narayan Tripathi to the Big Bosses House bad memories erase ..She is Adab, Tehzeeb Deportment Charm and God given Grace..Beauty Brains and a Beautiful Face ..Hijda Goddess Queen of her Race ...She gives the other gender ample space , on national TV - respect culture she would showcase..
Beyond caste color or creed this human phenomenon people from all over the world will eagerly embrace..give her a chance the rest of the bunch she will outrace..and outpace..

If Wishes Were Horses Politicians Would Ride

If Wishes Were Horses Politicians Would Ride, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

100,343 items / 613,680 views

Tomorrow
22 October 2009
your vote
will decide
who wins
who loses
who falls
by the side
mumbai
amchi mumbai
our beloved city
already sucked dried
another round
of unfinished
diwali
cracking
your insides
false promises
false hopes
in the past
they have lied
when the city
was taken for
ransom
by terrorists
they slept
kicking our guts
our Indian pride
watching
the city burn
from the ringside
martyred policemen
innocent dead
unnecessarily died
we put a terrorist on trial
a reality show world wide
justice a lady blind eyed
politics corruption
often go side by side
new schemes
to squeeze the poor
the builders lobby
waiting eagerly
for the returns
on the crores
they supplied
politics is purely about
money power
jo jeeta woh sikandar
more bodyguards
for themselves
for the miserable poor
well god will provide
as for mumbai
totally shanghaied

The Winding Trail..

The Winding Trail.., originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

100,342 items / 611,516 views

her world
veiled
walking
the winding
trail
from one house
to another
from one shop
to the other
her destiny
her tale
Muslim
macho society
mullahcentric
the poor Muslim
woman has failed
cornered
deprived
frontiers
with tired legs
they want her
to scale
beyond
the death of
her hopes
lies the hard hearted
Muslim Male
begging
for self respect
house arrested
in a jail

I shoot the sorrow of the Muslim female and this is not about the hijab, I have nothing against the hijab, my family wears it,.it is her unchanged life . of pain and despair..

Waiting For Good Days To Come

Waiting For Good Days To Come, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

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strings of silence
we strum
following
a silhouette
within
a poem
of good days
elusive
playing
hide and seek
as our
respective
soul goes numb
bollywoods most wanted
exiled
from filmdom
an eternity
of sartorial
dilemma
ad naseum
the call of uhuru
death
of individual
freedom
beyond
the mind
beyond
the flesh
a matrix
of confusion
unsolved
problem
waiting
for flowers
that wont blossom
waiting
impatiently
holding
a drowning straw
of good days
to come


dedicated to nabila khanam

The Cat's Tragic Diwali Tale

The Cat's Tragic Diwali Tale, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

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lighting the path
all over bazar road
nobody heard his wail
crackers tied
to his tail
the human
festive season
to regale
his soul
with extreme
cruelty
they did nail
smoke fire to inhale
happy diwali
to you and yours
after a few
hits views
this pedestrian story
will soon become stale
this is his calm
his patience
in detail
as he sits
dreading
the next diwali
the cat
with a lizards
cut tail
pain
overblown
from a thumbnail

I saw this cat in the morning near my shop, as the lady who feeds cats pointed out his misery to me, I called for my camera and shot a few frames.