An Ode To Jumbo Rani

An Ode To Jumbo Rani, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

100,718 items / 621,343 views

I met Jumbo Rani a very famous Hijra at Haji Malang Urus , many years back, my first trip to Haji Malang and this trip had nothing to do with hijras at all, those days I was into Rafaees body piercing sect of Sufi mendicants known as Chancawalli Rafaees..
I had climbed the Haji Malang mountains to connect with late Sikandar Wali Baba the than head of the Chancwalli Rafaees..

I met Jumbo Rani and we became good friends it was here that I met Laxmi Narayan Tripathi , we were reconnecting after a short sojourn in Bollywood..I knew Laxmi when she wore trousers and shirts and here she was transformed into a Diva..we hugged each other and the Rafaees who thought I was a celibate and a mendicant almost dropped their jaws..

Haji Malang soon became a part of my annual spiritual quest, I tried not to miss it , it soon began to grow on me..and Jumbo Rani and I grew close , I understanding her pain her androgynous despair and solicitude ..and so many years I never exchanged her number or her address .. we meet at Haji Malang..year after year..and she guards me protects me from those hijras who hate photographers dressed like me, they think I am a tantric and will capture their souls in my camera..

Jumbo Rani
is unique
some consider
her a freak
calling
her Jay Lolita
tongue and cheek
love the language
she speaks
a peaceful alcove
near the
Holy Shrine
of Haji Malang
she seeks
her religion
humanity
eloquence
at its peak
blessed are the hijras
meekest of the meek
the spirit was willing
the flesh was weak
hopes choked
on a river creek

The Hijra With The Pouted Lips

The Hijra With The Pouted Lips, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

100,716 items / 620,561 views

poignant pathos
a heart beat skips
pendulous movements
of her hips
the hijra with the
pouted lips
her inner pain
in a micro chip
her elusive hopes
as they rise and dip
feminine fragility
held to a hair clip
layer after layer
her clothes
they will strip
a libidinous lechery
they will unzip
a record in motion
they will flip
holding her
in a snake like grip
passionate lashings
of a whip
the hijra
her life of sexual hardship
embedded in the soul
of a filmstrip
man to man
a dichotomous courtship
an androgynous amorphous
strange kinship
round and round
a one way trip
the hijra playing to
the gallery
without a script

The Final March

The Final March, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

100,713 items / 616,120 views

in days of old
nationalism
the spirit of freedom
was a torch
held high
service sacrifice
for the country
was the only cry
every man
for the nation
willing to die
things have changed
as time went by
now selling off the nation
is the politicians reply
mega bucks in kick backs
telgi scam every kind of con
by the next guy
towers reaching
god in the sky
the poor man
living in a pigsty
divide and rule
as they their trade
of hate bigotry ply
religion in the hands
of brokers who
hateful means apply
brother against brother
no outcry
while the nation bleeds
the defeated soul
lets out a sigh

Tears on The Soul of Meena Bazar

Tears on The Soul of Meena Bazar, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

100,716 items / 618,549 views

Muslims love killing Muslims
by far
destabilizing the Peace
of the world a state of war
blood shed on a ripped door
a human tragedy guts and gore
bodies strewn on a wounded
floor misplaced martyrdom
via a bomb
placed in a car
tears on the soul of meena bazar
on the collective conscience
of Islam yet another scar
a bleeding crescent
of times that are
misplaced jehad
a lost cause
of a fallen star
a mothers womb
an unborn child
his memoir

Street Photography and God

Street Photography and God, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

100,713 items / 616,718 views

This was shot last evening from a moving rickshah that was taking me to Juhu to shoot the Chhat Puja 2009..I saw this as fast as fast can be,, and call it rapid reflex, I had her in my camera power ,entrapped forever.. a fleeting moment frozen as street photography.

I shoot as is were is basis, I will get a picture , a picture too has its own destiny..if I was destined to shoot it..

About Chhat Puja , I dont know if I was really in a mood of mind to shoot it , I was under terrible stress , I am relocating my shop , and nothing was falling in place, everything was against me , and my slow recovery due to viral fever, but I left it to the Almighty whose travel brochures I shoot free of charge..I promote his universal spirituality , I promote the diverse culture of my country..without seeking gain or profit or a room with a view in Heaven..and God does take care of me in more ways than one..

This one was for God..

The Chakka's Last Sigh

The Chakka's Last Sigh, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

100,681 items / 616,038 views

they say
boys will always be boyz
but an exceptional to the rule
a nubile body a feminine voice
serendipitous sexuality
androgynous poise
hail the hijra
castrated calamity
tears on turquoise
hijra by fate hijra by choice
man as hijra reborn rejoice
woman like mans playful toy
a silent soliloquy among
grass root noise
missing vagina
testicular tragedy
hopes gone moist

Mr Sanjay Nirupam and Me At Chhat Puja 2009

Mr Sanjay Nirupam and Me At Chhat Puja 2009, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

100,348 items / 615,278 views

I start a new set at my Flickr photo stream, Chhat Puja 2009 ..I shot it this evening, barefeet dressed like a tiger cub no pun intended...the latest flavor and statement post election in Maharashtra.

I shot from end of the beach to another,Mr Sanjay Nirupams podium was very grand and awesome, the entire crowd was watching the song recital from the beach, I met him took a few frames and left..

I have been shooting the Chhat Puja Festival from the time Mr Sanjay Nirupam placed it on the festival map of Mumbai in a very big way.

I have tried never to miss this festival , and today I was in real bad shape I have not recovered from my viral fever but I made it to the beach...overriding all odds.

About Chhat Puja from Wikipedia

Chhath (Hindi: छठ, also called Dala Chhath) is an ancient Hindu festival dedicated to Surya, the chief solar deity, unique to Bihar, Jharkhand and the Terai[1]. This major festival is also celebrated in the northeast region of India, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Chhattisgarh. Even in Tamil Nadu, the migrants from the north celebrate Chhath. Hymns praying to the sun can be found in the Vedas, the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism. Practiced in different parts of India, the worship of the sun has been described in the Rigveda.


The word chhath denotes the number 6 in Hindi [2]and the festival begins on the sixth day of the Hindu lunar month of Kartik, which corresponds to months of October and November in the Gregorian calendar (a week after Diwali). Chhath is the holiest Hindu festival of Bihar & eastern UP. It extends to four days.


The ancient Sanskrit epic Mahābhārata has references to Draupadi, wife of the Pandavas, worshipping the sun, which was believed to help cure a variety of diseases, including leprosy, and ensure longevity and prosperity of family members, friends, and elders. In addition, it is believed that Chhath was started by Karna, the son of Surya, who became a great warrior and fought against the Pandavas in the Kurukshetra War.

This is the only holy festival which has no involvement of any priest (Pandit). People celebrates this festival by thier own.

It is celebrated twice a year: once in the summers (May-July), called the Chaiti Chhath, and once in the winter (September-November) around a week after Deepawali, called the Kartik Chhath. The latter is more popular because winters are the usual festive season in North India, and Chhath, being an arduous observance, requiring the worshippers to fast without water for more than 24 hours, is easier to undertake in the Indian winters.

Chhath is mainly a Bihari festival, and so it is celebrated wherever people from Bihar have migrated. This is a ritual bathing festival that follows a period of abstinence and ritual segregation of the worshiper from the main household for four days. During this period, the worshiper observes ritual purity, and sleeps on the floor on a single blanket. The main worshipers, called Parvaitin (from Sanskrit parv, meaning 'occasion' or 'festival'), are usually women. However, a large number of men also observe this festival. The parvaitin pray for the well-being of their family, for prosperity and offspring. They can only perform Chhath if it is passed on to them from their older generation. However, once they decide to do it, it becomes their duty to perform it every year. The festival is skipped only if there happens to be a death in the family that year.

On the eve of Chhath, houses and surroundings are scrupulously cleaned. One the first day of the festival, the worshiper cooks a traditional vegetarian meal and offers it to the Sun God. This day is called Naha-Kha (literally, 'Bathe and eat'!). The worshiper allows herself/himself only one meal on this day.

On the second day, a special ritual, called Kharna, is performed in the evening after Sun down. On this day also, the worshiper eats his/her only meal from the offerings (Prashad) made to the Sun God in this ritual. Friends and family are invited to the household on this day to share the prashad of the ritual. From this day onwards, for the next 36 hours, the worshiper goes on a fast without water.

The evening of the next day, the entire household accompanies the worshiper to a ritual bathing and worship of the Sun God, usually on the bank of a river, or a common large water body. The occasion is almost a carnival. Besides the main worshiper, there are friends and family, and numerous participants and onlookers, all willing to help and receive the blessings of the worshipper. Ritual rendition of regional folk songs, carried on through oral transmission from mothers and mothers-in-law to daughters and daughters-in-law, are sung on this occasion. The same bathing ritual is repeated on the following day at the crack of dawn. This is when the worshipper breaks his/her fast and finishes the ritual. Chhath being celebrated at the crack of the dawn on a river bank is a beautiful, elating spiritual experience connecting the modern Indian to his ancient cultural roots.

The folk songs sung on the eve of Chhath mirror the culture, social structure, mythology and history of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Nowadays, modern Chhath songs, largely Bollywood film remixes have caught on, but the old tradition still goes strong with a great degree of sanctity. The three main linguistic regions of Bihar: the Maithili, the Magadhi, and the Bhojpuri, and all the various dialects associated with these, have different folk songs; but have an underlying unity in their dedicated to Chhath. The minor nuances of the Chhath rituals, such as in the Kharna ritual, vary from region to region, and also across families, but still there is a fundamental similarity.
[edit] Yogic Viewpoint

As per the yogic view point word Chhath is a compound of two words; Chah means 6 stages and Hath refers to the science of Hath Yog (austerity). The word Chhath refers to the process of consciously obtaining the solar energy through 6 stages involving the methods similar to Hath Yog. Hath here refers to the austerities like fasting, standing in water, etc. This entire process has been termed by the yogis as a Conscious Photoenergization Process having 6 stages.

Stage 1: Fasting and the discipline of cleanliness leads to detoxification of the body and mind. This stage prepares the body and mind of the Vratti (devotee) to receive the cosmic solar energy.

Stage 2: Standing in a water body with half the body (navel deep) in the water minimizes the leak of energy and helps the prana (psychic energy) to move up the sushumna (psychic channel in the spine).

Stage 3: Cosmic Solar Energy enters the Vratti’s pineal, pituitary and hypothalamus glands (Triveni complex) through retina and optic nerves.

Stage 4: Activation of Triveni (tri-glandular complex) Pineal, pituitary and hypothalamus

Stage 5: A kind of Polarization of happens in the spine, which results in the Vratti’s gross and subtle bodies getting transformed into a cosmic powerhouse. This can also lead to the awakening of the latent psychic energy popularly known as the Kundalini Shakti.

Stage 6: The body of Vratti (devotee) becomes a channel, which conducts, recycles and transmits the energy into the entire universe.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhath

http://www.flickr.com/photos/firozeshakir/4039306459/
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Mr Sanjay Nirupam and Me At Chhat Puja 2009 100,348 items / 615,278 views I start a new set at my Flickr photo stream, Chhat Puja 2009 ..I shot it this evening, barefeet dressed like a tiger cub no pun intended...the latest flavor and statement post election in Maharashtra. I shot from end of the beach to another,Mr Sanjay Nirupams podium was very grand and awesome, the entire crowd was watching the song recital from the beach, I met him took a few frames and left.. I have been shooting the Chhat Puja Festival from the time Mr Sanjay Nirupam placed it on the festival map of Mumbai in a very big way. I have tried never to miss this festival , and today I was in real bad shape I have not recovered from my viral fever but I made it to the beach...overriding all odds. About Chhat Puja from Wikipedia Chhath (Hindi: छठ, also called Dala Chhath) is an ancient Hindu festival dedicated to Surya, the chief solar deity, unique to Bihar, Jharkhand and the Terai[1]. This major festival is also celebrated in the northeast region of India, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Chhattisgarh. Even in Tamil Nadu, the migrants from the north celebrate Chhath. Hymns praying to the sun can be found in the Vedas, the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism. Practiced in different parts of India, the worship of the sun has been described in the Rigveda. The word chhath denotes the number 6 in Hindi [2]and the festival begins on the sixth day of the Hindu lunar month of Kartik, which corresponds to months of October and November in the Gregorian calendar (a week after Diwali). Chhath is the holiest Hindu festival of Bihar & eastern UP. It extends to four days. The ancient Sanskrit epic Mahābhārata has references to Draupadi, wife of the Pandavas, worshipping the sun, which was believed to help cure a variety of diseases, including leprosy, and ensure longevity and prosperity of family members, friends, and elders. In addition, it is believed that Chhath was started by Karna, the son of Surya, who became a great warrior and fought against the Pandavas in the Kurukshetra War. This is the only holy festival which has no involvement of any priest (Pandit). People celebrates this festival by thier own. It is celebrated twice a year: once in the summers (May-July), called the Chaiti Chhath, and once in the winter (September-November) around a week after Deepawali, called the Kartik Chhath. The latter is more popular because winters are the usual festive season in North India, and Chhath, being an arduous observance, requiring the worshippers to fast without water for more than 24 hours, is easier to undertake in the Indian winters. Chhath is mainly a Bihari festival, and so it is celebrated wherever people from Bihar have migrated. This is a ritual bathing festival that follows a period of abstinence and ritual segregation of the worshiper from the main household for four days. During this period, the worshiper observes ritual purity, and sleeps on the floor on a single blanket. The main worshipers, called Parvaitin (from Sanskrit parv, meaning 'occasion' or 'festival'), are usually women. However, a large number of men also observe this festival. The parvaitin pray for the well-being of their family, for prosperity and offspring. They can only perform Chhath if it is passed on to them from their older generation. However, once they decide to do it, it becomes their duty to perform it every year. The festival is skipped only if there happens to be a death in the family that year. On the eve of Chhath, houses and surroundings are scrupulously cleaned. One the first day of the festival, the worshiper cooks a traditional vegetarian meal and offers it to the Sun God. This day is called Naha-Kha (literally, 'Bathe and eat'!). The worshiper allows herself/himself only one meal on this day. On the second day, a special ritual, called Kharna, is performed in the evening after Sun down. On this day also, the worshiper eats his/her only meal from the offerings (Prashad) made to the Sun God in this ritual. Friends and family are invited to the household on this day to share the prashad of the ritual. From this day onwards, for the next 36 hours, the worshiper goes on a fast without water. The evening of the next day, the entire household accompanies the worshiper to a ritual bathing and worship of the Sun God, usually on the bank of a river, or a common large water body. The occasion is almost a carnival. Besides the main worshiper, there are friends and family, and numerous participants and onlookers, all willing to help and receive the blessings of the worshipper. Ritual rendition of regional folk songs, carried on through oral transmission from mothers and mothers-in-law to daughters and daughters-in-law, are sung on this occasion. The same bathing ritual is repeated on the following day at the crack of dawn. This is when the worshipper breaks his/her fast and finishes the ritual. Chhath being celebrated at the crack of the dawn on a river bank is a beautiful, elating spiritual experience connecting the modern Indian to his ancient cultural roots. The folk songs sung on the eve of Chhath mirror the culture, social structure, mythology and history of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Nowadays, modern Chhath songs, largely Bollywood film remixes have caught on, but the old tradition still goes strong with a great degree of sanctity. The three main linguistic regions of Bihar: the Maithili, the Magadhi, and the Bhojpuri, and all the various dialects associated with these, have different folk songs; but have an underlying unity in their dedicated to Chhath. The minor nuances of the Chhath rituals, such as in the Kharna ritual, vary from region to region, and also across families, but still there is a fundamental similarity. [edit] Yogic Viewpoint As per the yogic view point word Chhath is a compound of two words; Chah means 6 stages and Hath refers to the science of Hath Yog (austerity). The word Chhath refers to the process of consciously obtaining the solar energy through 6 stages involving the methods similar to Hath Yog. Hath here refers to the austerities like fasting, standing in water, etc. This entire process has been termed by the yogis as a Conscious Photoenergization Process having 6 stages. Stage 1: Fasting and the discipline of cleanliness leads to detoxification of the body and mind. This stage prepares the body and mind of the Vratti (devotee) to receive the cosmic solar energy. Stage 2: Standing in a water body with half the body (navel deep) in the water minimizes the leak of energy and helps the prana (psychic energy) to move up the sushumna (psychic channel in the spine). Stage 3: Cosmic Solar Energy enters the Vratti’s pineal, pituitary and hypothalamus glands (Triveni complex) through retina and optic nerves. Stage 4: Activation of Triveni (tri-glandular complex) Pineal, pituitary and hypothalamus Stage 5: A kind of Polarization of happens in the spine, which results in the Vratti’s gross and subtle bodies getting transformed into a cosmic powerhouse. This can also lead to the awakening of the latent psychic energy popularly known as the Kundalini Shakti. Stage 6: The body of Vratti (devotee) becomes a channel, which conducts, recycles and transmits the energy into the entire universe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhath