Empty Vessels Make The Most Noise

Empty Vessels Make The Most Noise, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

shot at Lucknow

within the soul of silence
you can hear his voice
but his message distorted
from the minarets of hate
as one sect another sect
destroys
bigotry hateful means employs
Muslims love killing Muslims
while the enemies of Peace
and Brotherhood
rejoice
bearded behemoth
empty vessels
make the most noise
a killing for the media
boot licking newsboys
petro powered pimps
of spirituality in brand
new Rolls Royce
turbaned heads
masked faces
as envoys
using human bombs
as evil
hate filled toys

updated 24 Nov 2009

Zuljana

Zuljana, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Zuljana The Steed of Imam Hussain


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuljanah

Dhuljanah (Arabic: ذو الجناح‎) was the horse of Husayn ibn Ali. The original name of Zuljanah was Murtajiz and he was purchased by Muhammad from an Arab named Haris. It features prominently in the traditional retelling of the story of the Battle of Karbala. It is thought to have been a white stallion. According to the legend, when Husayn was a mere child and learning to crawl, he used to go frequently to the stable of Zuljanah and look at him. Once Muhammad said that his grandson was looking curiously at the horse as if some mysterious conversation was taking place, so he asked the child if he wished to ride the horse. On being answered that he did, Muhammad ordered the horse saddled. When Husayn approached the horse, however, the horse suddenly lowered itself to the ground to allow the boy to mount him. In the battle of Karbala, Husayn used this horse and went to the battle field. According to Shia's belief, Zuljana killed 31 enemies of Husayn. After the death of Husayn, Zuljana went to the camps of Bibi Zainab and then he jumped into the Furat lake over the sorrow of Hussayn's death.

From the Fire into the frying pan

From the Fire into the frying pan, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

This was shot many years back close to Maulana Kalbe Jawad Saabs house at Mandi Lucknow , a Maulana highly respected and revered by the Shias of Lucknow, I did visit the Maulana once with my photographer friend Guddu, I told the Maulana that it was his father the late Kalbe Abid Saab who had read my Nikah held in Lucknow on 26 November 1977..and I felt in retrospection that it was the blessings of his erstwhile father that had kept my marriage intact in spite of the upheavals and vagaries of my marital life.,.

However a certain incident changed the equation with the city of my birth Lucknow and I decided never to visit it ever again.

These are blogs that were blank I am updating today in memory of 26/11

Memories of Lucknow may never go away, as I was bought up by my maternal grand mother Nazmi Begum who was the wife of poet Daroga Nabban Saab descendant of poet Mir Anis.

They lived at Imliwali Gali Pata Nala that was predominantly Shia and on the fringes of this locality was Subatiya Bagh a Sunni locality , this place had a lot of skirmishes and sectarian fights between both the communities, and strangely I was connected to Subatiya Bagh too, as my Paternal grand fathers relatives stayed here, my paternal grand father a Sunni by birth, Bashir Hussain had accepted Shia Islam after he married my Shia grandmother Khurshed Begum..from Vazir Ganj .

My father too continued as a Shia..and both he and his father left all contacts with the main family that were wealthy vinegar merchants. I did meet this family when I was a child briefly..but I have no contacts with them either.


Daroga Nabban Saab poet lies buried in an unmarked grave at Gufra Map Imambada Lucknow.

My paternal grand father and his wife I am told are buried at Talkotara Lucknow.

My maternal grand mother Nazmi Begum died she too lies in an unmarked grave at Rani Malka Jahan cemetery .

My parents both migrants Mumbaikars, Mohomed Shakir and Shamim Shakir of Colaba lie buried side by side at Rehmatabad Shia cemetery Mumbai.

Whats Her Story God Alone Knows !

Whats Her Story God Alone Knows !, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

101,237 items / 655,116 views

horrible ugly so very gross
her eyes always open
socket less wont close
beggar photography
humanly woes
she sits each morning
at boran road
where traffic
to and from
bandra bazar road
overflows
shot once by an American
including this blogger firoze
she has two kids
through begging
educated
read life's prose
their shadows
on her life as
on our lives grow
while seeing me shooting her
some raise their eyebrows
through a bleeding blog
to show you
the underbelly
of deprivation
a path I chose
pedestrian poetry
molten tears
burning the petals
the insides of a rose

26/11 My Tryst With Destiny

26/11 My Tryst With Destiny, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

This is an old picture of me and my wife at my earlier shop..we were married in Lucknow on 26 November 1977 .It was an arranged marriage and my mother was instrumental in this match.. incidentally I used to carry my wife in my arms when she was a toddler..yes I cradle snatched my fate.. before it was too late ..searching for a woman I found a soul mate..sometimes a morsel is manna on a beggars plate ...

Marziya Turns 2

Marziya Turns 2, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

marziya turns two
thanks all of you
7000 pictures
through
which she grew
from the second
day of her life
it is true
her godfather
a Brooklyn
born
American Jew
her grand father
her only Guru
a Shia Pandit Muslim-Hindu
a barefeet blogger
like a fly in a Hijda stew
a pedestrian poet
pictorial haiku
living
in a glass house
with doors
made of bamboo
welcome all
merci beaucoup
sartorial soliloquy
fleshed to poetry
through and through
mutually coexisting
in a land of his cultural
inheritance of
brahma mahadev vishnu

Marziya's Second Birthday

Marziya's Second Birthday, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

101,153 items / 654,677 view

This evening there was a small get together for Marziya's second birthday , her birthday is tomorrow but we celebrated it today.