The Kolis and the Barefeet Blogger of Mumbai

The Kolis and the Barefeet Blogger of Mumbai, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Holi At Worli Koliwada 2010

Holi At Worli Koliwada 2010, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

120,591 items / 790,084 views


I was invited to celebrate the burning of Holika at Worli Koliwada by Manjula Koli who sells fish at Bandra Bazar Fish market and is my adopted Koli sister very close to my 2 year grand daughter Marziya Shakir whom she dotes on.

I had met Manjula this morning at the Bandra Bazar Market and had told her that I would bring my photographer friend Jean Marc or Drunken Gekko or El Gekko along with me , that pleased her very much, Koli hospitality is part of the Koli tradition of Love Peace Hope Harmony.

So I took a train reached Churchgate picked up Monsieur Jean Marc and headed to Worli Koliwada by cab , I had never shot this event at Worli, though I had shot it a few years back at Mahim and Versova fishing village.

We had a glorious time the Kolis of Worli Koliwada loved Jean Marc and each one kept inquiring if he wanted anything to eat or drink..Manjula her husaband Pandurang are well known in the area and this do was at Pandurangs dads house, his kids their friends and relatives treated us like family..and I have shot a 1.89 GB card..that I shall upload and post at Flickr.

In fact this is an Introduction to my new set at Flickr Holi at Worli Koliwada 2010.

The Worli kolis dropped us at the taxu stand I left for Bandra and Jean Marc took his cab to his hotel.

Jean Marc loved the Palan Poli and the boiled channa prasad.

Manjula wants him to attend her daughters wedding too..this is Koli love for a guest of our beautiful city and Jean Marcs first trip to Mumbai.

On The Wings Of Angels

On The Wings Of Angels, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

120,589 items / 790,062 views

on the wings of angels
my message of peace
embedded as hope
in a picture flies
touching her soul
dropping dead
before it dies
in the wretchedness
of her heart
carbonized steel
it pays a price
at her feet
another man lies
grovels begs and cries
love a lonely hunter
preys in disguise
although
i have deleted her
from my consciousness
she holds
my deathly soul
in a deadly vice
i beseech
her with truth
she lives on lies
hand maiden
of the lord of flies
her silence
on my soul
of misfortune
another day buys
every day a new
surprise

Jean- Marc El Gekko Arrives In Mumbai

Jean- Marc El Gekko Arrives In Mumbai, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Jean Marc once known as Drunken Gekko at Buzznet where my first blogs were born has come to Mumbai for the first time .

He called me up and I went to see him at his hotel at a seaface in Mumbai..

It was a memorable meeting with one of the most creative photographers in the world, and Jean Marc is a standard of ones aspirations to be a good photographer too.

At Buzznet it was Yorrik who discovered me but it was Drunken Gekko who kept my blogs alive with his continued patronage , and his encouraging comments .

He moved from Buzznet to Flickr and I followed him soon..we have thus been internet friends for 6 years or more.

He is a French Man based in Reunion.

His brother Olivier too was a good friend at Buzznet but that was a long time back..

From his hotel I took him for black tea at Mathura Dairy Churchgate .

There was so much to learn from this wise man and prolific photographer master of post production techniques too.

I took Jean Marc to my late mothers house at Strand Cinema Colaba , he met my brothers and from there I took him for dinner to Martins Goan Restaurant a land mark as famous as Cafe Leopold for backpackers.

As he was not carrying his camera and I always have one on my person I shot these pictures ,I could have posted them last night , but I goofed pictures were shot on Raw and this is the camera that another good friend Dr Glenn Losack sent me as a gift with the Raw settings I was using it for the first time..and I was not sure how to convert them to JPEG..

So I am an amateur after all, my son helped me do the needful..this afternoon.

So we both Jean Marc and I shine in the drabness of a flash lit background of my late mothers house at 3 Mohini Mansions .

I must confess I was to collect my grand daughter Marziya Shakir from Dadar , as she was arriving from Lucknow I gave it a miss as I felt I did not want to be a spoke when Marziya meets her Dad , he was going to the station to collect her too.


Fom Martin Goan restaurant I dropped Jean Marc to his hotel , took a local train back to Bandra from Churchgate .

The train ride was real bad the train was packed because of Holi , and the only joy was reaching home and Marziya jumped into my arms.

And by late late night an incident made me remove my pictorial presence completely from Facebook..And perhaps this decision a very painful one might be a blessing in disguise , I am not very good at social networking or chat I used Facebook to promote my street and Hijra blogs including the religious genre of the other subjects I shoot..
It was good till it lasted and my leaving Facebook is a personal decision , nothing to do with my Facebook friends or Facebook management..

Sucked in Forever

Sucked in Forever, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

sucked in forever
into a toilet
of remorse
life a river
of pain
gong off
course
her heart
the source
of my sorrow
no other
recourse
woman
thy name
marriage and divorce
a love
stealthily
moves
the silence
of her soul
she wont
endorse
naked
dreams
riding
a white horse

Tears of Silence

Tears of Silence, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

120,576 items / 789,172 views

a photo stream of pain
frozen tears of silence
as it flows into
an ocean of despair
beyond the valley
of my mind
god alone knows
a poet shooting
pictures and prose
bare feet
in colorful clothes
a muse who
has shut her doors
watching his pain
through half open
windows
lost moments
misty memories
a mountains echo
now a recluse
in captivity
a seedling
into battered
plant grows
watching
each other
on the branches
of remorse
star crossed lovers
the myna and the crow

A Poet in Seep Shit

A Poet in Seep Shit, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

120,574 items / 788,650 views

For Personal Reasons beyond my Control and not because of Facebook or anyone of you I move out of Facebook completely .. Thanks for your Friendship youtr love your comments I will be only posting my stuff at Flickr..I have not deactivated my Facebook account yet..I have almost Lost it.. Firoze Shakir

Thank you Meta Verse I am in Deep Shit,