Nitin Karani Doston Ka Dost

Nitin Karani Doston Ka Dost, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

139,648 items / 1,081,425 views

ashok row kavi
holy father
vivek anannd
holy ghost
nitin karani
son
doston ka dost
to them
i raise a
toast
my poems
they might
publish
one day
before
my pedantic
pedagogic
pompous ass
on the soul
of poetry
they roast
a book launch
with my
hijra guru
laxmi narayan tripathi
at crosswords
along with
celina jaitley
as host
all the profits
i shall
donate
to kids hijras
at traffic signals
least but
not the most
complete
almost
firoze shakir
photo blogger
poet photographer
the shia sacrificial goat

No I Am Not Part Of Any Scam

No I Am Not Part Of Any Scam, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

139,648 items / 1,081,407 views

mellifluously
indignantly
hiding his
serious face
behind his
hands
pleadingly
setting a
wheel
into motion
he said
no i am not part
of any scam
ashok row kavi
is my name
a born poet
i am what i am
caught in a
hostel room 131
on my souls
steady cam
an official launch
a book at cross roads
caught in a traffic jam
no i did not
order scented
tissue papers
testicular tragic
treadmills
hand painted condoms
or baby prams
this is mischief
played by the
foreign hand
perhaps it is the Israelis
or conniving uncle Sam
master of the games
the common wealth gay games
disbelievingly clamped
firoze dont take my
picture this one time
or fuck in the community
i will be damned
as i took this
for the sake of posterity
a poem on his soul
i slammed

Official book launch of R Raj Rao's 'Hostel Room 131' by Onir

Official book launch of R Raj Rao's 'Hostel Room 131' by Onir, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Official book launch of R Raj Rao's 'Hostel Room 131' by Onir

Official book launch of R Raj Rao's 'Hostel Room 131' by Onir, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

139,624 items / 1,081,049 views


Image courtesy Bombay Dost


Penguin Books India, Bombay Dost and Crossword

cordially invite you to the




Official book launch of R Raj Rao's 'Hostel Room 131' by Onir


This was the invitation sent to me by my good friend Nitin Karani and though it clashes with my Iftar timings breaking of my Ramzan fast I went to the venue, I broke my fast with a single date I had carried with me.

This was a mixed audience gays supported by their straight friends and well wishers , as it was a literary meet and touched a chord of vibrant humanity.

Raj R Rao read excerpts from his book Hostel Rom 13i and the chief guest was Onir.
Ashok Row Kavi Vivek Anand Manvendra Singh Gohil Sridhar Rangayan Pallav and others were there to support this new beautifully written book and the hall was reverberating with cheers and claps.
There was a question answer session and Raj the author answered them explicitly and seamlessly , I shot pictures to share with all of you a community that has given us a good measure of creative artists poets film makers authors and journalists too.
So it is not surprising that persons from every walk of life was present here not just the gay lesbian or transgender or bisexual community.

This will be my next set at Flickr.com where I post all my pictures as photo blogs.


About R Raja Rao


About the author:
R. Raj Rao was born in Bombay and now lives in Pune where he is professor in the Department of English, University of Pune. Two of his books, BomGay
and The Boyfriend (the latter published by Penguin India, and translated into French and Italian) are regarded as cult classics. His other books
include One Day I Locked My Flat in Soul City (short stories), Slide Show (poems), The Wisest Fool on Earth and Other Plays, Nissim Ezekiel: The
Authorized Biography, Ten Indian Writers in Interview (edited), Image of India in the Indian Novel in English (co-edited), Whistling in The Dark:
Twenty one Queer Interviews (co-edited). Rao in a pioneering Indian academic who runs a course on queer literature in his department.

Synopsis of the book:
In the winter of 1978, Siddharth, 23, meets Sudhir, 20 in a friend's room in Pune's Engineering College Hostel. He falls instantly in love.

A man of unconventional views--he believes, for instance, that the two heroes in Sholay have the hots for each other rather than for the
heroines--Siddharth becomes a full time lover over the next seven years and stubbornly pursues the object of his lust and affection, despite his
job as a college lecturer in Bombay.

There are many obstacles along the way, including Sudhir's family, against whom Sidharth files a police complaint, and Sudhir's classmates from
Belgaum, led by the homophobic Ravi Humbe, who start an anti-Siddharth association. But Siddharth gets support from Gaurav and Vivek, a militant
gay pair keen to ambush the enemy.

Deadpan humour and farce come together in this entertaining love story, giving us a glimpse of what really goes on in a boys' hostel.

Presented by Bombay Dost
http://www.facebook.com/BombayDost

Being a Street Photographer is a State of Mind

Being a Street Photographer is a State of Mind, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

139,622 items / 1,081,020 views

a state of bliss
pictures laid out to you
by the lord god
you shoot you dont miss
with your camera lens
the soul of humanity
you kiss when
you shoot that
or you shoot this
the man lying
on the street
waiting for
a hospital bed
his means of escape
his only dying wish
his soul starving '
famished
a living coffin
without a lid
each time
they kick
his butt
wake up sid

Documenting Hope and Hindutva as a Message of Peace

Documenting Hope and Hindutva as a Message of Peace, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

I have normally come here barefeet but of late I wear slippers as my feet are badly scarred and I am fasting for Ramzan and the rains cause havoc I dont want to take chances in the badly potholed Mumbai streets.

The Lord Ganesha at the back is one of its kind huge and awesome and this s the grandeur of Mr Khatus works they are exquisite and out of the world , this is a magic land and you must see the artisans at work as the Ganeshas come alive.

Mr Khatu and Me

Mr Khatu and Me, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Mr Khatu is a very famous Ganesha sculptor and art director his works are huge and portray the large scale of grandeur and beauty in his works , a visit to his workshop is a must for me before the Ganesha festival.