He Is One Butcher of Bandra Who Will Never Forget Me

He Is One Butcher of Bandra Who Will Never Forget Me, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

151,408 items / 1,159,720 views

Many years back I worked for a reputed fashion store at Bandra ,I was a good worker with all my uncut flaws and because I stayed at Colaba my good boss gave me family accommodation at Bandra very close to actor Mr Mithun Chakrovartys house.

I loved dogs Alsatians I had two of them Sasha and Asper .., Asper was a German thoroughbred and Sasha was a mixed breed Alsatian..

My food for them came from Nasir bhai the famous butcher of JJ Colony Bandra and I spent a bomb on them those days early 80s and I paid the butchers bill which was sometimes more than my salary too , till the Big Boss where I worked had a humble change of heart and raised my salary.


My dogs when I moved out of the job and the company spacious flat I gave away to Mr Hitendra Thakur or Appa Saab as he is fondly called by the residents of Virar.
Appa Saab is brother of Mr Bhai Thakur.

I gave away my huge fish tanks too to Appa Saab.

We moved away to Khar Danda a sleeping fishing village till lighting struck in the form of the 93 riots and changed the course of our peaceful lives completely.


And being human I still curse Late PM Narsimha Rao for not being able to take care of the Indian citizens both Hindus and Muslims who lost everything in life like us and I also blame the Maharashrtra than CM who smoked his cigar while our beloved city burnt and Mr Sharad Pawar who watched the mayhem..

So Babri Mosque for me is more a curse than a blessing, it is a Mosque that changed the destiny of a Nation dividng one body into two hateful parts and personally I think all the land in Ayodhya should be handed over to the Hindu brethren as a gesture of Humanity , let them build a temple to Peace and there should be no Mosque on the disputed site at all.

I reiterate this is the poet in me and being a Shia adherent our views are quite different from the majority members of the Muslim community is not part of this blog.

A Mosque that shamed the nation drove a nation to insanity is nothing but the worst reminder of a black day of our nation.

On the other hand demolishing the Mosque taking law in the hands and instigating people to riot is a criminal act that should never be pardoned for the souls of those who lost their lives unnecessarily.

This is my honest view , I saw the face of the sword the arson and than I saw the face of my little daughter when the rioters came to our house and we were saved by the Hindus of our area where we lived at Danpada Khar Danda.


I have moved away from the riots and my Flickr photo stream is the testimony of my Faith in my motherland India and a thread of the bulk of my pictures I call Hope and Hindutva a Message of Peace Hope and Humanity.

For the Sikhs and the Muslims its not easy to get rid of the scars etched on the porcelain flesh of our broken souls..some heal some live on for ever..

And this Butcher knows the story of my life my love for my dogs and no outstanding bills of the meat he gave my dogs everyday till they were with me.

And it is a strange story I recently visited Appa Saab Mr Hitendra Thakur at his office at Virar after almost 18 years or more he met me in humility but failed to recognize me he did not remember or know what had had happened to the dogs I had given him..

So every month when I go to pay my Internet bills at MTNL Office Bandra , I cut across through JJ Colony Bandra meet Nasir bhai and take his pictures and remember the tales of my past and my Dogs that Nasir bhai fed with his meat ..no left overs but prime meat at prime rates.


This was a blog without text I posted it yesterday and this morning words flowed from a broken water pot ..

When Your Screen Time Gets Over Incomplete Movie of Life

When Your Screen Time Gets Over Incomplete Movie of Life, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

151,408 items / 1,160,691 views


the director
in his booming voice
shouts lights action cut
pack up no further shots
anymore
its time to take a bow
you leave empty handed
the shooting floor
only the make up
on your face
nothing more
not even
bollywoods
most wanted
designers clothes
you wore
or your fancy shoes
your fancy glares
you bought from
a fancy store
your wife who stood
by you like a
rock of Gibraltar
in a white starched saree
as the tear flows
down her cheeks
like a droplet of rain
as it pours
your sons all sad
broken helpless
lyrical silence
without a score
you came in through
a passage you
now leave
unannounced
through the back door
people you owed
already dead
much before
people who
owed you
have forgotten you
such is life at its core
dying was easy it was
living in a dead
unemotional world
that was a heart sore
you leave behind
your naked footsteps
a flickering
lamp on the sea shore

A Message From Mr Dutta

A Message From Mr Dutta, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Dear Mr.Firoze,

We all in my family watching your photographs on Ramakrishna Mission. My family is really moved by your vivid coverage of street photography too. In fact, they liked it most.

My father told me that, he is seeing such kind of illustrated pictures, first time in his life.

He asked me to tell you to snap the problems of neglected aged person, who are thrown out of their home by their near and dear once!

Regards.
K Dutta

Going Home After Visarjan On The First Day 2010

Going Home After Visarjan On The First Day 2010, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

151,408 items / 1,159,723 views


This was shot on my way back home in the ricksha on the first day of Durga Visarjan, I had come to Juhu beach at about 6 pm and in a few hours had shot 881 pictures of the Immersion of Goddess Durga and her other avatar Ma Ambe.

I was barefeet and I tried capture as much as I could I also shot the Hijras who had bought their Durga for immesion from Andheri.

And as a tribute to the Bengali Lions of Mumbai the Mukerjees , I have placed the pictures of their Durga Visarjan in a separate set at my Flickr photo stream.

I have always been very close to the Mukerjees since a long time I had worked on Subir Mukerjees Rock Dancer and also with Samrat Mukerjee.

And so I finally end my Durga Visrajan series..

Worlds Youngest Street Photographer is Not Well

Worlds Youngest Street Photographer is Not Well, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Marziya Shakir
Birth 24 October 2007
Camera Nikon D 80
Guru No1 Dr Glenn Losack MD New York Manhattan

Marziya has been infected by a mouth hand feet childrens viral disease that is the latest scourge to hit Mumbai kids after swine flu, dengue chinkugunya malaria and typhoid including jaundice.

Boils on the hands and feet and ulcers in the mouth , eating drinking is very difficult

Complete isolation from kids and bed rest , so Marziya who loves the streets is at home completely quite as never before.

Marziya Is Not Well Since A Week

Marziya Is Not Well Since A Week, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Marziya Is Not Well Since A Week

Marziya Is Not Well Since A Week, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

151,405 items / 1,159,712 views

Marziya is recuperating at home she was infected by a chidrens viral disease called mouth hands and feet , with rash and ulcers in the mouth.

Her pain was unbearable to watch so her best friend Mehrin Mukadam who celebrated her birthday sent Marziya a small cake too as Marziya is cooped up home , this is the agony of Marziya Shakir 2 year 11 month old street photographer.

A few day back I bough her a robot too..

And our house has lost its charm and its beauty with Marziyas illness.

She keeps quite plays be herself and hardly utters a word.

Here when she was to cut the cake she asked my wife to tell me to take her picture.

I hate to shoot her as it hurts me to the core..to capture only pain instead of Marziya Shakir.