I Did Not Know Losing a Friend Could Kill Me Too

This was shot by another photographer friend , at the funeral of a very dear friend who loved respected me a lot .. late Mr Dinesh Pai .. a devout Gaud Saraswat Brahmin he was at the helm of affairs at the GSB Seva Mandal Ganesha celebrations ,, before the Lord was to be bought to the Pandal , he would diligently call me invite me for Darshan ,

And than having lived in Mumbai for 60 years I am taken aback when I hear stories of media create Hindu Muslim rift .. barring a few Muslim friends ,, all my friends are Hindus or Christians a few Parsis ,, real good friends trusted old time friends .

I have till date never felt ill at ease or uncomfortable as a Muslim perhaps I am more human than Muslim... as I never allowed religion to come in the way of my relationship with people from diverse ethnicity ..

So Late Mr Dinesh Pai was like me perhaps better than me , he did not bring religion in our friendship, he graciously allowed me to shoot Lord GSB. Though a board further away said No Photography ,, I met Dinesh Pai Sab through another dear friend also a GSB ,, Dr Bhujang Pai.

And all these years I have shot  the GSB Pandal as well as Lalbagh Chya Raja ,,,and showcased their darshan through my pictures online.

Than there is my childhood friend Ramesh Mulchandani of Strand Hotel . I used to go to the Hanuman Mandir at Strand with him while he took darshan I stood in a corner , and paid my respect too.

I have till date 61000 Hindu blogs , and all because  instead of only harping about my religion  it was important to give respect another mans religion too.

Which now brings me to the main topic .. why does one join a social networking site .

I mean if you see guys in real life chasing skirts drinking fornicating gambling but on Facebook they become Saints posting religious stuff and tagging my ass for no reason at all.  tagging me to make me aware of my religion and my beliefs as though my parents were shortcoming in their contribution to my upbringing ..I am a Muslim but sadly I cannot  wear blinkers like you ..I dont need them.. My friends are Jews and though I am not like the politics and imperial hegemony of Israel I dont blame my Jewish friends for all that .

I have Pakistani friends , but their politics and their sectarian ideology of Muslims killing Muslims disturbs me too and so I will never visit countries like Pakistan Saudi Arabia ,,I have no interest and I am not a Travel blog I d rather shoot beggara and garbage in my backyard .

This was a funeral I cried a lot and we Shia cry easily we were born to cry it is in our Blood ,,, that is nothing but the Blood of Hussain.

And this was an empty post I added my inner angst .. I have seen to much death and devastation in my last 60 years ,, and I see Death more clearly than I see Life .

A Legend Called Nawab Kashmiri - A Great Actor of Indian Cinema

photo courtesy Munawar N Kashmiri

These pictures are seeing the light of day for the first time .. no picture of Nawab Kashmiri exists on the net.. these are the first ones thanks to his son Manu Kashmiri who allowed me to share this doyens heritage with all of you..

My Tribute To One Of The Greatest Actors of Indian Cinema

We stayed as tenants at the house of Late Nawab Kashmiri.. He had already passed away when we came there ..His mother in law Ammi gave my father shelter , we were living in the far off slums at Kurla...My father used to work at N Swamy Rao tailoring establishment at  Colaba close to the old Colaba bus depot and Pandya  Parsi Agiary.

Nawab Saabs mother in law Ammi was blue blooded royalty daughter in law of the second son of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah .

The house was opulent , it had all the amenities even a mechanical life size horse on which  Nawab Sab did his exercise .. a huge  10 feet mirror on an ornate frame , where Nawab Sab I believe honed his acting .

As kids we would try out too.. Ammi had given some other parts of the house on rent too as it was huge , so we had Mr Perkins at the back with his handdsome children John Desmond and Christina , before the moved in a Parsi lady Mehroo lived there till she moved on the first floor of Rajsi Brothers at Electric House .

Ammi was very geneous and closely protective of two families that lived at Bhendi Bazar , Rajjo Baji Sarwar bhai of Piru lane their sons Sikandar , Ghulam Hussain and Ghulam Abbas .. Sarawr bhai drove a cab and his family originally from Madras were devout Shias.

Than there was Ishtiaque Bhai with his two children.. I remember his daughter Acchio as a child she was besotted in love with me ,, puppy love .. childish romance of dreams yet to be born..

In one of the side rooms lived one of their relatives Tutu Bhaiyaa , and Nawab Sabs brother Late Agha  Jani Kashmiri sab who lived at Warden Road was a regular visitor , handsomely dressed in a Tshirt and trousers ,,, Agha Jani Kashmiri sab , was dashing , and we looked forward to his visits he gave u money to buy sweets ,,

Ammi hosted Maulana Kabban sab , and there used to be a huge spread best of food and another person involved with the Nawab Saabs family was Nakkan Bhai Batatwala of Bhendi Bazar roo.. his beautiful daughter Ruksana was much loved by Akthar baji ..who was Nawab Sabs eldest daughter and two sons Anwar Bhai and Manu Bhaiyya.

Ruksana  died and it saddened all of us .. she loved nohas marsiyas and was a great human soul.

After Maulana Kabban Sab passed away his son Maulana Kalbe Abid Sab began visiting the family and my dad  a poor guy would call him to our house to taste our mothers delicacies .. Maulana Kalbe  Abid sab knew my mothers family late Daroga Nabban Sab of Pata Nala .Later my marriage with my wife Afshan was solmmenized by him .. in Lucknow.

The Perkins left when Mr Matthews bought the huge Kashmiri house and later the entire building embarrassingly naming it Jony Castle... The Perkins stayed at Shellys Hotel near Radio Club and than migrated to foreign lands .

My dad after leaving N Swamy Road where he woorked as a coatmaker took a shop on rent called Ambasaador next to Vali Mohomed Tailors and Charagh Din also on Wodehouse road .

My father Mohomed Shakir was a hot tempered crazy impulsive man and a born adventurous romantic ,, he once put a hot iron on the back of his chela Gobind ,,who worked for him.. Gobind Master stayed at Cuffe Parade but loved my Dad a lot despite this incident ,, For him his Guru was God ,,, 

The one great day was the regular Shayri mehfils at Nawab Sabs house .. mostly rendered by late Begum Akthar ...

Aye Mohabbat tere anjaam pe rona ayaaa . . .

Aye Mohabbat tere anjaam pe rona ayaaa

Aye Mohabbat tere

Janey kyo aaj tere naam pe rona ayaaa

Janey kyo aaj

Yu toh har . . . . .

Yu to har shaam umeedo may guzar jaati thi . . .

Aaj kucch baat hai jo shaam pe rona ayaa . .

Aaj kucch baat hai jo shaam pe. . . .

Kabhieeeee . . .

Kabhi takdeer kaa maatam . . .

Kabhhi duniya ka gilaaaa. . aaaaa

Manzil e ishq may har daam pe rona ayaa

Manzil e ishq may . .

Jab huaaaa . . .zikr zamaane may

Mohabbat ka shakeeee. . . .

Mujhko apne dile nakaam pe ronaaa ayaa

Aye Mohabbat tere anjaam pe rona ayaaa

Aye Mohabbat  . . .

So these were the early 50s  60 s of changing Colaba ... we moved away to Breach Candy and than finally settled at 3 Mohini Mansions Strand close to the hustle bustle of the Colaba Market ,,,

The house is still there my younger brother Zahir Shakir lives there now ,, we all moved away to our respective homes away from Home ,,, and these are but snippets of fading Memory 

And this post is for Zahra Jafar Mehdi​   daughter of my fairy godmother Akthar Baji ..without her I would have been just another typical Miya kid lost in the backlanes of oblivion.. a skull cap a lungi and a many holed  inner vest... chewing pan and spitting out the same on some white washed wall

She changed it all by educating me ,,,remolding me ,, and this is her great contribution ... so now you know why I shoot the poor the destitute the homeless I see myself in their eyes ,,, I could have  been one of them  if my dad had not bought us to live with Nawab Kashmiris family at Wodehouse Road...from the dirty filthy slums on a Hindu crematorium at Kurla ..

Actors Never Die They Are Immortalized On The Soul of Cinema Eternally

I wish  I could tell you my relationship with Mr Rajesh Khanna ..I had met him at a party during the success of Sauten ,,, than I met him when I wore a newspaper suit I had made for Govinda in Gambler and wore it for the premier of Mr Nitin Manmohans Eena Meena Dika ,, and he never forgot me ,,

When Moez his designer died .. he took me in his charge ,,and I made his personal clothes , and he would chat for hours and what really bought us together was his abundant love for Marziya my granddaughter she was 18 month old and he would feed her on his laps and rebuke me for not taking good care for her .. he would tell me Marziya is my granddaughter and Mazrziya loved him too .. He would ask me if I ever needed money and I would politely refuse  I would charge him only for the clothes I made ,..I had far too much respect for him , he was a legend and times would narrate filmy anecdotes that made me laugh and cry..

He would take me to the Ice cream parlor and honk at the guy to bring ice cream , for Marziya .. would insist dropping me home , and I would tell him my house lanes are bad so he would drop me near Boran Road and me rushing with the melting icecream for Marziya ..

He would call my wife if I was not well and such was his humanity ,, he would tell me not to give credit to his producers , take the money before delivering the clothes ,, he had great plans for me and when I rejoined Badasaab as a Gen Manager he was very upset, as now my time was no more mine ,, I could not come like old times  only on holidays ,, and this last shoot for Havel fan..he was in terrible pain , in very bad health but did the photo shoot and as soon as everyone had left he hugged me .. and asked me How Was It ,, I said super duper and we both had tears in our eyes ,,

Yes I miss Kakaji terribly , he left a part of him with me and nobody will ever take it away from me ,,,

Long Live Kakaji

I Shoot Death .. Upclose More as Poetry Less as Prose

i hide my fleshy soul
in  black clothes
i am naked in the
eyes of my inner
angst my camera
both ..i am happy
to be unhappy too
much happiness
would kill my creativity
a life without pain
i would loathe ,
i am hardly human
in a degraded world
of crass commercialism
calumny sycophancy
that only treats man
as a sacrificial goat

democracy decimated the soul
of man with a single vote

“What matters is how quickly you do what your soul directs.”
a rumi quote

a poem dedicated to my very dear friend davidseibold


ek fakir jisne khaie hai dil pe gehri chot...sukhe hot ..

My Best Friend Ramesh Alva ...Why I have Never Celebrated My Birthday All These Years..

Ramesh Alva once stayed at Great Western Building , we started as enemies before we became friends , he would bully me in school as I did not know him we fought our battles at Backgardens , he came with his friends I came with mine ,, we were both in 3 rd Standard at Holy Name High School perhaps 193 .
Than oneday we met during the Prize Distribution day at CJ Hall , I was a brilliant student got lots of-books as presents and they were a lot Ramesh came forward and helped me , we became friends and we had a common friend Ramesh Mulchandani that made the bod more easier and w had yet another friend Dennis Fernandes ...now in Suriname .
I was staying at Strand Cinema and Ramesh M at Dhun Mahal Garden road ..Ramesh Alva and his family moved in at Strand too.. and we became much closer , though both the Rameshs were much closer than I was ..we had some great times , great Holi days bhang and what not ..
And once we got married all three of us arranged marriage I was the first one .. but I remember if I ever went to Madras Cafe that belonged to the Alvas .. Ramesh Alva never charged me a penny and he was very proud of me ...he used to tell me whenever you are hungry come have meals at my restaurant , because of this kind nature everyone loved him the Jews from the Synagogue in his hotel lane , the ragpicker ladies , the Max Mueller students mercury travel staff , Rhythm house bosses and staff and I can never imagine Ramesh Alva ever having an enemy..he loved his wife kids and when is father died left his house to live on his own.. Ramesh Alva was never allured by money or by wealth .. he was plain simple human.
My mother loved him , he had this most beautiful smile , he would com to my house bring her Idlis Dosas and she would bless him ..and than rebuke me in the same tone for not being like Ramesh Alva.
Ramesh Alva passed away and on his funeral I cried like i had lost my own blood brother ,, and he gave me a  reason to remember him till I die too,,


He died on my birthday 10 Dec .
Till date i have never celebrated my birthday in the memory of this true friend ,,
RIP Bro.. I dont know why I remembered you today..
Because I Could Not Stop for Death
by Emily Dickinson
Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.
We slowly drove,
he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labour,and my leisure too,
For his civility
We passed the school where children played,
Their lessons scarcely done;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,We passed the setting sun.
We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.
Since then 'tis centuries;
but each Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses' heads
Were toward eternity.

My Humble Naryalwala Bandra Bazar Road

The moment I finish my walk at the MET Gardens Bandra Reclamation I walk in through a short cut from the Bandra Bazar Sunni Mosque greet the beef butchers and if time permits I shoot the greatest Garbage dump..there was a Bhumi Pujan and the placed look spotlessly clean but alas it was short lived it is as bad as it was before and I feel sorry for all the efforts dedicated by our MLA Advocate  Ashish Shelar ,, Today I walked about 4 km.

As I head towards home my Naryalwala coconut seller cuts open a new fresh coconut for me offers me coconut water , he charges me Rs 30 ..

I never drank Naryal pani before , I prefer drinking lots of water instead...I lead a very simple sedate life I yearn for nothing nor am I envious of people who I have seen become rich overnight .. I ask God to give them more ,, but I also ask God to instill compassion in their souls so they can truly help the poor and the hopeless.

But there is one thing if the Indian government allowed I would leave everything and go and fight the ISIS In Iraq.. I am not a soldier warrior but I would like to stand not just for the Shias but for the Yezdis , the Sunni tribes and all minorities that are facing this human degradation.. if we dont stand up for them now  than it will be too late  and this has nothing to do with Religion.. the one Religion that is way above everything is the Unborn child in its Mothers Womb .. He needs a better world a better tomorrow ,,

World powers watch the mayhem like eunuchs all scared of belling the cat.

Those Who Once Ate Beef Do Not Not Find Buffalo Meat Palatable

A ban is a ban is ban they can do nothing about it , eat it or dump it , today being Sunday the Bandra Bazar Beef Market looked like a morgue , deserted and  lonely .The beef butchers now buffalo meat sellers sat dejected ..even restaurant owners I am told dont buy this meat ,, most have shifted their beef items using chicken or mutton.
After eating beef for so many years , now trying to develop taste for buffalo meat might take a long time ,,,and ironically leaders who want  us to go eat beef in Pakistan should be the first one to be sent there and their pompous ass whipped ..There is no stopping BJP Motormouths ,, mouths that were only born as Mouths without Brains ,,,

And the company that blames its HRD trainee for the letter and the goof up thinks we Mumbaikar are chutiyas ,, I mean every employee follows and implements the company policy written and unwritten..I was lucky all my bosses were Hindus ,,and in introspection I am lucky I never worked for a Muslim boss ,.. and I dont consider my stints in Muscat as  Muslim boss as they were more racist as Arabs than as Muslims towards people of Indian  origin..

The only Muslim boss I favorably worked for ever is Me ,, and at all times it was my Hindu employee who headed my vision and plan.

The one aspect remains if any employee ever  harassed me , troubled me invariably it  was my Muslim employee ,,,yes I am retired now but if I was to hire some one it would not be on caste color or creed only on Merit ,, politicizing this issue is unnecessary and shows as Indians we are regressive and still living in the dark ages..