Unlearning Photography

The most important thing in modern photojournalism the hackneyed attitude of photo editors must change ,,,the attitude changes if you have editors in the mold and caliber of Pablo Bartholomew I was lucky to imbibe something from him much before the desire of becoming a street photographer was born in my restless soul..I knew nothing about photography at all working as a fashion coordinator in the 80 s at Mudra Communications Court House Dhobi Talao ..watching him and others like Suresh Sheth , Suresh Cordo, Adrian Stevens , Chin Win Lee, Mr Oberoi of Daulat building Colaba , Nadish Naoroji Mr Shantanu Sheory, at work..helped me in more ways than one..
The earliest photographer 1955 was a guy called Dayal who came on a cycle , he stayed near Defense Cinema RC Church , he shot family pictures and did photo shoots for veteran actor Chandrashekar sab,,
Than in the 70s when I worked for the Burlington group at Oberoi Sheraton it was great old man Mr Ken Lynn society photographer ,,
Later when I joined Prachins a fashion store belonging to Mr Nitin Manmohan I met the famous Bollywood masters Rakesh Shrestha Harish Daftary and many others I had no interest at all in photography .. it came several years later to get rid of my alcohol dependence the mind doctor wanted me to get hooked to something more intoxicating I took up the camera very late in life ..the rest is all in my archives at Flickr ,, thanks to my camera club PSI my gurus Mr KG Maheshwari Prof Jatkar and Shreekant Malushte sir .
And the process of unlearning photography continues through my photographer friends mentor guides at Flickr ,, and I am inspired by young amateur photographers young new lot of photo journalists ,,this is the breath of fresh air we all need and I must reiterate it was the newspapers that pushed the envelop a step further to learn photography ..

God Save You From The Muslim Guys Who Play Cricket At MET Bandra Reclamation In the Evenings

Dressed in Miya attire they come to play cricket here on Sundays from the nearby localities and use filthy bad words , abusive language and I spoke to them but it is in their blood and this is how they represent Islam and their culture , this is what they learnt at home , this is perhaps what their Arabic teachers taught them . there are senior citizens , Muslim  women taking their walks but it does not matter to them.. I wish I could avoid this place on Sunday evenings but it is close to my house , even the watchmen are scared of them and their ruffian behavior ..I thought cricket was a gentleman's game even if Muslims played  it .. and there were educated guys among them one of the bearded skull cap guy had the cheek to tell me it happens sometimes ,, I wish it could happen in front of his elders his mother and his sisters ,, the common word they use is Ma ke Laude loudly shrieking  other offensive words that is an insult when it falls on our ears ..

Sare Jahan Se Acche Bandra Hamara Har Gali Main Kachra Yeh Gulistan Hamara

Khokla Pada Hai Yeh Swach Bharat Ka Nara .. BMC ne Kar Liya Kinara ..

Happy Birthday Benn Bell My Best Friend

a friendship with a buzznet beginning 

but no end on his auspicious birthday 

loads of blessings positive energy 

prayers well wishes to my friend i 

send he is an american i am an indian 

but on the soul of humanity we amicably 

blend he gets angry hates injustice a 

thorough gentleman benn my friend 

none like him on either end humanity 

at all costs he defends to the bell 

family love hope peace harmony 

i extend ..benn if you do visit india 

remember i will dress you up like me 

drive you all over mumbai round the bend

Once Upon A Time With Bajrangi Bhaijan

My friendship with Bhai happened much before he joined films I did the costumes of his first film a very long time back and as I had worked with Sangita Bijlani at Mudra I was the fashion co ordinator I knew him much before my tryst with Bollywood .
Than I did some of his stuff for Chal Mere Bhai ,,a film by Mr Nitin Manmohan.. and than Army during the lifetime of late Mr Mukul S Anand .
Last I did an ornamental waistcoat for his ad shoot when he called me over to his house met my Wife and Marziya Shakir my granddaughter 3 yer old at that time .
Later I met him again at his house when I was making two jackets for Salim sab for his friends son wedding..
I have not been to Galaxy since a long time now ,,,

The Beggar Poet Who Poeticizes The Pain Of Beggars

I Am What I Am But Not Spiritual Spam

my religiosity
my ideology
my sociology
my psychology
my spiritual vision
different from yours
same house but different
doors ..and windows
we may follow the same
faith but we are paths
diverging course,
a drop of tear from a
mothers eye  my ancestral
source ,,yes i am a shia
of course ..i dont have
to write it on my forehead
or cry out hoarse embedded
on the soul of my hearts poetry
is pain and remorse ..year after
year in black clothes with bleeding
heads we mourn a mothers loss ..
like the  Euphrates non stop
tears from the river of our eyes
on the soul of humanity flows
what i am who i am is between
god and me .. he surely  knows