I Cried For I Had No Gloves Till I Found A Boy Who Had No Hands

The Boy Without Hands

Among all the beggars in Ajmer Sharif , that I shoot prolifically , this boy without hands eludes me , I search for him , but this year I did not find him..and strangely I think he searches for me too , its a cosmic bond based on the austerity of silence.

I have never talked to him ,and I when I did shoot him it is rapidly as I am barefeet and my feet burn , and once I shot him when I was leaving Ajmer .

Who is he .? What is his name I dont know ? Will somebody the very rich influential that come to Ajmer spend lacs of rupees buy him prosthetic arms I dont know.

Man is a hardened animal..his only interest is himself.. in Mumbai the other person who appeals to my inner angst is Appu , he is a stump of a torso without hands without legs.

Shooting beggars is not the easiest of enterprise every shot kills a part of you inside , it kills me ..I much change I try not to talk to beggars it would break the rhythmic rhapsody of a divine moment , call it my callousness but I am trying to now talk to the beggars I shoot a few words of comfort , money everyone gives who gives comfort solace.

The upper echelons of fine art photographers look down upon us for shooting beggars , giving a bad name to the country , and who really gives a bad name to the country i dont need to answer , silence should suffice.

And I must remind you cops local hoodlums all make money off the beggar and it is pure business ..thee is no human sentiment at all.

All the beggars give a share to the local hood he collects keeps his bit rest is handed over to the agents of evil in power .its a game played without asking questions.

To give dignity to my passion for shooting beggars I call myself a beggar poet I too am a beggar and a word juggler who passes himself off as a poet.

People like me could never be part of a press , or a group, or an anjuman.. being stupidly self  willed and fiercely independent .

And photography is a catharsis for the pain that is part of the  soliloquy of my soul and its silhouette too.

The Boy Without Hands .

kate hue hathon se mangte hain hum
kate hue hathon se mangta hai tu
beech sadak par baithkar doosron
ko rasta dikhata hai tu zindagi ki
guftugu..zalim yeh kaisi bagawat
ki bu. ruhbaru..


i shot him
a part of
me died
it was not him
but
god sitting
begging
on the roadside
just humility
no grandeur
no pride
a road narrow
a bit wide
i was
tongue tied
to shoot him
or not to shoot him
i could not decide
i feel pain
i was tear eyed
if this is life
it will be my
one time ride
my mouth gagged
my own hands tied
something
was burning
my entrails
inside
 cacophonous
chaos
outside
i looked up
at heavens
said
Allah
provides
fate
the master
my life divides
silence
was an
 echo
muted
melancholy
 replied
you were
born to reveal
what this
 world hides

Garib Nagar Khuda Hafiz Goodbye

her hopes
her dreams
beneath
the rubble lie
time and again
she asks god why
she gets no reply
she is hurt but she
trusts god her loved
ones did not die
memories all
washed away
in a gutter nearby
no roof over head
no belongings
only the clothes
on her body
the silhouette of
the hijab
her armor
her protection
her standby
her children
see the debris
bad luck  bhai
once self
 dependent
now beggars
broken wings
that lie
 soiled
sullied
as they dry
garib nagar
khuda hafiz
goodbye
trears
on the soul
of a beloved city
mumbai

god forbid
if this happened
in a rich mans tower
there would be
immediate help
immediate response
a greater outcry
such is the scales
of justice lopsided
for the poor the rich guy

Bidding Farewell To Lord Ganesha At Juhu Beach

While everyone among the photographer biradri go to Girgaum Chowpatty on the 7 th Day Immersion , or Visarjan of Lord Ganesha .. I normally made my way to Juhu Beach as it close by  and there are no cops hassling you not to go in the waters and most of the beach lifeguards know me also the portrait photographers at the beach.

And for a street photographer Juhu beach is ideal to get close up shots the Visarjan ambiance the artis and even the Hijras from nearby suburbs come here on this very auspicious day for the Hindus.

There is a plethora of passion , emotions and a festivity mood to be shot , and another day I come here is on Gauri Visarjan.. the 5 th day,,and I love shooting her in her finery and Gauri differs in look with every section of Hindu society , the Kolis dress her like a Koli , the South Indians Madrasis dress her in their style and she is very elegant stoic and touches everyone..I gave up booze several years back on a Gauri Visarjan day so this immersion means  lot to me , and I shoot Gauri at Lalbagh before she is bought from the shops out there.

I feel the best way of learning photography is to shoot Indian festivals , shoot everything every religion , thereby removing your blinkers and maybe the pictures you shoot of a certain religion might turn out better with your vision .. I always felt this way when shooting the Church or the Hindu feasts including the Maha Kumbh simply because these rituals are a novelty to our psyche and we see and shoot it differently.

Nerjis Asif Shakir And Lucky The Labrador

Nerjis is scared of goats , and wary of dogs , though when she was very young Lucky was her best friend as she grew older , she became more ambivalent to his existence .. she watches him from far and will call him out but thats it.

But Lucky has bee part of their growth..both Marziya and Nerjis.

And I still think animals need love and telepathically select and seek out friends mostly children..

Marziya Shakir And Lucky The Labrador

Lucky and Marziya have literally grown up together , he was a pup belonging to Omkar Shelar son of Advocate Ashish Shelar.

Marziya bossed over him from a very early age , and amazingly Lucky was so well behaved that he never jumped or barked , when Marziya came back from holidays he would eagerly wait for her and Marziya gave him her share of biscuits .

As Marziya grew he watched her from far , and these are photos I documented of their friendship..and Lucky is still around . six years from the first time I shot him with Marziya .

So animals have a very special bonding with kids ,,and in another part of a world away thousands of miles away from Marziya and Lucky in Ann Arbor was Jeff Lamb eminent photographer and his dog Sonny ,, who would favorite Marziyas and Luckys pictures ,and this was another form of Love , a mystical love today Jeff is no more alive but his love for my grand daughter has given a tremendous ethereal strength I have tears in my eyes as I wrrite these words and really this post is dedicated to Jeff andLeyla Lau-Lamb.

They say Faith moves Mountains I think only Love can move Faith from one continent to another ,, Miss You Mate ,, Take Care