Our Heritage Has Gone To Seed

squirming in their graves
in their samadhis our
freedom fighters our
ancestors who from the
scourge of the british
had us freed,, to hand us
over to corrupt leaders
a corrupt system built on
greed ..the british built
monuments bridges
did some good deed
we build to destroy
nature the poor with
towers of babel by
those with hands in the
cookie jars that lead
making billions in
the name of the hapless
dalit still an untouchable
for self respect equality
justice he pleads ..he is
still cobbling shoes of
the richman cleaning toilets
washing clothes has still
not learnt to write or read
rascals crooks madarchods
we breed ..who rape sodomize
throw acid on women burn
them for dowry evil seed
we are hypocritical racists
intolerant to the other mans
caste and creed ..indians are
the worst enemies of mother
india ..looting her every day
no remedy ..15 august on our
independence day unfurling
the national flag we become
indians or we are hindus on
diwali christians on xmas
only muslims on both the eids

They Call Me Camerewale Bawa In Ajmer .. They Think I Heal People With My Camera

wide eyed
they stare
at my attire
my chunky
rings my hair
both zanjirwale bawa
me an unusual pair
he with his chains
me with my camera
held captive in a cosmic
lair at ajmer sharif universal
spiritually mystic fair .. people
seeker lost souls come here
from everywhere ..the timid
the soft spoken the possessed
those who dare to exorcise
the demons their nightmare
the hijra the shamans the mystics
the gora photographers blonde fair
the dam madar malangs with black
turbans dread head long lengthy hair
everyone here has some sorrow to share
the camera does heal i solemnly swear
ajmer the city of peace hindus muslims
on par breathing the same godly air

beggars crippled limbless lepers blind
ones little urchins scared the lady with
 two faces all caught in a snare .. i touch
them through the circle of confusion my
humility my piety devoid of any conceit
my love my flair ..the great humble saint
garib nawaz lord of the poor who cares

next year lets meet with the malangs at ajmer

Rashid Bawa .. Challenged God To Become A Woman Of Substance

oh god
you are not
perfect you
know it so do
i i wanted to
be born as
a woman
my prenatal
request you
denied god
you played a
fast one on
me you took me
for a ride but i
challenged your
verdict i became
a woman a dancer
full of pride every
trinket on my feet
reechoing my pain
my cry.. i wanted
to cut my wrist i
solemnly wanted
to die ..a pain my
padded bosom was
unwilling to hide
if god you had a
heart of a woman
you would know
my feelings my
androgynous soul
split open wide
god because i
could not find
a man worthy of
me i became your
unrepentant bride

Every Picture I Shot An Elusive Moment I Caught

i am a photographer
self taught fuck F stops
from the ocean of memories
feelings i bought .the poor
mans dreams his cosmic
plot .. the man within the soul
of his surroundings in humility
i shot monks malangs beggars
that rot ,,reality hardcore on
sanctity a blot ..it was this the
fear in his eyes i sought as he
awaited death to reach out to
his destiny tied up in knots

i could only shoot what god
wanted me to shoot he chose
the time he chose the moment
the ideal spot ,,whispering in
my ears when you become a
big man see that you forget
them not ,,barefeet kissing
mother earth humid and hot

She Cleans Gutters For Gold ,, The Girl Childs Story Unfold

in gutters near
jewelry shops
workshops
with a brush
she searches
for particles
of gold her
parents edict
she must do
what she was
told or they
will beat her
scold ..working
endlessly without
rest from dawn
to dusk her lost
childhood on hold
no toys no barbie
no school no education
she will be married away
to another scavenger
dirty and old giving
birth to another girl
child out in the cold

at the moment
vulnerable she waits
for hope on the threshold

Good Bye Mr KG Maheshwariji ,,You Were In A Greater Hurry Than Me

These are pictures shot  as symbolic salute to a great painter of Light .And these pictures I shot for those followers lovers admirers of Mr KG Maheshwari who are not aware of the passing of a great legend ,, and sadly my country India remembers them only after they have passed away never to return.

He was placed on a bier in his favorite suit , and in hands he held his work Silver Memories this was a picture I would have loved to shoot and share only his creative hands and his creativity and does creativity die I dont think so.

The Maheshwari family is linked to the Birla family and Mr Maheshwari as a young man spent time here with the Mahatma at Birla House .

He was a strict disciplinarian but he was never rude or offensive once I was telling a gathering at my Club PSI that I had bought the Nikon D80 on a loan, he got off his chair and said hobby should be kept as a hobby you take loan for business and shut me up.

And he loved me all the same and would tell me that one could find KG Maheshwari , but out will come all my pictures on Google Search.

In spite of his poor health he came and visited me at my studio and told me he would get a blazer stitched by me ..I felicitated him and Mrs Maheshwari with a shawl and silver coin.
He came to my son Asifs wedding perhaps it was his blessings that Marziya Shakir the youngest street photographer was born.

I was the first one to reach Tiny Heights and broke down twice  I could not see him silently dead.. and I condoled Mrs Maheshwari  her strength conviction kept him alive she was his anchor .. she kept him afloat when the big waves came .

His Son Kamal Sab told me he the end was peaceful it came in the night ,,the entire family saw him move away from this world into Param Lok.

Maybe I did not really learn Photography the Mahehwari way but I sat for him as model.. and learnt the finer things that go beyond shooting , he was a very rich man but frugal he used bedsheets as reflectors , and a single main light , the same camera Mamiya 330 and the same tripod 50 year old . but he was not a miser , he just did not like the waste and the cravings for new equipment .

Mr Plahha serviced his cameras late Mr BW Jatkar was his Boswell he was Samuel Johnson and I was part of this trinity .
We sent our entries to camera salons and it was great fun.. he loved my granddaughter Marziya Shakir and her photography and his wish was once he got over his debility I should bring her home .. my earlier visits were at Maheshwari House and once he shifted to Tiny Heights this was my first visit sitting in the departure lounge.

Most of those who were there to send him off were his relatives , friends family from the photography fraternity Mr Prasad Pawaskar , Viinay Parelkar , Atul Chaubey Shridhar from PSI. Mr Rajen Makharia Mr Parpia and many others all teary eyed he had touched us all with his humanity and his humility ,,

I followed the cortege from Tiny Heights to Banganga crematorium.. The body left for Banganga at 3.30 after the various rituals were performed by his son grandson great grandson.

I could not see the state of Mrs Maheshwari but she strong till the end and I sat at her lotus feet begged her forgiveness for breaking down at his body and my emotional outburst ,and this is for those who were there at his funeral in spirit but not in body.

RIP Guruji
RIP Babuji
RIP Dronacharya
RIP Maheshwariji

End Of A Long Journey Mr KG Maheshwari RIP 1922 - 2014

Great humble photographer Mr KG Maheshwariji passed away last night at his house in Mumbai.
I was informed of his sad demise by good friend Mr KJothady.
I reconfirmed the same from his family and shall be going to his funeral from Napean Sea Road today at 3 pm.

I had not met Mahehwariji since many years but we kept in touch via phone ,, his failing health  was the key cause that kept him away from the Intenet too. Maheshwariji in his nineties was a passionate blogger and a friendly soul.

I offer my condolences to his family his wife the backbone of his long journey Kamal Babu Kartike and his immediate family .
Om Shanti Om, May His Soul Rest in Peace ..

About .Mr KG Maheshwari  Hon. FIIPC, ARPS, APSA, Hon. FIP, Hon. NPPA

Born on November 2, 1922, Maheshwari’s interest in Photography as a hobby began from his school days. His father wanted him to take up Music as hobby and a teacher was asked to come and audition the boy at home. But the result was disappointing when the teacher declared that the boy did not have the kind of voice. A pragmatic boy decided to take up Photography as his hobby, instead. His father used to subscribe to Illustrated Weekly and young Maheshwari used to diligently go through the pages devoted to photography. He started with a Box camera when in school. Later on, he acquired a Rollie, a Leica M3 and a Mamiaflex 330.
In 1938, P. J. Patel of Central Camera asked him to send his photographs for a competition organized by Niharika Camera Pictorialists of Gujarat and he won a prize in the Beginners Section. This is how he really got interested in photography.
He did not go through any formal training in photography, as there was none such available. Circumstances around him favoured by putting him into close contact with people who were advanced photographers – people who were mature in the art and practice of photography like late Jehangirjee Unwalla, the doyen of Indian Photography and late Burjorji Fanibunda, and he acknowledges that he learnt the real technique of pictorial print making from these great practitioners. In 1941 he got married and as things could happen his wife Shanti not only encouraged him to continue practising his pet hobby to the fullest but so to say, shared it by giving her utmost might and main to his hobby of making pictorial photography a part of their lives.
He has been regularly participating in both National and International Exhibitions. His efforts in achieving perfection in photographic art earned him the Associateship of the ‘Royal’ in 1946. He has over 1600 Salon acceptances and around 400 awards (shields / plaques / medals: gold, silver, bronze / certificates of merit).
Besides these, various Photographic Organizations in India and abroad as detailed below have also honoured him:

1946 Enrolled as an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain - A.R.P.S.
1975 Conferred by the Photographic Society of India - its highest honour -The Honorary Life Membership
1985 Elected Honorary Fellow by India International Photographic Council
1989 Photographic Society of Madhya Pradesh Honours among nine eminent camera artists of India.
1990 Honorary Fellow of the Photographic Society of the University of Mississippi - F.P.S. (Univ).
1992 Elected Associate of the Photographic Society of America - A.P.S.A.
1992 Conferred Honorary Membership of India International Photographic Council for life time achievement and unparalleled service in the field of photography.
1995 Conferred BIMB’s highest honour for excellence in photography “CHHAYARATNA”
1996 The R. A. Acharya Memorial Photographic Club bestowed its Honarary Membership.
1998 Awarded Gold Certificate for notable achievements as an exhibitor by India International Photographic Council’s Grading Division.
1998 The International Award presented for life time achievements in the national and international fields of photography by India International Photographic Council.
2000 Conferred Hon. Fellowship by Image Colleague Society International Ltd., California, USA for outstanding contribution to photography.
2000 Felicitated by the Photo Journalist Society promoting in Jodhpur, India, for his contribution in Indian Photography at their 20th FIP Convention, 2000.
2002 Bestowed the Hon. Membership of National Pictorial Photographic Academy, Mumbai in recognition of singular and meritorious services for the cause of photography.
2003 Conferred Hon. Life Membership by Photographic Association of Bengal, Kolkata.
2003 Issued IIPC ‘Platinum’ Grade Certificate by India International Photographic Council.
2004 Conferred 8th ‘Photographic Charchaa Samman’ for lifetime achievements.
2005 Conferred Hon. Life Membership for contribution in the art and science of photography in the country by East Calcutta Photographic Association, Kolkata at the celebration of its golden jubilee in the year 2005.
2007 Conferred Hon. Membership by the Photographic Society of Pune for life time achievement and unparallel services in and to the art of photography.
2009 Enrolled Hon. F.I.P. by Federation of Indian Photography.
2010 Photo Division, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, G.O.I. conferred 1st National Photo Award 2010 for Life Time Achievement for his Outstanding Contribution to the growth and development of Indian Photography.

He has been on the panel of judging of several National and International Exhibitions and is a member of the Honors Committees of Photographic Society of India and the India International Photographic Council.
A collection of his photographic work spanning over four decades was published in a book form entitled ‘PRINTS AND IMPRINTS’ by the Birla Academy of Art and Culture, Calcutta.

He has been contributing articles to various photographic journals and submitting papers at seminars. Till date, he has conducted more than ten workshops on ‘Pictorial Portraiture’ both by natural light – outdoors and artificial light – indoors. From 1994 to till last millennium, he has topped the list of national exhibitors in the Monochrome Pictorial Prints section.
(Text: D. C. Bhachech,)


Born 1922 Died 4 December 2014