The Filthy Rich Mans Camelot

From almost every place
in Bandra this monstrous
tower I have shot a very
intriguing story on a poor
mans plot ,,,built by an
emperor this concrete
Taj Mahal..on the soul
of the slumdwellers is
a blot..blow cold blow
hot..builder politician
nexus a moment time
forgot ...from its pigeon
hole windows the
 migrants shitting at
the shoreline of bandra
reclamation promenade
a moment could be
caught ,,,says a voice
of the rich mans
conscience shut the
fuck up so what

my new urban chaos poem

Naga Sadhus Of Juna Akhara Ujjain Kumbh

He was walking naked on the banks of the River Shipra I stopped him shot a few frames that I restricted from public view because of Flickr guidelines against frontal nudity ,, and I took this one shot to tell my story ,,

I did not talk to him at the Kumbh everything people moment move rapidly and because I too was dressed as a Sadhu he had no issue with my shooting him.

My entire wardrobe for shooting the Kumbh was saffron.. during the Shahi Snan and if you are with the Naga Sadhus in the procession the Naga Kotwals police pull you out if you are dressed in white ...

And this was my fourth Kumbh ...I was with my Naga Guru but aware of the Dos and Donts ,, though I was walking with my naked Guru as we headed to the River Shipra,

Faces Of India At The Ujjain Kumbh

Every face on the road leading to Bhuki Mata Mandir or the Temple Of Maha Kal has something to say ,,etched on the skin of the Sadhus face is the history of his race ,,,every minute detail every trace ..within and on the surface ,,,God is here God is there God is every place ,,,he waits on the Banks of the Shipra , a dip in the waters God he will embrace ,,,blessed by the saffron rays of the Sun...love and grace .

I spent hours on end shooting people ,,, I stopped some I cajoled pleaded but I shot faces ,,, I was re discovering photography once again I just wanted to penetrate the sanctity of the Sadhus eye ..his comic quest his cosmic destination... all at one time .

My Guru was perplexed when he walked with me and I shot the naked Naga Baba he chided me did you not shoot him yesterday ,,,why are you shooting him again.. I smiled I replied my camera cant resist shooting the Naga Sadhus .

And now as I write this my Guru must be resting after the  9 May Second Shahi Snan on the Shipra ,,I could not make it ,, my body is in Mumbai my disembodied spirit is in Ujjain.

Photography has not been merely shooting pictures it is a documentation of a way of life of the Naga Sadhus ,,

But at the same time I also need money to be at the Kumbh ,, I could not live empty handed on the hospitality of my Guru..

I fed the poor I tried to do as much as I could ,, and I cleansed myself in more way than one ,,,


There was a lot of things I wanted to do at the Kumbh but it was not possible in a few days ,,,


Getting a train ticket to Ujjain and back to Mumbai was very difficult ...

And I am not sure whether I will make it for the third final Shahi Snan on 21 May 2016.

The Nameless Devotees of Maha Kal Ujjain ,,,

I had decided this time at the Kumbh Mela Ujjain mostly to shoot the diverse faces of India ,,, and Hindu spirituality as it reflected from the faces of the people  I shot ,, I shot without method I shot impulsively ,,,and this was my first Ujjain Kumbh..

I was not into Akhara hopping ,, I lived with the Naga Sadhus in a tent that belonged to the disciple of Maha Mandleshwar Mahant Kalyan Giri ,,,Satyapalji who is the Guru of my Gurus Guru,

My Gurus tent was ready but Satyapal ji wanted us to stay with him..and my Guru Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj a scholar an ex teacher is a very simple man..you can gauge this from the very fact that I was his only Muslim disciple ,,,

And I have known him since my first Kumbh 2004 Nasikh,, through him I shot the Maha Kumbh,..the last Nasik Kumbh 2015 and Ujjain is my fourth Kumbh.


As my genre is people and street photography I would stand on the road near my Akhara and shoot people as they passed by .. as I was dressed as a Sadhu ,, many obliged ,,,

But shooting the Naga Sadhus needs tact as they can be very aggressive volatile towards the hands that wield the camera ..I had my crazy moments a Naga Sadhu chasing me with a stick.. he was only comfortable with foreigners shooting him.. I obviously could not dole out dollars ,,, and most of the Naga Babas blatantly seek money.. which really did not bother me ..


Even if I do not go for the last Shahi Snan on 21 May.. I shot a lot and of late I prefer shooting videos to stills ,,,I search for hardcore footage and I shot a lot of Ling Kriya with a spear with a sword .. Ling Kriya of Naga Sadhu pulling a car ,, and most of my images are restricted ,, from public view because of frontal nudity at Flickr .

Ling Kriya is Penile Yoga..at the Maha Kumbh Allahabad  I shot
a Naga Sadhu pickinhg up a 25 kg boulder with his penis ,,, lol


Its Time Flickr grew up I mean the nudity of the Naga Sadhus does not hit you in the face nor is it obscene but yes as I follow Flickr rules regulations I have moderated my Naga Sadhu images accordingly ,,

Unhappy Mothers Day...

a muslim beggar mother
even god wont hear her
prayers ..every friday at
bandra into the darkness
she stares ..reliving her
childs nightmare ,,at
the market square
a unique pair,,,
the childs name is
najmus saher ,,,
the youngest beggar
earning by the sweat
of her brow..where
angels fear to dare

My tryst with Naga Sadhus

When I was a little child growing up at Wodehouse Road ..my Hindu house maid Aiee would take us to the Cuffe Parade narrow stretch of a beach,,, and this place would be crowded as a Naga Sadhu standing on one leg ,, on a swing had dug holes in the sand and had turned salt water into sweet water miraculously ,, this was my earliest encounter with Naga Sadhus and my fascination for Hindu mysticism asceticism ,

I never forgot him and than in 2004 I set out alone to shoot the Nasik Kumbh at Ramkundh I made several trips shoot the Shahi Snan .... But it was Trimbakeshwar that had me hooked forever in the same year ,, it was here I met a simple Naga Sadhu Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj 13 Madi Juna Akhara ..I shot the Trimbakeshwar Shahi Snan ..we stayed in touch as he lived in his Ashram near Film City Goregaon.

Thanks to him I began documenting the Maha Kumbh Allahabad 2013 .. I shot extensively ,and it was here during the Basant Panchami Shahi Snan I shot His Holiness Swami Avdesh Anandji.. I met a lot of Godmen including Chandraswamiji. and others ,, I met the Godman of Photography Mr Raghu Rai here at the Maha Kumbh ,, he shot me I shot him.

I shot the Maha Kumbh and returned to Mumbai and was than invited in 2015 to the Nasikh Kumbh Trimbakeshwar by my Naga Guru,, here too during the Shahi Snan I shot Swami Avdesh Anandji who was surprised that dressed in saffron that I was a Muslim monk.. he gave me his card with his picture that I hung around my neck to shoot the Ujjain Kumbh 22 April Shahi Snan .. and this time I took a dip in the River Shipra after my Naga Guru..I took his permission to stay back at the Ramghat and was lucky to shoot Swami Avdesh Anandji taking the Holy Dip along with his horde of followers .

We spoke for a short while and he said keep up the good work.

I was invited for the Ardh Kumbh Hardwar but I could not make it ,, I could not run away from my work or my responsibilities ,,and this love of photography serves as sweet nectar of a hobby,, nothing more nothing less .. no money no fame no gain ..

But it is my way of promoting Hindu Muslim amity ,, Oneness in India as my mothercountry ,,

Without my Naga Guru it would have not been possible living in the same tent with the Naga Sadhus ,, and sadly all Naga Sadhus are not educated understanding as my Guru ,, I met some bigoted Naga Sadhus too ,, but despite their overt aggression they did not intimidate me at all .

My Guru left for the second Shahi Snan 9 May ,, he knew I could not make it ,,he hoped I come for the last one . I shot over 5000 images 60 videos so it hardly matters if I dont get a chance to go.. but I have one wish to shoot Maha Shivratri with my Naga Guru at Junagadh ,,,

I dont know if I will live long for the next Maha Kumbh ,, but I enjoyed every moment till it lasted ,,, and my Sadhu imagery has nothing to do with photography ,, it is my way of telling the story of the greatest event in the Hindu world ,,

And forgive me I still think neither Mr Akhilesh Yadav Or Mr Azam Khan ..The Maharashtra CM or the Madhya Pradesh CM can really hold the Kumbh Mela it needs a professional event management unit and a very strong international disaster management team.

The Make in India at our Kumbh Melas never works ,, for more reasons than one ,, I also feel sorry for the foreign tourists photographers that are shabbily treated by the authorities and others cheated robbed ,, it hurts ,,

Devo Atithi Bhava is merely cosmetic during the Kumbh Mela even we Indian photographers sometimes are treated like a piece of shit ,,,only media gets away laughing all the way to the bank.

My Flickr Collection Tamil Marriammen Feast in Mumbai

Marriammen Collection