View allAll Photos Tagged Mumbaikar
juhu beach
the sun god beckons
on chhath puja day
the bihari manoos
comes here to pray
the children
in the water play
on the beach front
the loudspeakers
politically bray
everyone
has something to say
to you and me
it might sound slightly cliche
jai maharashtra
jai mumbaikar
in every possible way
on the dias
mr sanjay nirupam
holds the public in a sway
metallic metaphoric munificence
of little feet made of clay
the yagh for peace harmony
as fires burn away
thalis of fruits flowers
offered to the sun god
as a memorable bouquet
biharis maharashtrians
as Indians on display
chhath puja
a day of love of hope
as message to convey
mr lalu prasad yadav
hugging
mr raj thackeray
mending broken fences
is more important
as single thought today
lets be united
one and all
without any delay
jai maharashtra
jai bihari manoos
jai mumbaikar
jai hindustan
the only way to say
law and order
we must all obey
if as Indians
in India we have to stay
89,926 items / 544,883 views
The crowds are restless, hot tempered, looking for a fight, having waited hours to get in through a serpentine wait in the rains, in the heat and dust.
So seeing me shooting some wanted me to finish and move out as I was in their way, ahead of me was a barricade that I crossed once to meet Raju Langewal who had invited me to shoot ..I also shot the crowd that soothed their excitement, some wondered who this colorful barefeet blogger was, in Mumbai very few people know what a blogger is..I talk strictly at the grass root level ..
Women here I found were really aggressive and the few stood tamely, there were many scenes of scuffles, but otherwise almost everyone was here to partake in this omnipotent moment of Mumbai street spirituality, this place is a street on normal day with provision shops on both ends.. this is a path that leads to the Lalbagh Cha Mandir.. in the complex.
The most important feeling that I absorbed was waiting for sevearal hours in the queue and finally getting a look or darshan of the Lord.
I could not stop shooting and I was fasting I was barefeet , but I was a part of this moment a precious moment of recording the Moods of Lalbagh Cha Raja.
I thought of collecting some prasad for my Hindu friends , but it was just not possible being pushed from all sides, my feet trampled and my body crushed by the crowds..
The volunteers of Lalbagh Cha Raja are people from the complex , from around the vicinity, very hardworking , polite and cool , though some lose their heads , otherwise I take my hats off to them for the noble work they do..
Mr Satish Khankar is the new head of the Mandal..I could not see the older one Mr Sunil Joshi.. The Mumbai Police were doing an excellent job.. security was tight but had a human face..
Even the cops close to the pandal were having darshan of the favorite Lord..The greatest Mee Mumbaikar after all.
Mahim ka Mela @ Mahim Bandargaah, Mahim, Mumbai, Maharashtra - India
When one wants to document the city in the manner and the ways one wants to and if one is stopped from using the right camera and lens for a particular shot .. thn one has no other option but to use ones cellphone to capture the scene ...
i think and feel that the future of 'street photography' lies in these cell phones ... iphone has already got its title iphonegraphy ... i give Samsung the title of Samsungography ...
shot with Samsung Galaxy S III.
As Lady Luck
Would have it
I was born at
The house of
My maternal
Grandfather Daroga Nabban Sab of Lucknow
At a very young age I came to
Bombay.. Me Ata
Mumbaikar Ahey
Don't ask my why
And how...
Nursing a diabetic toe 8 months in bed as wife watches with raised eyebrows
Disabled thrown
Out of Instagram
I was a beggar poet I am still a poet now.
#instagramcensorship
#beggarpoet
I met a little kid and older than this girl and he calls me computer photographer , he saw my pictures on the net , I was in a hurry so I did not pay much attention to him.. but his words stuck to my soul.
I dont give copies of my pictures to people I shoot if I did I would be bankrupt by now as I have 139823 images on the net all at Flickr.
All shot of people and places my mind has visited I shoot my surroundings , my Mumbaikar ethos as only certain situations find me leaving the city where I live .
I shot more pictures last year than this year last year a single month like August 2009 I had shot over 7000 photo blogs in a month.
This year I am low profile and less prolific in my uploads to Flickr .
I cross blog some of my posts to Blogspot Wordpress where I have my web presence but the other tw places are Facebook and Twitter .
I had a site Firoze Shakir .com I surrendered it I could not afford the steep yearly charges .
And I blog to keep myself awake to the reality of my soul my angst so to speak and in a few minutes I will begin my 18 fast down below my house I can hear the voice of the Awakeners calling out to wake up for the fast but I am too tired and sleepy to go down and shoot them.
And life has not been very kind to me always attacking me when I least expected it and has almost flattened me out , the blogging process makes me empty out my pain through pictures softly silently.
Another place where I ink my blogs from Flick is Indivine at Indi Bloggers a group of Indian bloggers led by Renie Ranvin..A nice place to learn about blogging with a very vibrant forum that has versatile bloggers from all walks of life their inputs their love blogging is astonishing and holistically healing to say the least.
And I got an Invitation to shoot the Dahi Handi at Than by a young enterprising lad Purvesh Sarnaik son of Pratap Sarnaik leader of Shiv Sena part in Thane.
I had shot the world record breaking Dahi handi the nine teared one by the Talwadi Mitra Mandal of Mumbai.
But leaving Dadar is an idea I cant take up, I shoot Ranade Road or other areas of Dadar in the day time barefeet dressed in saffron and Dahi Handi is the best time to meet other street photographers both from media and my camera club PSI of India Mumbai
My friend Raju Langewal of Lal Bagh Cha Raja wants me to come and shoot hi Dahi Handi too..and I dont have wheels and it is tough getting cabs on Gokul Ashtami.
And I shall miss my Nikon AF 2'8 80- 20 Lens that I sold ff to shoot Ajmer Sharif.
I was really broke my business in the slumps this year and last year too.. and the year before last too.
My computer broke down I blog on my sons spare computer till I get a new one which will take some time I type with a single finger of my permanently damaged right hand..
A blog is a river of words that once it flows it touches shores of another mans Mind and Imagination...
The moment you enter Ajmer for the annual Urus of the Holy Saint Khwajah Garib Nawaz , beggars start appearing , they just come out of the blue mystically too .
If like me you prefer to walk to the Dargah through the narrow winding back lanes that lead you to the gates of the Dargah , you will keep meeting them with every stride you take.
And the beggars at Ajmer during the annual Urus come in all size shape and deformity and if like me you prefer shooting beggars than it is here that your journey into pain starts.
Whether the beggars are part of a Beggar Mafia or organized begging I dont know , but being a pucca street smart Mumbaikar I know you simply just cant sit on the street and beg unless you grease the local goon who pushes the envelop upwards to the cops and others in Mumbai lingo it is called Hafta .
Begging thus becomes a business like hawking ..an illegal beggars zone and begging is a necessity at pilgrimage spots ,for that huge Indian misplaced emotion called Charity.
Even the change collected by the beggars is handed over to the money changers for a fee , this change is given to the devotee for giving it back to the beggars for a nominal fee .
Ajmer Sharif during the Urs is a Market of Beggars and also a Market of Thieves , pick pocketeers by simply looking at you they know what you are carrying and with razor sharp mind they cut your pockets very easily.
When the thief is caught he gets hammered by the cops they take him into custody but I am told they let him off with a warning taking away all the loot that he may have hidden on his person.
Ajmer Sharif has a large number of drug addicts gardalus brown sugar users and this is the reality that is seen without using my camera.
But my subject is beggars and as you climb up from Ajmer towards Taragadh you meet beggars lepers , young kids forced into begging by the parent , very small children are rented out , after drugging them and it is a lucrative art form for generating sympathy and more money too.
A few blocks away from Dhai Djinn Ka Jhopda there is a mound where the beggars stay in makeshift tents along with the rifai and malang groups ..some of the beggar girls are extremely beautiful and vulnerable ,, money is the name of the game.
And sadly neither the Dargah authorities or the cops can control crime as they are busy keeping the peace law and order during the most crowded Muslim pilgrimage of India.
And I shoot beggars to show you the underbelly of society , there are couple with kids , the lady in a hijab who stand at a street corner pleading they were robbed and need money to go back home and you will find them every day at a new spot .
Than there are the fakirs who accost you , they are beggars too with their peacock feathers blessing you and almost breaking your back.
I beg too for a friendly beggar with contorted legs I have a beggar bowl I place it in front of me and I make a lot of money as the people at Dhai Djinn Ka Jhopda the place where my friend sits take my picture with their mobile phones ,.some think I am a holy man touch my feet some give me leftover food that I eat with my beggar friend .. Yes I shoot beggars and this is the chapter of my life when humility becomes the handmaiden of poetry.
There is a lot to see shoot at Ajmer and I have never shot the interior of Ajmer Sharif Dargah since they banned the camera in the Dargah premises . The Murids bring my camera till the Asthana of my host Peersaab Fakhru MIya I shoot the Hujra and their Chatti celebrations than the Murid hands me my camera outside the gates of the Dargahs.
I either go sit with my Malang Guru Masoomi Baba or head to Moti Katla to shoot the exotic hijras of Ajmer . Luckily I have access and most of them allow me to shoot them i the privacy of their rooms .. making all kinds of Katrina Kaif like poses .Hijras love Bollywood and some of the hijra damsels would give Bollywood a run for the money..
Shooting the hijra sandal on the streets of Ajmer Sharif is a tough one as I am barefeet and their dance and their Nakhras I have shot it all ,,,I have shot the hijra children and it is one time I enjoy being away from Mumbais heat and humidity ,, it is hot in Ajmer too no pun intended .. but if you like shooting people than Ajmer is the place I shoot Pushkar too I have two good friends and Raj Tilak an aspiring Bollywood actor , he has just done a role in a serial is an iron smith and all my kama head cutting daggers are from Pushkar ..the one I use is blessed by my friend at the Brahma Mandir ,, according to him every drop I shed for Imam Hussain becomes his drop too.
Among the lush green wilderness of Yeoor Hills; she rides away, enjoying every moment and reliving her childhood.
An hour away from hustle-bustle of Mumbai, on the edge of the sanjay gandhi national park in thane presinct, is this small secluded location (Yeoor Hill).
195,198 items / 1,586,713 views
Muslims in general all sects look forward to the bounty of Ramzan the most beautiful month of piety devotion in the Muslim calendar , this is one Month I document the lanes the fragrance of food Iftar time .. the awakeners who call out wake the rozdar to get up for the fast, the sairi .. in silence and the entire day stretches lazily, the kids also fast and are as exited about Ramzan..
Than in the evening the bursting of a cracker the Iftar begins people gathered on the roads the fruits dates etc on a cot and all sharing the bounty of Allah.. some open the fast in the Mosque.. the difference in Iftar time of the Shias and Sunnis is about a few minutes..
Later the Sunnis rush for Tarabi..when they return the kids play shuttlecock on the streets at one end guys huddled playing carom , other kids playing gully cricket.. and guys like me though I have yet to meet someone like me shooting the spirit of Ramzan.. barefeet wandering to catch the glow of love humanity on the cheeks of the rozdars.. the beggars at Iftar time waiting for leftovers .. Mind you Ramzan is a Holy Month of Charity too.. Booze smoking hookah all minor vices a few major ones will stop too..
And unheard of unwritten about a few Hindu friends who begin their fast with their Muslim brothers to show their solidarity as Mumbaikars Indians and late in the evening they too will break fast with the Muslims.. This is Ramzan a Peaceful time and the evil man among the Muslims unhappy with the world will blow up a Shia Shrine or a Sufi dargah and break the monotony killing the piety of a Holy Month.. continuing his agenda of Jihad.. for the greater good of his kind nurtured by the Rogue Mullah and Misplaced Martyrdom..
where hope lives
breathes among
all community
where harmony
is born free
religion not
held in captivity
mumbaikars
respecting
celebrating
each others
feast
living
amicably
when a muslim
or hindu gets
killed its the
soul of a mother
that bleeds profusely
free laptops is not the
answer to feared
modernity ,,, tears
on the soul of
muzzafarnagar
cry my beloved
country,,,,,
om namo omkhara
om namo ashta vinayaka
om shanti ...om shanti
#hindumuslimamity
#firozeshakir
#beggarpoet
12 September 2013
First shot taken of Baba's Dargah from the Nikon D3x and the tilt and shift lens ... and I am so happy ...
Shot with Nikon D3x @ Tilt shift lens - Nikkor PC-E 24mm
Iconic landmark. Besieged by terrorists during the 26/11 attacks and scarred by the events that unfolded then, this hotel and its employees are metaphors for the resilient come-hell-come-high water nature of the typical Mumbaikar.
it took me several months to decide whether i should upload this photograph as i was not sure about the crazy perspective of this visual .. but whenever i saw this pic in my folder .. i kinda liked it .. so here is Marine Drive in the most craziest perspective (thats wht i feel) ... rest leaving it for my friends to disect it hahahahahaha.
The Lord speaketh.
"Children of Adam, behold!
Respect my Gifts!
Gifts that I have bestowed and perfected from millions of years of evolution, Gifts of Nature.
Hold them close to heart,
for else they will seep away forever, never to come back.
Start to care about Nature !" :-)
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Its early morning but the Sun is already so intense, that it has clipped some of the highlights.
The Photo was taken with 18 mm,
however the curvature of the clouds, sea makes it feel more of a wide angle shot.
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We have been bestowed with such beautiful renditions straight wet from the artist Nature's canvas and alas we cant find enough time to step aside and admire the creation, understand the beauty.
I wonder whether the next generation would be able to see such treasured gifts, considering the eroding beaches, polluting seas, dying oceans, heating oceans are becoming a reality in this era itself. :-(
In the many bylanes of Fort,
there stand many who have seen more than half a century
Whilst it remains a mute spectator,
it remains witness to changes around it
from the Victorian-gothic and indo-saracenic buildings to the art deco ones to the neo-modern ones.
OldAge has yet to catch up
They are Young and Strong
They are the trees that provide canopy for all the roads in the Fort region.
our politics
a sordid
garbage mound
that stinks
after every
elections
in a quicksand
we sink
the poor grovel
at the feet of the rich
in jimmy choo and mink
our city is a friendly
color of pink
good looking guys
adam teasing
as they wink
our fucked fingers
to our fucked fate
we dont ink
our soul
manacled
to hypocrisy
homophobic hate
chains on
our feet
that clink
we live on
the edge
precariously
falling of
the brink
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Origin : Boat Hanger
Location : Janjira ,Murud,Raigad,MH
EDITING INFO_
Software used :Lightroom 4, Adobe PhotoShop CS6
Filters Used : _
Technique : _
TECHNICAL INFO_
Camera Model : Nokia n79
Lens Type : Carl Zeiss Teaser Lens
Mode : Landscape
An Indian girl enjoys the rain during a heavy downpour in Mumbai on June 6, 2008. Mumbaikars breathed a sigh of relief as the weather became cool and pleasant after spells of showers and pre-dawn rain. The monsoon season, which runs from June to September, accounts for about 80 percent of India's annual rainfall. AFP PHOTO/ Sajjad HUSSAIN
I shot the last day visarjan of the Ganeshas at Girgaum Chowpatty from 7pm till about 11.30 pm, I walked all the way from Girgaum Chowpatty to Chira Bazar shooting the various Ganeshas and I was in sheer pain as I had cut my feet walking barefoot a few days back to the pandal of Lal Bagh Chya Raja.
I was continuing with my Ramzan fast and in the morning I had wrapped my feet with cotton worn socks and shoes to shoot the Lal Bagh Chya Rajas journey out from his pandal, totally exhausted , dehyderated , but I wanted to share my pictures with all lovers of Lal Bagh Chya Raja.
When I left Chira Bazar for my parents home to stay the night over instead of going home to Bandra, I returned to Girgaum again at 4 am to shoot the last segment of Lal Bagh Chya Raja, but to my bad luck I was accosted by two Maharashtrian hooligans from Umerkhadi who caught me with my camera on the beach, and when they came to know I was a Muslim , it was hell, also I was wearing the Lal Bagh Chya Rajas cap.. that they objected took me to a Mumbai Police Inspector I showed him my Bandra Samachar card but he sided with the louts and had all my pictures deleted , and disheartened at this treatment I returned home in pain both of body and spirit.
Later I told Subash Solanki about the incident he advised me to send the sandisk card to him, and retrieved all my deleted pictures..
It hurts me with all my respect for the Mumbai police for their selfless work, long hours of duty, their selfless resolve to take care of law and order in terrorising times, not to be given a fair hearing because though I am a Muslim I am an Indian first and Ganesha is my cultural inheritance as much as a Hindus..
So I dedicate these pictures that had gone for good to Mee Mumbaikar spirit of Lal Bagh Chya Raja..I give back to him what I took from him.. his moments of glory and the lacs of people waiting for his darshan in the wee hours of the morning...
Time: 01:08:28.88 + 05:30 GMT
Part of Sequential Pics of the Lightning
Check the entire Lightning Set : Chennai Midnight Summer Storm
Date : 20, 21 May 2011 [Fri Night,Sat Morning]
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Hey Mumbaikar & olso all Indians . . .
The untold story of 2008's terrorist attack, in the words of its victims and the gunmen. The programme contains graphic images and descriptions of the atrocity which may upset some viewers. Produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker Dan Reed, Terror in Mumbai tells the story of what happened when 10 gunmen held one of the world's busiest cities hostage; killing and wounding hundreds of people while holding India's crack security forces at bay.
Featuring footage of the attacks and interviews with senior police officers and hostages, including the testimony from Kasab - the sole surviving gunman, Dispatches reveals what happened, hour by hour, from the perspective of the security forces, the terrorists, their masterminds and the victims.
so I request you to watch this video.
and tell us "what do you think ???"
your reply is very very important to us.
thanks.
Jai Hind , Jai Maharashtra
( This Video Produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker Dan Reed )