ALL INDIA FLORISTS

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We first met at the All India Hijda Sammelan Fashion Week..she called herself Simran..

I shot her walking the ramp .but than there was a massive flare up, Baby Hijra Guru who was running this event lost her cool with us we were just two photographers and Doordarshan that was covering the event.

She accused us of shooting the hijras while they were changing which was a blatant lie as we could not go on the stage or backstage , at least I was down below dressed in saffron..

So we were shown the door I came back the following day to Park Site Vikhroli to shoot some more I was told the event was called off.

I met Baby Hijra Guru by than she had found out about me the hijras have a powerful network..she offered me tea, and we had common friends Laxmi Narayan Tripathi her gharana had not attended the sammelan due to some issue..and Baby Hijra Guru chela of Ma Madhurima and I became friends for life.

Whether it was late Raigni Nayaks chautha Ajmer Sharif or my trips to Baby she took care of me and was highly impressed when I took my American friend Dr Glenn Losack to Haji Malang and he shared meals with them but only ate what my wife had given him in the tiffin box.

Simran I met at Ajmer again in 2008 I think and shot her at Moti Katla, while we were having chai, never met her again,

Most of the hijras I shoot I hardly know them the one who is a dear friend is the Hijra breast feeding mother Nisha she calls me Firoze bhai.

I dont take their contact numbers or ever try to get in touch with them perhaps Khushi from Mumbai is the only one I talk to once in a while.

And I must confess as blogger poet shooting hijras I am more comfortable with the beggar hijras at traffic signals or the beggar hijras in trains.. they are my main subjects and spirit of poetic profundity.

I got a message from Wordpress support there was an error in deleting of my Hijdaeunuchblogs my blogs are once again back from the dead but I will never make them public ever again for me Wordpress is over and done with , I have made all my other blogs out there PRIVATE ..

Even my Shia Blogs Shah Ast Hussain I will remove from the public sphere , those who want see my stuff will have to access it through Flickr only..which is actually the source of all my blogs poems and my rant.


So these posts you see here are old posts I am updating many had no titles or text...text only where applicable.

Hijras is a subject I have adopted as my blog thesis and I am showcasing their angst their struggle to come to terms with society.

Hijras are an integral part of human society..deserve the respect that is much overdue.. why we see them as criminals beats me we call terrorists those who bomb our beloved country and yet we apologetically call some Netaji the real culprits that have raped our country of its respect grandeur wealth and beauty. so who are terrorists and who are criminals defies human intelligence wit and wisdom is my interpretation as a beggar poet of Mumbai.

Good Morning..Kick Ass Move Along..

Here the Rafaee heads have honored me and Sakib the Florist with the scarves of the Holy Saint Makhdoom Shah Baba of Mahim.
The Sufis are peace loving human bonding messiahs of a mystical spirtuality that believes in mutual coexistence.
All are welcome , whether Hindu Muslim Christian or Jew.
The Sufi unlike the Jehaddi needs not fight for superiority of his Faith.
Sufis do not have Rogue Mullahs..Sufis do not teach Hate only Love .. pure and humanly simplified.
They are considered heretics like the Shias , by the radical elements of the majority community.It was Sufism that bought people towards Islam in the very beginning.
The Khwajah Moinuddin Chisty of Ajmer did single handedly for Islam what hordes of Islamic marauders could not do at the point of the sword..
Islam in India is a mixture of the local dialect of cultural civilization.
I am not a Sufi but respect its seamless fluid vitality and its inherent essence of Love for all irrespective of caste color or sect or creed.