Bullock Cart Race Alibagh

Date: 11/23/2005

Bullock Cart Race at Alibag..Maharashtra India.
Just across the harbour about an hour and half by boat that you take from the Gate Way of India jetty is the picturesque town called Alibag.. a beachcombers paradise ..it has a derlict fort of the Marathas.During Holi the Festival of Colors they have a Bullock Cart race it is a sight people from all parts of Mumbai and Pune come too see..I come here year after year.. park myself at my friend Jayant Dhulap s house who is a Photo Journalist for Indian Express , wife Mrs Dhulap works as journalist for Saamna.. little daughter Abha is a beauty,, a champ of kick boxing karate abou 8 yrs old a marathon runner too.
This is family I take Aflatoons a sweet for Abha who is crazy about them.. I lunch on freshly caught and cooked cocnut fried fish.. chutney Marathi delights.
The only fuck up is that this event comes during Moharram.. it is during the time I have walked on fire the sand getting into the burnt feet troubles me… I am a daring guy rushing blindly so the possibility of being run over by the bullocks is another problem..they go from the starting point to the end of the beach take a turn.. back.. the animal activists want to put a stop to this because the stick meant to goad the bullocks has nails embedded
you will laugh the prize money is chicken shit but it is the euphoria of winning each bullock costs about Rs 5 lacs is fed trained..run the circuit,,in Raigad district Maharashtra.
Lots of photographers here come learning pannig , action photography.
I am very famous here .. the fishermaen,,as this is a fishing village think I am some Hot Shot guy from abroad.. I learnt panning here but got tired of it.. the guy who introduced me to this sport is one of my gurus called Mr Shreekanth Malushte who taught me basic photography 4 years back..his daughter is in theUS.
He runs Photographic Classes , I give introductory talks on the Internet Blogs..

Filed under: Uncategorized , Bullock Cart Racing at Alibagh Murud

Bullock Cart Race Alibagh

11/23/2005 6:10 AM Visits: 100
Date: 11/23/2005 Time: 08:02 AM Visits: 88

the race from the starting point…

 

bazookiss: 11/23/2005 6:54 AM That is an incredible shot! It is so much fun people watching.

drunkgeko: 11/24/2005 6:05 AM That’s a big tide you have here…

Filed under: Uncategorized , alibag, bullock cart race

Bullock Cart Race Alibagh

Date: 11/23/2005 Time: 04:47 AM Visits: 153

Before the Bullock Race can start , they have a cycle race a tonga race , a horse race , finally the much awaited bullock cart race, these are old pictures , the ones I shot this year 2007 , I have yet to work on and post.

Filed under: Uncategorized , alibag, bullock cart race

Bullock Cart Race Alibagh

11/23/2005 5:47 AM Visits: 109

silhouette ..bullock cart race

This was also shot from the top.. there are hotels on the beach but its all packed.. and photographers are not the best liked people…

During this event you met most of the crazy photographers that wanted to practice panning, this is a very dangerous event to shoot , things happen to fast , while you are shooting one end there are bullock carts coming from the other end , you can be crushed to death, but this the daredevilry  that I attempted got famous for…

Of course it was Jayant Dhulap  who being an Alibag resident , famous photo journalist I was saved from the drunken crowds many a time…my attire gets me into trouble offline ,my mouth gets me into trouble online…

Filed under: Uncategorized , alibag, bullock cart race, jehadi terrorism

Bullock Cart Race Alibagh

11/23/2005 5:35 AM Visits: 94

Bullock cart, tonga , other races on Holi at Alibag at Murud on Gudi Padwa in Raigad district Maharashtra.
Presently banned.

This is a new series , I was introduced to this form of action photography , panning by my mentor Shreekanth Malushte , here I met Jayant Dhulap who works for the Express Group , in whose house we stayed when we arrived from Mumbai by a catamaran to Alibagh  from Mandwa pier ..a short bus trip that bought  us to Alibagh bus depot.

Jayant Dhulaps house is very close to the beach , he and his wife and his daughter Abha are fantastic hosts, unfortunately with orders from the High Court this  event has  been banned.I owe much to the finesse in my picture taking to the experience I gained shooing these races, invariably the Holi festival  would bring me to Alibagh ,  Guddi Padwa to Murud Janjira , for their bullock cart race.

All this happened during the mourning period of Moharam.

This was a shot I climbed a transformer cabin..I have never shot the race from top,the feel look is different,,

Filed under: Uncategorized , alibag, bullock cart race, jayant dhulap., murud janjira, shreekanth malushte

Gautama Buddha ..Divine Light

Time: 05/20/2006 2:43 AM Visits: 492

With this post I bring to end an entire photo galley of my pictures at Buzznet called Hope and Hindutava..for me as a Indian I feel Hindutva is another name for Healing..

My Hindu friends , I am using it as a text form , have made me a good human being, Ramesh Mulchandani , my childhood friend more dearer than blood  , so many others , my departed friend Ramesh Alva , also my mentors in photography KG Maheshwari  my Dronacharya of Visual Reality, Prof B WJatkar, Shreekanth Malushte, PC Little a heart beat of Lucknow, my Naga Guru Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj, my patron Mr VP Malik,  my god mothera human goddess  Mrs Shatrughan Sinha, her husband Shatruji , Mr Vikas Mohan, Mr Jagan Chawla , are just a few who havehelped me reach my spiritually  charged human destination…

My Metrosexual Hijda Guru Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi

I could not be what I am today without them.. perhaps they made me a Hindu ..a privilge of my cultural inheritance ,,,strengthning my own Shia beliefs love for Humanity ..a name of Hussain.

I am also greatful to His Holiness Dalai Lama who presented me his life book Freedom in Exile..yes Freedom for a Land beyond.. Tibet..Thank You Noble Sir.

Also to Mr Danny Denzogpa,,,a human, human being..

This is the bust of Gautama Buddha done by the Tirupathi artists, and is great in demand by people who clamourto their stall to buy these artefacts at National Fair Bandra Reclamation.

guatam buddha.

http://www.buddhist-temples.com/gautam-buddha.html

The word ‘Buddha’ is a title and not a name. It means ‘one
who is awake’ in the sense of having ‘woken up to reality’. It was first given to a man who was born as Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal 2,500 years ago. He did not claim to be a God and he has never been regarded as such by Buddhists. He was a human being who became Enlightened, understanding life in the deepest way possible.

Siddharta was born into the royal family of a small kingdom on the Indian-Nepalese border. According to the traditional story he had a cloistered upbringing, but was jolted out of complacency on understanding that life includes the harsh facts of old age, sickness, and death.

He left home to follow the traditional Indian path of the wandering holy man, a seeker after Truth. He practised meditation under various teachers and then took to asceticism. Eventually he practised austerities so severe that he was on the point of death – but true understanding seemed as far away as ever. He decided to abandon this path and to look into his own heart and mind. He sat down beneath the pipal tree and vowed that ‘flesh may wither, blood may dry up, but I shall not rise from this spot until Enlightenment has been won.’ After forty days, the Buddha finally attained Enlightenment.

Buddhists believe that he attained a state of being that goes beyond anything else in the world. If normal experience is based on conditions – upbringing, psychology, opinions, perceptions, and so on – Enlightenment is Unconditioned. It was a state in which the Buddha gained Insight into the deepest workings of life and therefore into the cause of human suffering, the problem that had set him on his spiritual quest in the first place.

During the remaining 45 years of his life he travelled through much of northern India, spreading his teaching of the way to Enlightenment. The teaching is known in the East as the Buddha-dharma – ‘the teaching of the Enlightened One’. Travelling from place to place, the Buddha taught numerous disciples, many of whom gained Enlightenment in their own right. They, in turn, taught others and in this way an unbroken chain of teaching has continued, right down to the present day.

The Buddha was not a God and he made no claim to divinity. He was a human being who, through tremendous efforts, transformed himself. Buddhists see him as an ideal and a guide who can lead one to Enlightenment oneself.

drunkgeko: 05/20/2006 3:36 AM
The Ganesh is still my fav’, from far…

photographerno1: 05/20/2006 8:58 AM
yes he is my favorite too god of allauspicious things and the god who removes ignorance

mahayani: 08/28/2006 12:44 AM
I’ve seen sooo many figure of Buddha, but this is one of the BEST!
Om Mani Padme Hum….

photographerno1: 08/28/2006 11:32 AM
yes i am lucky i shot it in the first place
buddha dharmaa karma you cant replace
illusory love attached to paper wings you chase
man a tortoise a hare …stumbling
at the end of the race..
leaving death and destruction
no trace..as saving grace…

Filed under: Uncategorized , b w jatkar, dalai lama, danny denzogpa, gautam buddha, kg maheshwari, laxmi narayan tripathi, ramesh alva, ramesh mulchandani, shatrughan sinha, shri vijay giri maharaj

Lord Krishna/ Shyan Shakir

Visits: 242

Today is my nephew Shayans Shakirs  birthday,  he looks like Asif , used to look like when he was young.
So my brother Firdaus Shakir  his wife Shivani have thrown a party at 3 Mohini Mansions Colaba where they stay.The party is at 5 pm  its on the terrace I cant go as I have urgent shop work.
Its a about 3.45 pm..
 This is a statue of Lord Krishna made by the artisans from Tirupathi at the National Fair at Bandra Reclamation

lord krishna

http://www.funmunch.com/events/janmashtami/lord_krishna.shtml

Lord Krishna appeared over five thousand years ago in Mathura, India to Devaki and Vasudeva in the jail cell of the tyrant Kamsa. The place of His birth is known as Sri Krishna Janmasthana. He appeared with His brother Balarama in response to the demigods’ prayers for protection from the widespread influence of demonic administration on earth.

Previously, the demigods and demons had been at war in the heavens. When the demons were defeated by the demigods, they decided to instead attack this planet earth. Thus, they invaded the earth by discretely taking birth as princes in powerful royal families of the time.

And as the earth became overrun by militaristic activities of these kingly demons, the demigods including the Earth goddess earnestly sought Lord Visnu’s protection. Seeing the deteriorating social and political conditions and hearing the prayers of the demigods, the all-compassionate Supreme Lord Sri Krishna decided to descend for the benefit of all.

The Supreme Lord descends from time to time in this material world to reestablish the teachings of the Vedas. In His Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna promises: “Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion–at that time I descend Myself. To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear milleniumm after millenium.”

Although eternal the Lord appears in specific circumstances out of mercy for His devotees. In fact, His principal biography, the Srimad Bhagavatam states, “the learned men describe the births and activities of the Unborn and Inactive.” Therefore, although He appears within the material dimensions of time and space, He is most definitely not of it.

Historically, Lord Krishna appeared on the midnight of the 8th day of the dark half of the month of Sravana. This corresponds to July 19th 3228 BC. He exhibited His pastimes for a little over 125 years and dissappeared on February 18th 3102 BC on the new moon night of Phalguna. (His departure marks the beginning of the current age of corruption known as Kali.)

The great scholar Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti neatly outlines Lord Krishna’s activities in this way: the first three years and four months were spent in Gokula, then equal lengths of time in Vmdavana and Nandagram, eighteen years and four months in Mathura, and finally ninety-six years and eight months in Dvaraka totalling 125 years of manifest pastimes. See the Krishna-lila chart.

Lord Krishna’s early pastimes are briefly summarized at the website Krishna’s Adventures in Vraja”During this childhood time , He grew up as the son of His foster parents Nanda and Yasoda in the midst of the idyllic beauty of Gokula, Vrindavana, and Nandagram. Not only did He destroy numerous demons, but also performed His famous rasa dance.

Krishna enjoyed the dance of love (rasa-lila) with the gopis many of whom are expansions of His own internal energies. The supreme gopi known as Srimati Radharani is the object of Krishna’s highest devotion. This beautiful dance would occur in the autumn season at night under a full moon when Lord Krishna would captivate the young gopis with the extraordinary music of His flute . These esoteric pastimes constitute the most confidential expression of divinity ever revealed.

Usually the conception of sprirtual perfection consists of overwhelming feelings only of awe and reverence at God’s majesty. However, in these pastimes each devotee loves God either as a master, a best freind, a mischievous son, or even as an intimate lover, thus revealing the infinite possibilities of divine love. These early pastimes of Lord Krsna in Vrindavana illustrate the extraordinary intimacy that one can have with God. These pastimes are described in detail by Sri Visvantha Chakravarti in his Sri Krishna Bhavanamrta Mahakavya

When Krsna and Balarama were older, They were invited to Mathura, where Karnsa, Their demonic uncle, was planning Their death in a wrestling match against two large and powerful wrestlers. When Kamsa saw his wrestlers defeated, he ordered his friends to drive the brothers out of Mathura, plunder the riches of Their cowherd friends, and kill Their fathers, Nanda and Vasudeva. However, Krishna immediately killed Kamsa and Balarama killed his eight brothers. Lord Krishna then established the pious King Ugrasena as the emperor of several kingdoms.

In Mathura, both Krishna and Balarama were initiated by Gargamuni in the Gayatri mantra> Later They went to live under the care of Sandipani Muni who instructed Them in all the Vedic arts and sciences in sixty-four days and nights especially in military science, politics and spirituality. As an offering (guru-daksina) to Their teacher, They recovered his son from death. Although God does not need instruction from anyone else, Lord Krsna and His brother set the perfect example : one must accept instruction from and serve a bona-fide spiritual master to advance in spiritual life.

For the next eighteen years, They continued to live in Mathura halting the impending threat of many demonic kings. Later in Their pastimes Lord Balarama married a princess named Revati. Lord Krsna married many queens, the foremost among them being the extraordinarily beautiftil Queen Rukmani. (See Sri Rukmani website for the story of Their marriage). Both Krishna and Balarama established Their palaces in Dwaraka off the coast of western India, where They enjoyed married life for many years. Although They were married, Lord Krishna and Lord Balrama exhibited the quality of detachment from material life perfectly.

When They were about ninety years old, the great world war of Kuruksetra took place. This climactic battle brought together all the major world leaders. Lord Krsna took the role of a charioteer on the side of the pious Pandavas, while Lord Balarama refusing to participate went on a pilgrimage tour thereby blessing the entire land of India.

At the start of the war, Lord Krishna displayed His stupendous Universal Form delivered His famous message known as the Bhagavad-gita, literally the Song of God. This Song contains the essence of all knowledge having been spoken by the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Himself. This war concluded with the destruction of the demonic kings and the reinstatement of the righteous Pandava princes.

Having completed Their mission, Balarama and Krsna resumed Their life in Dvaraka where They spent some thirty-five more years before ending Their earthly manifest activities The foremost description of Lord Krishna’s activities occurs in the Srimad Bhagavatam, literally “the Beautiful Book of God.”

mahayani: 08/28/2006 12:46 AM This one’s always been my favorite!

photographerno1: 08/28/2006 11:20 AM bit by  byte on my sons comp i sit  make this comment a poetic hit dont ever say bullshit  you are mahayani everyones favorite..

Filed under: Uncategorized , 3 mohini mansions, All Hindu related Stuff, asif shakir, firdaus shakir, hope and hindutva, lord krishna, shyan shakir

Lord Ganesha at National Fair

05/19/2006 3:47 AM Visits: 285

We, my wife her Dad yours truly went to town this morning I got off at the Kamatipura Flea Market  these guys went to the Dragah Hazrat Abbas.
The Market was a bum trip nothing worth buying, so I walked took a few pictures of the same temples I normally pass by.
I was hungry but did not stop at the restaurant where I have Gurda Bhaji, mutton kidneys chopped and vegetables .
The Chor Bazar Market too had a sullen look,  I walked out from here straight to Pydhonie to buy fabrics, and from their to Hindmata to buy more cotton fabrics, with my wife her father in tow.
I had a short rest at home, changed went to the National Fair to collect my African stick painted in Tirupathi colors.I did not hang around the fair as the ground was burning hot , took the same rick and am now esconced in my shop.
I have a comment from the English poet from Cornwall Tai Chi Italy.

She is happily married two sons and writes fine poetry and encourages mediocre poets like me.
 Honestly I dont get a kick at my age being called poet.

I am a pictorial amateur photographer , my best has yet to come.

I hope it comes before they lay me flat face up supinely looking upwards..to my fairy God Mother .
 All night I had crazy dreams, intermittent, when I wake up I dont remember any..they all have one thread in common urging me to give up my duality of nonexistence on the Internet.
I have not gone to Bloggerspot yet.
Its 4 pm.. the heart is irritability at its best.
Sometimes I feel not to come out of the shower at all.
 Once again I have decided to stay away completely from Women Buzz..

Women are Trouble.. impersonified as Mans Last and Lost Hope.
I prefer a world without Women.
Or a world where God would have all human beings looking alive like Monkeys.. or Chimpanzees.. a little fat a little thin.. no botox, no perfumes, no makeup, no calvin klein,  even if you goofed no problem, the child that would come would also look like the rest of the clan.
There would be yoni and ling and Ying and Yang . fuck and bang.. no crimes of passion, no calling the plumber when you wanted it badly, this is the world I would love to inhabit,
No Pope, No Religion, No Christ, No Nothing, No Holy Places, only God in the face of a Human Being.
Just us at Peace with ourselves as Chimpanzees.
 A Blog.. Internet so I can write crazy shit like this and” Tickle Your Ass with a Feather”.. what it really means in an Englishmans diction.”.Particularly Nasty Weather.”
 I shall continue this some other time.
Photo of Lord Ganesha Statue made by artisans from Tirupathi.. in South India.
 I do miss Bazookiss.
If being Man means killing Man and Mankind.
I d rather be a chimpanzee get killed by a female chimpanzee …of course

UPDATE

These are my earliest thoughts , I  just want to disembark from this shit planet of Hate , a God of love that is confused for a God of Hate..Man I cant take it no more , if I was not as strong about my beliefs and Karbala I would have renounced the world  , lived among the Sadhus at Kailash Mansarovar.. this too can be added to my heresy as Man..I dont think it is necessary to a be a Hindu to be a Sadhu, a man who follows God , respects man could perhaps be called a Shia..

 Imam Hussain is a  word monopolizing Humanity ..

If you love Humanity you are are as close to Imam Hussain without being a Shia.

If I am slapped as a heretic for my beliefs , I am happy.. to be what I am a product of my individuality, my environment , my  genetic circumstances…

Just see my pictures dont penetrate my thoughts , they were not meant for public consumption, I write all this for my unborn grandchild..cybernetically alive in my blindfolded brain..

A confession I must make ..

He should know his grand dad much after I am dead ,  gone away from  a world where denizens  of Hatredness wearing borrowed vestments of Love,,,living a make belief life of self disillusionment.

http://www,photographerno1.com

Filed under: Uncategorized , imam hussain, lord ganesha, unborn grandson

Head and Shoulders Photographerno1

05/18/2006 10:38 AM Visits: 274

This is my last post for tonight I shall shut shop to go to Good Luck have a black tea and home , nowadays its really hot and humid I bathe thrice a day or I will go berserk .
I change my clothes twice a day, yes and my jewllery too, not the rings.
I have stopped wearing my Talon Rings ..she has stopped talking to me and besides she is more Talonted than me, she tears through written words.I cant .I am learning to write I have a serious problem, I decide to write a comment it takes a poetic form,,  there is no deliberate attempt on my part to write poetry.
 What kills me that I post the poem at Poem hunter.com  than publish it on Buzznet too…

Its 10.50pm.. and I am just hoping my business picks up and I want to return Ramesh Mulchandanis money that he gave me for my house take a long break from the Unreal Life of the Internet.
Folks on the Net are from Elms Street Zombies, unemotional, I mean the women of course. the guys are impeccably good, xris, steve, aljie, ha ha the woolongong gang nowadays is more in California .
They dont like Rusty Cages that houses Indian Parakeets.
 Yorrik always was soft on Pelicans, Friar to a  Duck Farm and Dread to Sea Gulls,
 This is Gospel truth read backwards.

 Xris is trying to get me a job, as a cub reporter so I can see  I Pot Princess Isabella..  I am not hinting at being the Godfather.. Xris has relatives that are ambiguously half Italians and Cosa Nostra,  Buzznet should take a greater role in the birth of IPot Isabella, Xris has given the best part of his life to in his red underoos, to Buzznet.

 Buzznet Babes many know Xris quite closely.
I am also hoping that I dont be treated as Illegal Immigrant.. as I think I am more in America than I have ever been in Mumbai in my 53 years.
Long Live America..Americans And Peace.

pictureshot by Mrs Afshaan Photographerno1.
 I hope Buzzbot features one her pictures to increase the ration on my internet time.

mahayani: 05/18/2006 8:17 PM Hey, that sculpture’s looks like Balinese style… How surprising that our culture have so many things in common! Take care, Firoze…

photographerno1: 05/19/2006 2:50 AM hi this ia a painting art famous in the temple of Tirupathi. in South India .. yes yes we have many things in common indeed.thanks

drunkgeko: 05/19/2006 3:25 AM I would buy this, if I saw one. Lord Ganesh is my Lord, indeed… This one looks beautiful.

Filed under: Uncategorized , Americans..People Thought Ethos, buzzbot, Buzznet Memories, firoze shakir poet blogger photographer, friar tuck, i pot, photographerno1, xris taylor

Lord Krishna at the National Fair

Time: 05/17/2006 9:14 AM Visits: 157

This was a woodden carved panel for sale with vegetable hand colors… this the artisans paint in front of you with your color choice. I was in a hurry to reach my shop hence I did not make any enquiries.Bazookiss and his wife must be busy with the opening of their new store and this fair made me remember him.

All the Best Bazookiss.

“Lord Krishna Dancing on Kaliya the Serpent.”

Lord Krishna came to know that a very large and poisonous serpent had made its home in a lagoon on the Yamuna river. Because the serpent was so poisonous, not only all the fish died, but even the trees and grass surrounding the lake were dying. When birds flew over the area, they immediately dropped dead and fell into the lake, due to the highly poisonous vapors emanating from the water.

In that time, there were many frightful demons, who had all kinds of mystic powers. Lord Krishna had specifically appeared to rid the world of all these disturbing elements. The Lord came to this place with His cowherd boyfriends and decided to confront the king of the snakes. He climbed the large Kadamba tree and from there, jumped into the poisonous waters of the Yamuna.

Lord Krishna then began splashing about and making very loud noises just to disturb the Kaliya serpent. Sure enough, the Kaliya snake came up to the surface to see who was attacking his home. This huge black serpent Kaliya (Kaliya means black) possessed over one hundred hoods, each bedecked with a precious gem. When he breathed, fire emanated from his nostrils. He suddenly seized Krishna in his powerful coils, and bound the Lord as tightly as possible. But unfortunately this serpent did not realize that within its coils was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, playing as a child and enjoying His earthly pastimes in the transcendental land of Vrindavana. Without warning, Krishna, the Supreme Mystic, started to expand His body, and Kaliya, who began to feel the incredible pressure, was forced to release the Lord from his deadly coils. Krishna then jumped on to the hoods of the great serpent and started to dance, stamping His foot down on the heads of the snake demon, Kaliya.

This stamping of Krishna, felt to Kaliya serpent like Indra’s thunderbolt striking a mountain. The Lord jumped from one hood to another, and Kaliya felt helpless and bewildered; in anger he spat fire from his many mouths but the Lord was so dexterous that His dancing movements caused the-snake to become dizzy. After so many kicks from the Lord, Kaliya started to first vomit blood, and then refuse, before becoming almost unconscious. At that time, the many wives of the Kaliya serpent appeared and begged the Lord with folded hands to spare their husband. Krishna decided to banish Kaliya to the great ocean never to return again. Thereafter, the giant snake along with his wives, departed forever, and the transcendental Lord re-joined His cowherd boyfriends on the bank of the Yamuna, to continue their wonderful pastimes in the land of Vrindavana.

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/lotus-sculpture/10b1.html

 

alji: 05/17/2006 4:02 PM Klim Krishnaya Govindaya Gopijana Vallabhaya Svaha

Filed under: Uncategorized , aljie, lord krishna

Lord Ganesha / Bollywoods Most Wanted Husband No 1

 

Time: 05/17/2006 8:55 AM Visits: 772

It took me an hour with my limited knowledge  the blessings of Lord Ganesha  to try layers, feather, gradient ,  levels, channel mixer to come as close as this.
I could go tomorrow and shoot this keeping the background blurred, but it would  be at 2.8 at 1250 or something like that such is the level of light or I use a ND filter.
And coming to filters I have almost all Cokin filters lying unused, the polaroid filter, black and white all color filters, yellow, blue, green orange and red,  if   use the filters I got to carry the filter holder such a pain.
The tripod and the monopd all Manfrotto lying in a corner of  my house.
Initially photography spoils us we become equipment freaks, we must have this we must have that ,  you know what I am talking about .

Reversal rings,  lenses fuck we love lenses, moment we get money we splurge on lenses we will never use.

Micros , Tellys,  sheer waste of our domestic needed money.
Wife tells me not too sacrcastically had you not bought the Camera home I would be having some of the best diamond Jewellery from V N Jewellers Bandra.
The Nikon 105 micro lens 2.8.. a lovely pair of diamond studded earrings.
The Nikon  lens 80/200 2.8 a lovely necklace with a matching ruby nose ring.
The Sigma lens  170/500 a gold encrusted turqoise choker with 2 bangles to match.
The Nikon F100  camera ,a platinum.. and mother of pearl Necklace with fine Kashmiri filigree work and cascading canopy type earrings to match.
The Nikon F90x  camera,a nice bracelet and 4 pairs of studded bangles
I was about to ask he what about The Nikon Digital SLR D70 camera…
 she said that camera will be the Death of you and the caretaker wont give you a casket in exchange.
I shut up.. I only hope the Nikon Pimp Rebel POW wtih ears to the asses of his Nikon Bosses is not hearing my wifes spiel.. or he might die and could use the casket with the exchange of my Nikon D70 camera.

Wife has come back from her walk I read out the post to her and she said when are you selling all your stuff.
This does not include my 300 old cameras.. she knows she can get everything money can buy where do you get a replacement for Firoze Shakir Bollywoods Most Wanted Husband no1…

somebody is having a hearty laugh in Alaska.

somebody has silence sewn on her pouted lips in California.

Filed under: Uncategorized , bollywoods most wanted, cameras, husband no1., lucknow, nikon d70

Ma Ambe The Goddess Of the Whippers

Time: 05/16/2006 5:26 AM Visits: 164

Word has spread that I take pictures  pay money too ,so I find a lot of whippers whom I have never seen before making a beeline to my shop  my camera is always on the ready.

 This lady I think is related to the Whipper family that comes to my shop once in a while.
 The picture posted earlier is of a Devdasi who believs in Goddess Yellama and many a times I wanted to go for their festival but it never materialise .

I am as you call it grounded, I make do with what hovers around me.
I have just come from Mr Shakti Kapoor the actors house to take measurements of his son Sidhanth the house , is plum on the famously infamous Juhu beach and I shot a few pictures from the balcony and the terrace too..  walked through the beach to take a rickshah from Holiday Inn Hotel.
I have just come back and posted a journal too from what I surfed on the net about Devdasis and Goddess Yellama.
 The Tamilian Body Piercers believe in the Goddess Maryamma.

http://www.photographerno1.com

Filed under: Uncategorized , amba mata., goddess maryamma, whippers

Lord Ganesha Bakshi Talav

Time: 05/14/2006 4:51 AM Visits: 196

This was also shot at Bakshi Talav Uttar Pradesh close to Lucknow , my wife comes here as her mothers eldest sister lives here , a very gracefully aging Beauty called Nassim her husband has a chemist shop here, his brothers kids are doing well for themselves, one of the kids Firoze  or Pappu is the guy who shot my pictures. They have mango orchards and fields that grow wheat vegetables and other cereals.
Firoze has just recently got married..  these guys are almost like feudal lords here.
Its 5 pm, I thought of taking a nap, the shutters are down,, so the shop will appear closed from outside.
  Lord Ganesha is a God of Knowledge and all things Auspicious.

http://www.hindunet.org/god/Gods/ganesh/

This God of knowledge and the remover of obstacles is also the older son of Lord Shiva. Lord Ganesha is also called Vinayak ( knowledgeable ) or Vighneshwer (god to remove obstacles). He is worshipped, or at least remembered, in the beginning of any auspicious performance for blessings and auspiciousness.

He has four hands, elephant’s head and a big belly. His vehicle is a tiny mouse. In his hands he carries a rope (to carry devotees to the truth), an axe (to cut devotees’ attachments), and a sweet dessert ball -laddoo- (to reward devotees for spiritual activity). His fourth hand’s palm is always extended to bless people.

A unique combination of his elephant-like head and a quick moving tiny mouse vehicle represents tremendous wisdom, intellegence, and presence of mind.

 Update

The one advantage I had at Buzznet that I miss here at Word Press is photo galleries , I could earmark a gallery separately, for each segment of my pictorial thoughts, the religious galleries  , not being subject to my other lighter fun stuff or my phallic poetry.

I could lock up these galleries  if I wanted to , instead of searching and locking up each post a tedious task, here I copy pictures from Buzznet and transfer the Url, call me dumb , but I am not able to post a picture directly from my computer , why dont you guys make posting simpler like at Buzznet or Bloggerspot..instead of thumbnail,  file ,

I think in todays time it is simplicity that matters the most…we must make cybernetic experience consumer  mouse click friendly.

 My Buzznet photo galleries are locked for ever , so I am trying to retrieve as much as I can from my site Photographer No1 before I ask them to delete my entire account.. growing up as a Blogger was not very easy, getting unsubscribed by Brandon Stone of Photo Blogs Org, in the earlier days of blogging for asking a simple question How Do I Upload Pictures , than being sent to Bloggerspot to learn the Basics , are thoughts that dont evaporate the guilt that most of you guys on top of web sites are actually prejudiced and racist against multi colored minds that has nothing to do with religion.. caste color or creed.. the same applies to my experience at Sulekha Blogs being bashed as an over talkative Muslim parakeet, or at Fotothing  for posting my photo bleeding pictueres,, racialism is there like God  you can feel the ungodliness but not be able to see it.

I have never been enamoured to web sites except Buzznet and Bloggerspot but I have  gradually come to like Word Press , a no nonsense , straight to the point Blog Site.

I dont know anyone here , its a quiet dormitory..no fleeting Florence Nightingale , no femmenine  frivolities, just the silence of the lambs..

Luckily I dont have to answer comments , but I add my comments of Buzznet to my body post to tell you it was comments on my post and not number of hits that made me grow as a blogger ..I am not a blogger who is here to kill time I show you my world with all its chinks , kaleidiscopic  chimera  .

 I use a Nikon D70 camera that no body wants to buy it off me , not even free , I also use the more dependable Nikon F 100.

I have yet to buy my new camera , this time I will opt for a Canon , not worry about resale values, Nikon has no resale value.. this is a truth and not bad mouth gargling..

I have kept all my Lucknow pictures of Moharam in my closet  , will post them during Chehlum, as I have decided no more Moharam pictures..let them who dont shoot from the mouth shoot pictures..

Even the prints , slides negatives of my term as a salon photographer I have decided to drown them at the pier off Gateway of India..

It is not easy being a Shia either on a badly blinkered blogsphere .

http://photograpoherno1.com

Filed under: Uncategorized , All Hindu related Stuff, bakshi talav, brandon stone, hope and hindutva, lord ganesha, lucknow

Thank You Tom.. Do you Like It

Subject : thank you tom

i am indebted by your visits and encouragement, you are one of a very rare breed of  a gifted human being and photographer.
i hope you have a great time in amsterdam..
regards to your mom.
as ever
firoze.

hey firoze,
thanks for the nice note.
i was in amsterdam last week and it was incredible.
your photos and poetry are truly beautiful and i feel lucky to know you.
the words that flow from your mouth so freely are a gift to be cherished.
i sometimes wonder when you find time to sleep!
your energy and talent should be bottled for all!
tom

In all my life I have yet to meet a versatile photographer like Tom.. Do You Like It .

I call him my American Guru, I am not ashamed at the  age of 54 if Tom made me his assistant to carry his lights , I would do it willingly this would be my way of unlearning photography.

At Buzznet there are other great photographers shining in their individual brilliance , all of them, all featured on our hearts and souls, but I have a special regard for Tom, dont ask me why , yes my orientation is flawed, it is pictorially engendered…I am male female as Ben Bell put it as a comment but  hey I am a Buzznet Blog..I live because you give me a cybernetic reason to live..

Another person who I would also touch  feet and begin my apprenticeship  under him, is Monsieur Drunken Gekko.. this certainly would not be because of Flo or golden showers in Reunion..

Merci Monsieur

I am wondering what has happened to Steve Haldane , he has stopped answering my  Help Me messages I want some of my old PhotographerNo1 posts to be deleted as they have hurt a section of my community..

I would appreciate if for once Buzznet Support helps me on this once…

Sorry Tom for making your thoughts public , but they must also know that not only are you a good , brilliant photographer but a geat human being…too

http://www.photographerno1.com

Filed under: Uncategorized , buzznet support, do you like it, drunkgeko, photographerno1, steve haldane

The Whipper Boy

Time: 05/13/2006 8:09 AM Visits: 310

I asked him to put the Whip on his head like a serpentine turban,  he was feeling highly embarrassed, I wanted to ask him the significance of this whipping,  I will one day take his whip and whip myself too and I can imagine the jaws dropping of my Wahabbi neighbours, who consder me a heretic for being a Shia And in a single american heart I reign as a Shia Thug.
And I have withdrawn from Friar Tucks Rusty Cages, Friar Tuck chooses a subject two legged birds and he and the Woologong Pictorial Mafia rule the roost.. with the best of pictures,  a lady in California has to import an Indian Parakeet.. green and red, and the author of this post has to take Mr Mehra s African Cockatoo..  Mr Mehras Cockatoo is trained by Mr Higgins of My Fair Lady Fame it talks fluently and it comes from the untalkable Congo Basin..its called Prince ..not Prince of Tides thats me and my poetic untidiness and my prosaic good tidings.
And Prince begins a sentence with Cock..  I wont go into detail.. some people like cocks , and some dont.
Some cocks like people some dont  but all cocks like to show off.. Even little kids wear Diapers.. 
little horny hens that like to say to God
Cock a doodle do
Fuck with the Bird flu 
Culling
Any cock will do.

ravens: 05/13/2006 9:12 AM Great shot!

friartuck: 05/13/2006 4:38 PM haha wollongong pictorial mafia..is a great portrait pothole62: 05/15/2006 3:17 AM I like it!!! Sure your not in the WM???? photographerno1: 05/15/2006 3:44 AM thank you pothole i slash my body and tear my soul unholy i am i come out as whole imprisoned emotions and feelings on payrole.

Filed under: Uncategorized , whippers

The Whipper Family..Tea Time

: 05/13/2006 7:39 AM Visits: 118

The Whippers this particular family now make it a point to come to my shop, each time they come out for their daily wanderings,  beating and begging..
And I offered them tea from Mohomed bhais tea stall across my shop..
I asked the guy where he stayed and he said he lived at Khar a suburb after Bandra.
His goddess was Amba Devi and her shrine is at Solapur in Maharashtra.
I gave him some money too and enquired about his father, but he was not wanting to reveal much about him.
And this wandering family of whippers are a happy lot.. they beg with dignity.. and beat the flesh so the soul can fill its stomach..  live again another day.

Filed under: Uncategorized , whippers

The Whipping Girl/Red Light Area/And Life

05/09/2006 5:13 AM Visits: 737

This whipping girl I posted earlier  gradually I intend to have a collection of Whipping Family Pictures.. without leaving my shop , or find one or two at Kamatipura Flea Market.
I never knew about the Kamatipura Flea Market  its in one of the many roads that make Kamatipura predominanately a low end brothel area,  you find absolutely washed out old hags, soliciting on the streets,  in little cubicles sitting outside in the cool chairs the Eunuchs and this is their fiefdom,  some of the eunuchs can give the whores a run for their monies,  the top storied ones are joints bearing numbers 001 007 and so on ,  this area which is mostly visited by seamen is called Shuklaji Street or Foras road..  as you move towards Alankar Cinema you have Peela House famous at one end for Chicken Biryyani of Delhi Darbar  at the other end the quintessential Cages.. I have never shot the Cages..I can but never felt likit  here the coditions are squalid, the urine smell, a single creaky bed,  the over painted Whore who does a trick at less than Rs 50..  with a discount for  first timers..  what does a migrant do, those ubiquitous truckdrivers, those Mathadi workers, drug addicts , daily wage workers,  the wretchedly defeated scum of society…  guys whose standard rises only when they fuck women as seedy like these.
And there is one ex customs officer Christian gentleman who regularly rescues minors from the clutches of the Madams and the Pimps… and all these minions of Corruption are safe under the canopy of a powerful local hoodlum who is furthering the cause and the sagging libido of the Khadi clad Political bigwigs… men in authority.
And its a fact widows young and girls homes are almost a facade where harsh truth hides its head in shame.. flesh pots of a supply that never cease and a demand that lives on forever.
When my dad sent my family packing to Lucknow 69 and the terrible losses he suffered,  totally defeated he gave all our Three rooms including the kitchen on rent.. this was a spacious flat and unknowing the background of the guy who took one of the rooms with his wife,  I had come here to see my dad..  I knocked at my house and got a shock , the man and woman beating a young girl.. I had already entered the room so they could not throw me out and the girl seeing me started crying more asking me to save her and screaming her lungs .. I heard her cries and walked away..when they said it was their servant girl and she was mad.
I later came to know after my dad had thrown them out that they were politically well connected and got young girls as servants from their home towns  sold them into prostitution.and it happens everywhere .
My brother in law has a restaurant in Dubai Deira  between 1pm and 4 pm you can pick up any whore you want,  the young sheiks themselves give out visas for Central Asian women.. the Kazakhs, the Uzbeks all white skinned and the Arabs always loved white and blonde.. and for the Arabs the Cock was meant for Fucking.. Period.
I dont want to say anything more old wretched Arab men rushing to Hyderabad to lay their hands on raw and unspoilt flesh  the accursed broker and the accursed Mullah party to such ungodly deeds performed in the name of Shariat. 
than the magical words Talaq Talaq Talaq 3 times and baby its over.
The Shias dont have the system of Triple Talaq, they try to solve it out, separation and finally the elders if not able to patch them to domesticity..Divorce takes place.
 Marriage and Divorce is one big joke husband snores and mutters Talak 3 times in his sleep and the entire Islamic clergy are up in arms and Deobandhieds love fighting other peoples battles, the guy comes drunk spits out Talaq three times and Orissa becomes another juggernaut..
And such are thoughts flitting from one flower to another and thats what the smell of pesticide does to my insect like thoughts..  I am seeing the Chaos all around me happy for once being born a Shia and in love with a fleeting image in a blog mirrored to my mind that has unlovingly called me Shia Thug.
 I havent written my poem to Sushmita..I want one of you guys to give me a beginning line..and the rest I will write as I Unright a Wrong.
And there are a bunch of kids that come everday from the neighbourhood and bum me for sweets I just shot their picture..

 

drunkgeko: 05/09/2006 6:26 AMInsondable regard… Tristesse voilee… Levres trop serrees… Timidite enfantine… Curiosite feminine…

photographerno1: 05/09/2006 7:58 AMthank you drunk if you were my teacher i would have never flunked and not cut classes and fucked girls and bunked and my titanic in alaska would have never sunk and my head in a blue toilet never dunked and the sheer force of my love debunked and me pictorially poetically blue funked termite infested , a dying away uprooted tree trunk. drunken gekko is a master of digitalised photography based in reunion.. http://drunkgeko-ilemauric e.buzznet.com/user/ my 320th poem on poemhunter.com

Filed under: Uncategorized , cages, prostitution, whippers

The Unamused Sadhu

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Time: 05/09/2006 4:06 AM Visits: 205

this is a Sadhu from the same bandwagon, I took their permission before hitting the trigger , no complications later and Sadhus too are human and love flaunting their Masculine Spirituality  they come in all shapes and size and have an order to their hermit like livves.
They belong to various sects.. Ashrams
.
Click here

Vaishnavas who worship the Lord as Vishnu; Saivas who worship the Lord as Siva; and Saktas who adore Devi or the Mother aspect of the Lord. In addition, there are the Sauras, who worship the Sun-God; Ganapatyas who worship Ganesa as supreme; and Kaumaras who worship Skanda as the Godhead.

Hindu theology is mainly the study and doctrine of the worship and adoration of six forms of the Godhead as Ganesa, Devi (Durga, Lakshmi, Sarasvati), Siva, Vishnu, Surya and Skanda. These aspects of divine worship are known as Shanmatas, or the sixfold religious practice of the Hindus.

Thank you alji it Clicked

Filed under: Uncategorized , hope and hindutva, sadhus

The Guru Sadhu

05/09/2006 2:57 AM Visits: 166

This was a picture I shot of a group of Sadhus from a suburb called Mulund..  they were wondering to which Mutt I belonged,  Mutt means the spiritual school of thought nothing canine about it..  Mumbai is getting too hot the rest of the country is 47C and I mean Maharashtra and other parts.

Filed under: Uncategorized , All Hindu related Stuff, hope and hindutva, sadhus

The Whippers Son/ Motherhood

I shot this Nikon Micro 105 its  the whipers  son,  the whippers son is all ready see his hand.. this is genetic gesture, nothing made up, so powerful was this movement of the hand I discarded the mothers face..  she also knows that Motherhood requires no face.
But a new born face cant appear without motherhood.
I get turned on by Mother..and Child.
I love the Madonna .
 also an ordinary mother and extra ordinary Motherhood,
 the child inches away from the feeding breast, the vomity smell, the curdled smell,  it has always pursued me,  I remember putting my ear on my wifes globular belly like a Red Indian wanting to hear me growng in her, the heartbeat..and maternity makes a woman complete.
I remember when Asif my eldest was born at Gurbaxanis Nursing home next to my mothers house,  when the Nurse came and told me those extraterrestrial words You are a father your wife has given birth to a boy.
I immediately went down on my knees and thanked God for blessing me with such an overwhelming gift and my son today works for an American conglomerate .. he got an offer from a huge Indian soft ware company but I told him stick on to the American company.
Yesterday at the wedding of Ahmed Raza both my sons were with me, me in my orange long sherwani and barefeet,
the women section was separate..
And my kids both attended a function with me for the first time since I went barefeet.
My daughter will never walk with me, she is the Oprah Winfrey freak.. she does what Oprah tells her to do, read Pearl Buck, Grapes of Wrath .. Oprah is a one woman American Library, USIS its called in Mumbai..
I was a British Council guy..  I dont like Oprah is a matter of taste.. I cant roll my tongue the way she does, she sure has a lot of experience..
I dont.

Filed under: Uncategorized , whippers

Digital Pokery Abbracaddabra Aljie

This infamous word comes from the lexicon of Mr Alji  I honestly dont like poking fun at reality, I cannot change reality, a reality that was not meant change.. here at Kamatipura Flea Market I saw this Whipper  he too is an Arrogant variety.
I gave him Rs 10/  he did not want to stand and pose for me, but the vendors threatened him with dire consequences mildly put , I took two shots,  this one was salvageable but a face at the back was intruding on my subject  this is the Micro Nikon105 on the Dud D70 so I had no alternative but select , selecting loose hair is another problem..I am not good at it, I have given it a try,..I loved using the Pen tool but you need a steady hand, I use the polygonal lasso tool,  my friend Atul Choubey is a master he selects each section seperately and each time feathers seperate values..  his pictures are faultlessly seamless, his pictures of racing bullock carts are static bullock carts  he has added motion blur and fooled all the fucked Foggies that judge his picture,  he won so many cash prizes that he got the Nikon D70 free from the loot, and he does work freelance and has just recieved his Associate Ship with IIPC Delhi.
He is from Jabalpur and is a self made Photographer , used to shoot with a rickety manual Pentax ..before he jumped the Nikon bandwagon.
I hate playing footsie with photo journalistic pictures, not even cleaning up mess with the clone tool, just levels,  thats it..but here it Buzznet blogsite we use tweaking as an entertaining tool , to add surrealistic escape.. atleast I do .

And apprenticeship to Drunken Gekko Faculty is first come first serve basis..this is a two year course ..inclusive of boarding and lodging..scholarships are available too ,contact Buzznet Support.. this is joint venture..  rotating faculty is out of this world. Alji The Welsh Man, Bazookiss the China man, Friar Dread Yorrik the Magi from Bondi beach, the art of writing and dieting blogs ms Paxgitmo,Invisible Words Html Deciphering Steve Haldane, Spiralled Doors Epiphany , and others talks are on.. Google earth is co sponsering..
 finally art of instant Poetry cooked , like Biryani,  pictorial pictures fished and curried .. your humble servant savant Firoze Shakir.. Photographerno1 ..uncloned will be at Reunion too hopefully..immigration check required.

Back to Digital Pokery..Abracaddabra alji
Too much of anything is too bad.
You should know when not to add words.. when not to add words and when to remain silent.. this is what tweaking is all about.
 I deleted my poem Bush Sucks Ass at Poemhunter I thought it was not in good taste atleast for me as an Indian not part of the Bush regime.. after all he is the Head of State,, freedom of speech I think does not give me right hurl stones and its not my fight.. the perch is another matter.. and my poem praises the Iraqi perch.. rest is incidental in a seamless background of world politics..

alji: 05/08/2006 4:56 AM firose, you left out the R. Digital pokery.

alji: 05/08/2006 4:59 AM It’s a play on the words jiggery pokery

drunkgeko: 05/09/2006 1:12 AM Hahaha… Drunken Gekko Faculty!!! I wish!!! Well, Firoze… with shots like this, you proove, once again, you don’t need no course from me, for sure!

Filed under: Uncategorized , whippers

The Dieties Of Devotion

Time: 05/08/2006 2:50 AM Visits: 123

These statues of Hindu Divinities Lord Krihana, Shri Ram and Shri Laskshman Shri Hanuman.. were lying on the floor ready to be sold.. I hastened to take a shot, I took two as it takes a few seconds before a crowd clusters around me.. I dont miss pictorial possibilities, however mundane they may appear to be.. yesterday I saw a handcart being pushed by women and men passing by my shop.. I rushed out with my camera did not stop till I took 3 shots from behind..there was no one to take care of my shop.. but I saw some beauty in the shot  from the other end a man was coming carrying a load on his head.. I have not seen the picture yet,  I am never curious.. if it comes its God sent and if dosent come God did not want it to live again..simple theory works all times, and emotions are never born again, if they do they take another dimension.
 

Filed under: Uncategorized , All Hindu related Stuff, hope and hindutva, lord hanuman, lord krishna

A Close Up Whippers Wife

Time: 05/04/2006 7:02 AM Visits: 97

drunkgeko: 05/05/2006 3:40 AM Nice smile she has in her eyes…

Filed under: Uncategorized , whippers

The Whippers Daughter

Time: 05/04/2006 6:34 AM Visits: 75

Filed under: Uncategorized , whippers

The Whippers Wife and Son

photographerno1: 05/04/2006 6:31 AMbody post : wikipedia Theories about the Black Madonnas After a late 19th/early 20th century theory that applied dark skin colour was due to chemical reactions in medieval paint, when it could not be explained by soot or other kinds of aging, there was little study of the Black Madonnas for several decades. Some theologians and historians still believe that all examples of dark colouring can be accounted for by the natural colour of the wood used or by changes in colour over time. They may add that a pale alabaster face was a post-medieval development. A counter-argument points to the apparently un-sooted bright colours of the clothing on some images with painted black face and hands. Interest in studying Black Madonnas was revived in the late 20th century. Scholars of comparative religion have suggested that Black Madonnas are descendants of pre-Christian mother or earth goddesses (Moss, Benko). Some have highlighted Isis as the key ancestor-goddess (Redd, McKinney-Johnson). Psychologists have discussed the maternal and female archetypes from a Jungian perspective (Gustafson, Begg). Although these approaches have stimulated academic interest, there is no well-established consensus about medieval motives for carving or painting Black Madonnas. In the light of scholarly studies and of long-standing traditions, writers seeking to interpret the Black Madonnas tend to suggest some combination of the following elements: Black Madonnas have grown out of pre-Christian earth goddess traditions. Their dark skin may be associated with ancient images of these goddesses, and with the colour of fertile earth. They are often associated with stories of being found by chance in a natural setting: in a tree or by a spring, for example. Some of their Christian shrines are located on the sites of earlier temples to Cybele and Diana of Ephesus. Black Madonnas derive from the Egyptian goddess Isis. The dark skin may echo an African archetypal mother figure. Professor Stephen Benko among others says that early Christian pictures of a seated mother and child were influenced by images of Isis and Horus. Black Madonnas express a feminine power not fully conveyed by a pale-skinned Mary, who seems to symbolise gentler qualities like obedience and purity. This idea can be discussed in Jungian terms. It may be linked to Mary Magdalene and female sexuality repressed by the medieval Church. In France especially, there are strong traditions that some statues are of Mary Magdalene and not of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The feminine power may be linked with the earth goddesses and attributed to the archetypal “great mother” who presides not only over fertility, but over life and death. These ideas overlap with “feminist spirituality” or “women’s spirituality”. (Chiavola Birnbaum) Black Madonnas illustrate a line in the Song of Songs 1:5: “I am black, but beautiful, O daughters of Jerusalem . .” This is inscribed in Latin on some: Nigra sum sed formosa. It is not always clear that the inscription was there from the beginning. Black Madonnas may have been encouraged by the Templars. There are a number of stories connecting St. Bernard of Clairvaux with Black Madonnas. (St. Bernard was an important influence on the Templars.) There may also be a link with the Cathars. Some Black Madonnas may have been created because the artist was familiar with other similar images. Monique Scheer approaches this topic from the perspective of symbolic anthropology. She believes that these statues and paintings came to be perceived as Black Madonnas after the Middle Ages, perhaps as part of a Counter-Reformation tendency to promote “the veneration of miraculous images of Mary”. She discusses the “symbolic meanings communicated by the dark skin of the Madonna” rather than focussing on the origins of their colour, and suggests that these symbolic meanings have been different in different eras and contexts. For example, it may be suggested that the Madonna is black because Jesus loved and cared for poor people (represented here as “poor black people”). The artist may have identified, more or less unconsciously, with Jesus and created images of a “black saving Madonna” who gives her “African” child food, nursing, protection and love.

drunkgeko: 05/05/2006 3:46 AMDon’t the girls, in India, carry their children on the back instead of the side? Just to know, because usually, every woman I saw (in my trips in general) carried their babies or else on the back because it’s easier and better for the spine, too. Here, looks like she’s carrying a lot of things, besides here kid!

photographerno1: 05/05/2006 4:34 AMif you see with your inner eyes she is carrying the fucked destiny of her husband too and its in the back.. not in the frame..

Filed under: Uncategorized , black madonna, whippers