Sunday, July 29, 2007

The Naga Sadhus at Trimbakeshwar ABOVE18

This is for adult viewing..
I met the Naga Sadhus in 2004 Nasik Kumbh..
It was my destiny to meet my Naga Guru second from left Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj of Junagadh Akhada.
I met him by accident when instead of ending my bus ride at Mr Kg Maheshwaris numismatic museum where I was to stay to shoot the Kumbh, I fell asleep and landed 9 km away from my destination at the Sadhu sevagram.
I siad to myself, lets take a few pictures, the rest is history , Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj stays at Mumbai Film City he had seen me there at the studios , we became friends .. we still are soul mates connected by a composite culture..
I stayed with the Nagas I was new to photography but not new to ascetic life and alternate spirtuality of a a human soul.The Nagas accepted me without ever mentioning my Muslim religiosity.
I ate with them lived with them , became apart of their Universe.
Before I rejoined Flickr I was setting up my Kumbh Photo site at Bloggerspot.
Coming here I left that part unattented and incomplete..
I learnt a lot from Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj, a teacher , a family man, who renounced the materialstic world for Lord Shiva.
I am indebted to have learnt great values , a lot of holistic way of thinking..
It also bought me closer to my concept of Pictorial Yogic Kundalini an energy I use shooting pictures or doing the Tandav scourging myself during Moharam.
Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj had never seen the pictures I shot of his ling Kriya at the Kumbh .
I just gave him this CD a few months back and also got him a Yahoo Email ID..
This was the least I could do..as Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj reads the Bible ., the Torah the Holy Koran and quotes very generously ..
But for him Islam too has had a great impact on his life..
I narrate such one incident..
When Maharj came to Mumbai as a Naga Sadhu from Karnataka he went first to the mountains of Haji Malang , here he was robbed of his meagre belongings.
But he kept his faith alive , he than being an artist and a painter , began drawing Islamic pictures on the pavement with chalk.. and other dieties at Haji Ali another Sufi Shrine.
He was accosted by a Muslim man who gave him Rs 200 / requesting him not draw the Muslim holy site pictures on the road , as people tend to walk over tham.This thought stunned the the Naga Sadhu , he returned the money and decided to quit this alm seeking enterprise.
He came to Film city joined the Shant Ashram of his Guru..
Now after his Guru he runs this Ashram visited by filmstars and people ofrom oall walks of life ..even at the Kumbh his personal driver was a Muslim.
I am lucky and blessed to share all this about a good human being.
Last when he came to Bandra I shot his pictures with a few mannequins on the road , and I accidently deleted them while shooting the eunuchs at Bipin Tannas birthday party.
This year I had booked tickets to meet him at the Ardh Kumbh at Allahabad for the Shai Snan on the 23rd ,but changed my plans to shot my first Ashura at Lucknow.
So one thing is certain whenever the next Kumbh comes I will be by his side.
He opened a new world for me , a world that one saw through pictures of Raghu Rai..
I thought this introductionwas necessary to the rest of the Ling Kriya and How to do Ling Kriya that I will post here ...
The other Naga Sadhus like Balak or Gopal who visit my shop do not possess the spirtual austerity nor the sophistication of Vijay Giri Maharaj..
Everywhere at the Kumbh , he would tell other Nagas I was his brother from a previous birth .Yes being a Hindu or Muslim is an aspect of religiosty m but being Man is what connects you with blood sweat and tears to the crucible of Humanity..
So dear Gamin de Anti ..what filters do you want me to put on the human soul before Flickr deletes my account as he suggested..
At Word Press where I posted my pictures and my homesite before Flickrs , I never needed to worry about this.. see what you want to see my pictures are to expose and educate.. not to proseylitise or evangelise..nor do I sell pictures.
The hardliners also insinuated I was in the pay of the Hindus.. I wish I was I could atleast by myself a high end Canon digital SLR instead of using a crap of a digital disaster caled Nikon D70 that lies unsold at subash electronics ..without me having paid the new repair charges of Rs 4500/ Subash will minus this amount when he sells the same..
Nobody seems to buy it even when the price is almost free...