MahaKumbh Naga Sadhus KumbhMela: 2017

Saturday, December 23, 2017

My Message to You Tube ..Naga Sadhus Ling Kriya and Penile Yoga

Dear You Tube

I am deeply saddened at your mindset and your regressive attitude as a You Tuber I follow You Tube guidelines.
I am a Muslim photographer an Indian by birth and my main concern has been promoting Hindu Muslim Amity through my documentation of diverse cultures that unify India a land of peace hope humanity.
I shoot Sufis Shias Naga Sadhus Aghoris Tantrics Hijras but no porn

You removed one one of my videos NagaSadhus Pulling a car with a penis an integral part of NagaSadhu rituals I do not mind the stance you take but to add that as a strike to my profile and character I think is biased and racist on your part..

Please remove my videos if you feel they are not proper as per your Victorian mindset but don't term as pornography it is an insult to my Hindu culture and all that it stands for.

I am deeply hurt and I think your You Tube curator has certainly lost it ask him to see Nat Geo and NagaSadhus and penile yoga and Ling Kriya.
You can age revise such videos but removing them makes me feel you don't really know the ethnicity of a religious Hindu Order who live naked the NagaSadhus of India.
I have shot 4 Kumbh Melas and here it I'd NagaSadhus of the JunaAkhara that attract thousands of photographers film makers from the West so I feel you demean my efforts as a photographer and a man of Peace.

As ever
Firoze Shakir
in pain as a You Tube Creator

www.youtube.com/user/photographerno1/community?view_as=su...

Message from You Tube

Hi Firoze Shakir,

As you may know, our Community Guidelines describe which content we allow – and don’t allow – on YouTube. Your video "Ling Kriya Naga Sadhu Pulling the Car With His Penis" was flagged for review. Upon review, we’ve determined that it violates our guidelines. We’ve removed it from YouTube and assigned a Community Guidelines strike, or temporary penalty, to your account.

Video content restrictions
If a video contains nudity, pornography, or other sexually provocative content, it's less likely to be allowed on YouTube. YouTube reviews content on a case by case basis and will make limited exceptions for appropriate educational, documentary, artistic, and scientific contexts. In such cases, we may apply an age restriction so that only viewers over a certain age can view the content. Learn more here.
The impact of strikes
This is the first strike applied to your account. We understand that users seldom intend to violate our policies. That’s why strikes don’t last forever – this strike will expire in three months. However, it’s important to remember that additional strikes could prevent you from posting content to YouTube or even lead to your account being terminated.
How you can respond
If you believe this was a mistake, we’d like to hear from you. Please follow both of these steps as simply deleting the video won’t resolve the strike on your account.
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- The YouTube Team

Saturday, November 25, 2017

Shraddanjali to My Naga Guru Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj Juna Akhara

Flickr

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Sunday, November 5, 2017

My Dear Departed Naga Guru Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj Juna Akhara 13 Madi

Introduction

I was not financially secure , but somehow managed to go and shoot the Maha Kumbh 2013 as an Indian photographer , who had shot the earlier Nasikh Kumbh I had a great desire to shoot Allahabad and I knew my Naga Guru from Juna Akhada was keen that I cover it , I had carried a lot of shawls for the poor and my Guru had told me I could stay with him and his disciples at his tent at Sector 5 .
He wanted me to come for Mausi Amasvya .. but I could not get tickets , I left a few days before Baasnt Panchami..

My guru introduced me to some of the great Maha Mandlehwars , he took good care of me till the end ,this was perhaps my first experience shooting the Maha Kumbh and a Kumbh away from Maharashtra..

There was very beautiful young girl a person who went out of her way to introduce to some great Mahants I have removed all her pictures after her tragic death in Mumbai.. I miss her the most , she gave me the highest respect , and was media related ,, perhaps my documentary of the Kumbh is solely because of her ,her childish chatter , her banter ,but than life addresses pain in different ways.

I left the day after Basant Panchami .. this was one Kumbh I will never forget as a human or as a poet or photographer ,..

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This was shot in the tent where I stayed with my guru on arriving from Mumbai by the Kamyani Express on 12 Feb it was 7 hours late and Gurus disciple Rajan waited for me and bought me to Sector 5 .

I will divide this set in two parts as I shot a lot of naked Naga Sadhus Digambari .. and will moderate those pictures of the Naga Sadhus and the Shahi Snan to adhere to Flickr guidelines that restricts frontal nudity ..

So unless you are a Flickr member you cannot see these pictures ... the tamer ones will be for public view .. I shot Ling Kriya and penile yoga I shot Hijras taking a bath in the Sangam .. the Hijra pictures are not for public view .

I took the Holy Dip on Shahi Snan too, after my Naga Guru a moment of spiritual exhilaration and I shot some great Mahants Sants and Mystics ...I shot a lot , but on Shahi Snan dressed as a Hindu I shot the Naga procession , the Naga mud bath in the safe protection of my Naga Guru.

All my pictures are a story board starting from my journey in Mumbai Lokmanya Tilak Station Kurla .. till my departure from Allahabad on Duranto Express yesterday .. I waited 7 hours in the AC waiting room for my train..but not before helping my Guru with loading the stuff from the road to the station in heavy rains ..

Vehicles could not enter the station at all..it was real bad situation and honestly we can host Asian Olympics but lack the professional integrity to hold a Maha Kumbh .. and less said about disaster management the better at the Kumbh Mela site it was a filthy dirty environment no internet access and thanks only to the Akhadas there was some semblance of order barring the fire in one of the Akhadas.

My pictures are my personal poetry , shot of my cultural inheritance and it was a real experience I think whatever your caste creed or religiosity..seeing the Maha Kumbh once in a lifetime is a must.. to understand Indian ethos and Hope Hindutva as a message of Humanity and Universal Peace .

I was lauded for shooting documenting this great moment and gifted a bouquet of roses by His Holiness Chandraswamiji of Vishwa Dharmayatan Sanathanand his disciple Sant Chetan Vaidyaji was kind enough to introduce me to the great man.

My Guru

I was his closest disciple to the ire of others as I was a Muslim he made all his disciples touch my feet ..he taught me the highest level of humility I used to beg with him on the streets of Nasikh,

The Untimely Passing Away Of A Guru

Let no man in the world live in delusion. Without a Guru none can cross over to the other shore.
Guru Nanak

My Naga Guru Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj Triveni RIP Om Shanti Om

Last evening I got a call from Mahesh from Hardiwar he was once the main disciple of my Naga Guru Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj Juna Akhara 13 Madi,,due to some misunderstanding they had parted but Mahesh kept in touch with me ..he said that our Guru had expired but he was not too sure about it ,

I was stunned as last few days I was thinking of visiting my Guru at Santosh Nagar Filmcity I was not able to get in touch with him the mobile numbers he gave me were not reachable .

Last night I contacted another Naga Sadhu Guru Bhagwatiji from Jabalpur he was my Gurus close friend and Guru bhai.

I informed of the tragic news I had heard he said he will inquire through his sources .

He called me this morning gave a me a few numbers to contact and one of the numbers I got through was of Ramgiri a disciple of our Guru he confirmed the news .Shri Vijay Giri had breathed his last in Mangalore where he hailed from..his Guru Triveniji Guru our Gurus Guru is completing the rituals and will contact me when he returns ,,

I called up Bhagwatiji and relayed the message .

And a chapter of my tryst with Naga Sadhus 4 Kumbh Mlelas I shot thanks to Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj comes to an end ,

I met my Naga Guru at Nasik Kumbh 2003 it was a very chance meeting and he accepted me as his own though he knew I was a Muslim..

I shot Maha Kumbh Allahabad 2013 thanks to him and it was here I met Guru Bhagwatiji ..I shot Nasik Kumbh 2015 and the last Kumbh with Shri Vijay Giri was Ujjain Kumbh 2016.

Without Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj I could have not completed the chapter of the Naga Sadhus and Kumbh Melas the main part of my thread Hope And Hindutva message of Universal Peace .

It was at Khamakhya 2016 and 2017 I continued shooting the Naga Sadhu ethos ..though my Guru could never make it due to poor health .

He had a kidney heart problem too. that was the cause of his untimely death.

I will visit the Ashram when Triveni guru returns from Mangalore .

A Guru is a source of knowledge wisdom learning understanding ,,I was merely a shadow without my Guru..

These words are my humble homage to his departed Soul.
Om Shanti Om.

NagaGuru

Sunday, September 17, 2017

The Juna Akhara .. Naga Sadhus at Khamakhya

I seriously began documenting the Naga Sadhus Juna Akhara from Nasik Kumbh 2003 Trimbakeshwar .

I met a Naga Sadhu who had studied Islamic scriptures was a teacher in Mangalore but than renounced family life and took the path of peace begging at Haji Malang Dargah was also a devotee of the Holy Saint .

Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj I accepted as my Naga Guru I needed some support to shoot and document the Naga Sadhus of Juna Akhara .
My Naga Guru stayed on a hillock at Film City I visited his Ashram after the Nasik Kumbh ,,, he visited my house .

In 2007 he invited me to the Ardh Kumbh Allahabad I think but I could not make it due to Moharam.

In 2013 he invited me to Maha Kumbh Allahabad I shot this Kumbh extensively than I shot the Nasikh Kumbh 2015 Trimbakeshwar I lived with the Nagas .

In 2016 I shot the Ujjain Kumbh ..than one day I got a message from my friend Laurent Salesse he wanted to shoot Khamakhya Assam in 2016 unfortunately he could not make it I did ..it was a real tough experience the Ashram where I lived had no toilet I went through hell being a diabetic,,,

But The Goddess was kind a chaiwala Narayan allowed me to use his toilet he refused to take money from me and he too is a photographer ,, only sells tea snacks during the Ambubachi Mela .

It was meeting Niku Sarma that changed everything I met him by cosmic accident and he visited my home with his mother at Bandra and this year 2017 Mrs Shatrughan Sinha bought me my flight tickets it was Niku who put me in his house next to the temple took care of me ..I had the best Assamese dishes that his Mother God Bless Her made for me they treated me like family .

Most of my time in Khamakhya was spent shooting the Naga Sadhus at Dattareya Mandir this year the temple authorities had banned the Nagas from roaming about in the nude .

Shooting this iconic Tantric kingdom was my dear friend Laurent but Laurent was staying in a hotel at Guwahati and most of the times had to climb up the mountains no transport here during the fair main days .

In the night I shot the Aghoris as I knew the Aghori Guru I had met him last year this was my main study my main documentation and the Aghoris were active only after midnight ,, I shot a lot of videos but in poor low light at the Khamakhya crematorium.

I also documented black magicians tantrics and Hijra shamans .

I have already started saving money to go to Khamakhya in 2018 .

Luckily at the Naga Sadhu abode I knew Bhagwati Giri Guru who was my Gurus Guru Bhai he knew me since Allahabad and other Kumbhs I did not have much resistance shooting them..

Most Naga Sadhus dont like photographers but I was an enigma to them dressed as a Sadhu with a Muslim name on my International Press Card.
It was getting registered by a Naga Kotwal Ram Giri to the Juna Akhara Khamakhya that helped me and Laurent the most.

Laurent shoots medium format film and he shoots with a camera attached ring flash with backdrop.. this was a great learning though not my style of photography .

On Eid both Laurent and I shot the Eid Namaz Eid Ul Zuha at Eidgah Guwhati.

Laurent and I met first in Lucknow Ashura 2007 we have shot a lot of events together he is like a great protective teacher his knowledge of photography is boundless after Khamakhya he was going to hire a bike to shoot the local tribes in Ladakh.

I realized fist and foremost I can only shoot what I was destined to shoot and the Gods and Goddesses I shoot must invite me to complete the circle of bonding ..