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Marc De Clercq is a lover of Humanity , a very low profile human being a great photographer but hates being photographed , and he tolerates me to some extent as I blog his soul and bring it alive on the Internet.
I dont do it for money or to gain and ingratiate myself with him , he is million light years a much better photographer than me, I am basically a point and shoot artist.
Once Marc did get upset with me at Mahim and brushed me off for asking someone for taking my picture with him , though it hurt me immensely I forgave him the snub.. and we are both close to Laxmi Narayan Tripathi his very dear friend my Hijra Guru.
Marc shoots hijras transgender and recently began shooting living with the Dam Madar Malangs and Malang is not just a Sufi spirituality it is a state of mind too..
Like being called Mastan , Mastan is a spiritually satisfied soul... I am called a Mastan by the Rafaees body piercing ascetic of India.
I have for over ten years or perhaps much less documented the Chancawalli Rafaees , and lived with them , followed them from one Urus to the next , it was the Chancawalli Peer late Sikandarwali Bawa who introduced me to Haji Malang and later I saw Ajmer Sharif very late in life.
I am not a Sufi adherent but I have their peaceful mindset, I prefer them a million times than the neo Muslim .. adherent of Wahabbism or any similar school of thought.. I distance myself from any Islamic school that denigrates anyone who is a believer of Ahle Bayt... nothing more nothing less and I would rather eat dead flesh than eat or drink water from the hands of such man that kills another Muslim for being a lesser Muslim than him..
Well back to Marc..at my house there are two photographers that are as close to our family one is my mentor Dr Glenn Losack MD American full blooded .Jew born bred in Brooklyn and the other Marc De Clercq from Ghent Belgium.
Marc too likes my family and Marziya my photo shooting grand daughter 3 and a half year old gets along with Marc like peanut and butter.
They have an amazing tuning is all I can say..
Marziya has met some of the finest photographers at our house and is our in house photographer for the welcoming guests .
Marc has walked with the Dam Madar Malangs this year too from Delhi to Ajmer on foot rains heat storm, braving all the odds and is now considered a Malang himself..
He speaks fluent Urdu and Malang slang..
Shooting Marc shooting pictures is learning the art of Unlearning photography, when Marc shoots pictures even his left hand does not know that his right hand is holding the camera so I shoot him without him knowing that I am shooting him..
I honed my ability to shoot pictures shooting these guys .
Because we bloggers are point shoot photo artists heavy duty cameras or celebrity photographers dont intimidate us we are bloggers who are not into showing off or competitive photography or fucked awards the government of India gives you when you are an inch closer away from your grave.. and this is not to insult or humiliate Ms Vyarawala or Mr KG Maheshwariji ..but a fact of apathy of life and achievements of photographers unsung who died in penury and need of care.
So I trained my grand daughter the worlds youngest street photographer by shooting eminent photographers who come to my house , by shooting beggars hijras and urchins on the street...
And Marziya has yet to shoot Dr Glenn Losack MD her god uncle mentor and Guru too..
Marziyas Hanukkah present from Glenn was the Nikon D 80 she has been using since the age of 2.. in humility and gratitude...
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