I reached Mumbai on 17 Feb from Maha Kumbh Allahabad and have been down with cold flu and cough as I had got wet in the rains .. I went to Dr RD Parmar my family physician ,, took medication , but while under medication I climbed the mountains of Malangad to shoot the Haji Malang Urus on 24 Feb..
This is my new set and it was a painful climb,it took me a lot of time almost 5 hours , on the way some good soul gave me a stick a very sturdy one that helped me a lot..
At about 6 pm I met a Loksatta photo journalist Ram Singh who was going to shoot the march of the Shiv Sainiks led by Mr Eknath Shinde to Malangad with a arti at the Durga temple , he invited me , so I ended up shooting the entire Arti at the Temple and met Mr Eknath Shinde Sab who I had shot earlier too..I met the local Shiv Sainik leaders and corporators shot their pictures than continued up to Haji Malang.
I reached the Asthana of Abdul Bawa a holistic healer and a well known personality at Haji Malang and Kalyan.. along with Sakib my friend from Mahim and Marc De Clercq my Dam Madar Malang brother.
I met my hosts Kumar Bhai and Abhijeet Ketkar I shot the Palki , but for the first time there was no accommodation on the mountains over a lac of people were participating in this Urus .
At about 4 am I managed to get sleep at Sakibs florist shop, but I got a severe asthmatic attack .in the morning I decided to climb down the mountains aborting the Dhamal and the Sandal of Sultan Shah Baba , this I knew would hurt Rohan Patil and his dad Mr Patil Khadims of Sultan Shah Baba but I did not want to burden anyone with my health problems .
I guess I am an old man 60 .. and the Maha Kumbh trip got the better of me .. I was not interested in shooting the Hijras , I did shoot a few but that was it some old faces were missing.
For Marc it would be a nice change as he was shooting it first time.
I bought a beggars bowl A fakirs bowl and a lot of junk jewlery from a guy who had his stall down the Malangad mountains .
The Albino beggars were missing.. and some old beggar faces .
I have been cooped up at home since I came down from Haji Malang.
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