Shia Shabbarat Wiladat e Imame Zamana

Shia Shabbarat Wiladat e Imame Zamana
Originally uploaded by flickr photographerno1

Yesterday was the Shia and the Sunni Shabbarat.
The Sunnis normally head to the graveyard and to the various Dargahs for a holy vigil all
night and prayers in their Mosques .My staff is all Sunni so I shut shop very early at about 5pm.The other guy who works for me is a Hindu , he did not come to work because of Raksha Bandhan.
I was at home all evening; wife had made Halwa Puri, as this day is the Shia All Souls Day.
We remember our ancestors are near and dear ones who left us this great heritage
that we call Hussainiyat.
Also on this day the Shias celebrate the birthday of the 12 Imam the Mahdi.
Prayers are offered at the graves, I did not go this time to the cemetery.
But at 4.30 am wife and I with my Nikon F100 my Manfrotto monopod headed towards
town, to the pier at Gateway of India , this was my wife Afshaan ‘s first visit in 31 years,
strangely though we stayed at Colaba at my parents house , none of us had ever visited
the pier to watch an event called Bajra.
Bajra means a boat, that florally decked comes to the pier with sweets called Nazar, that you taste,the entire area is jam packed , but as I had left my wife in the ladies section, I came to the pier steps took shots on negatives, later when the boat arrived I entered in took shots of the tasting of the Nazar.
There was a heavy Police Bandobust , due to the blasts in Hyderabad, I was very simply dressed , as I did not want to end up in the local cop station with my wife in tow.
The Shias also come to the pier , to place Arzis in the water, Arzis are papers with prayers on which you write your requests, mix it in flour to be fed to the fishes., to ultimately reach the Imam of our Times , whom we call Imam E Zamana.
We returned home at 7 am, I missed my digital camera so I am posting this with an old picture. The negs will go for processing..
I was shooting pictures after a very long time, my photo stream I fear will look more like Dr Glenn Losacks than my own, but I am humbled that he allows me to post the pictures that he has shot with a true love for my country and its people. His beggar pictures have warmth, they do not insult or humiliate man, but society .We who have turned our backs on our own, the rich become richer the poor they live to die .I don’t think I can shoot pictures like Dr Glenn Losack, I do not have his vision, nor his eye I don’t even have a digital camera. Not having a digital camera is a blessing I am no more trigger happy…I shoot picture on the emulsion of my soul sans camera.