Majlis at Moghul Masjid

Majlis at Moghul Masjid
Originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1

A camera shake
surrealistic emotions
wide awake
hussain is humanity
humanity for humanity sake

The BDD Chawl Alam and Juloos

The BDD Chawl Alam and Juloos
Originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1

Moharam in Mumbai 2008

Moharam in Mumbai 2008
Originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1

As a photographer shooting Moharam events, my pictorial journey began on 6 of Moharam , starting from Bandra to JJ Hospital, and passing Anjuman e Turab sabil that belongs to my friend Ali Shah the greatest matamdar, they say there is hardly any space left on his back to scourge any more , deep gashes and stitches are part of his Shia back.From his sabil you pass Babula Tank road where you see people listening to Janab Maulana Mohomed Athar Mirzas majlis in close circuit cameras..
his fame stretches far and wide..you enter the are near Moghul Majid clustered with the Sabils or watering places.
Moghul Masjid area is packed with people all ears totally engrossed in the Majlis.
From here cut in to the other end and reach Pala Gali the Shia Khoja Masjid and the Dargah of Hazrat Abbas , here too Shias all wearing black buying Shia stuff like Alams , duas, etc.. The Sabils here to are flocking with kids distributing water to the miling masses that pass by..
The lane next to Pala Gali is where you enter Kaisar Bagh the Shia citadel of Faith.
In the main hall the folks are busy decorating the Alams and the Taboots,.
Ladies and gents pay their offerings toa nice small Imambada in a small room.
On the dais kids play all in black, awaiting the scenes that will unfold.On the mimber the Nohakars go about reciting the Nohas or hymns of poetry in praise of Imam Hussain.Soon as Athar Saabs Majlis at Moghul Masjid gets over the crowds move towards Kaisar Bagh, here Maulana Yasoob Abbas begins his short Majlis , the moment he ends the Majlis with Ya Hussain three times the crowds get up, the alams move in the place is now changed in appearance whic you shall see through my pictures.What I posted at Flickr was Day 1 -6th Moharam.Now I shot Day 2 Moharam 7 Day 3 Moharam 8 about 360 GB of pictures..
I shall select and post .
I have used some body elses camera for this assignment of my faith pictures shot on D80 - and my D7 where my 80-200 has got stuck refusing to come off..
I have also shot a short juloos that comes from BDD chawls Bhendi Bazar and ends at Imamiya Masjid.Back at Bandra yesterday I shot the Dariyawala alam at Carter .
Road..
Posting all this will take much time and there is hardly any storage space at my house comp.. my Cd drive has konked off too to add to my woes.
After posting this I shall leave again for Byculla to shoot the Savoy juloos and than Kaisar Bagh Day 4 Mohram 9 ///
I have decided to stay at my Moms house at Colaba to shoot the Ashura at Amin Imambada and the last Ashura Juloos that leaves JJ Hospital and ends at the Shia graveyard , here there is a Majlis called Shame Ghariba the scourgings and the Kama matam at the graveyard is a sight that shall remain with you for ever...
All this tomorrow..Sunday ..
I shall skip the Standard Chartered Marathon that has become a street side Tamasha of the Page 3 Mumbai community..and sucks.

God and Godliness

God and Godliness
Originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1

photo shot by dr glenn losack md
glennlosackmd.com/-/glennlosackmd/

as the car stops
they rush to greet you these
children of a lesser god
a pedestrian god
a traffic signal god
searching
for alms
hope at the other end
asking you to give them
just a miniscule
of whay you spend
on cigarettes booze whores
drugs and your girl friend
they bless you with good wishes
to make amend
to give you more money
more wealth
to god they will recommend
their own fucke fate
their own fucked life
that god and godliness
of a fake orgiastic spirituality
cant change or mend

Chalak Ali Rafaee

Chalak Ali Rafaee
Originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1

chalak ali
the eye ball piercing rafaee
an act he does with an expertise
this wily clever street smart sufi guy
along with his little brat
sharukh rafaee
like father like son
an amazing tie
on the streets they watch
this pair
acts that in real life
you will not see or espy
no second try
tongue cutting
neck cutting
chest piercing
mind over matter
all done in the open
no sleigh of hand
no need to be sly
the rest of the chancawalli
band of sufi mendicants
body piercing chillum smoking
on a perpetual high
following from a distance
at the urus of fakhruddin shah baba
is the man dressed hijda rafaee
Man Kunto Maulah Fazayun Aliyun Maula
they leap and cry
touching divinity
another body piercer
hidden behind the
smoky clouds in the sky

Marziya Shakir-My Moharam schedule

Marziya Shakir-My Moharam schedule
Originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1

I hardly get to see Marziya perhaps a few minutes in the morning that was yesterday, I rushed to work and at about 3 pm left for Carter Road to shoot a local Moharam event the Daiyawala Alam commemorating the Martyrdom of Hazrat Abbas brother of Imam Hussain. The Alam a very impressive one moves on foot from Carter Road Promenade in a lane touching the Deputy Commissioners office to Pali Road and ends at the Bandra Khoja Masjid.There was a Busheri Matam on the promenade .There was also a Majlis at the promenade recited by Maulana Yasoob Abbas , I shot quite a few pictures, and came back to work.In the evening I left for Dongri and came back at 1 am after shooting Day3 of Kaiser Bagh.. pictures over 1500 or more yet to post ...
In the meantime I completed posting the Fakruddin Shagh Baba Urus 470 pictures bringing the series to a close.One of the most fascinating trip on body piercing , and I have never shot such a innovative Rafaee procession..
I shot Kaisar Bagh day 2 Day 3 and this I should start posting at Flickrs from today..
Today is 9th Moharam I shall leave at 4pm for the Savoy Juloos and a long procession that ends at Amin Imabada and late at 11 pm the procession scourging at Kaisar Bagh.. continues.
The hand matams and the Busheri Matam at Kaisar Bagh will continue much after the juloos ends here till wee hours of the Ashura morning..

The End of the Urus Fakhruddin Shah Baba

The End of the Urus Fakhruddin Shah Baba
Originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1

With this picture I end the series , this lot was lying in my computer since about a few weeks, I sat all day and lat night to complete it, a tedious task as I shoot Kaisar Bagh and come home from town at about midnight or later.
I did not want these pictures to clash with my Moharam series so I thought of foreclosing them.
In the picture are the organisers of the Urus and Handi..
This was the best Rafaee procession I shot, it continued much after I left , but I had no strength left to shoot it and besides the acts kept being repeated..