Photo Bloggers Cut Their Heads Too

Photo Bloggers Cut Their Heads Too, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Cutting your head in no way proves your spiritual manliness ,you dont have to cut your head to prove your faith , but the blood letting is part of the Shia culture..

I normally kept my self away from all this,I shot others cutting themselves and it was in Hyderabad while shooting at Bargah someone offered me the dagger , in 2003 but I did not accept it.

Than I came back to shoot Chelum again in Hyderabad and slashed my head , after that at Athvi in Lucnow and Mumbai all these years.

I have the most dangerous set of flagellating blades but due to a frozen shoulder and a sword injury on the same hand I am unable to use the zanjir as it is called in our lingo.

Cold metal razor sharp blade on the scalp has its own metaphoric connotation..I feel no pain , and this time I took the dagger leaping into the air struck my head 4 times , there was no pain.

My head injuries heal the next day..no ointment no septic shot a common unwashed dagger used by others too.

As a photographer I wanted to experience the overcoming of pain , I became the subject..and to understand this phenomenon I shall pierce my cheeks with a 18 feet steel rod on the Mahim beach, during the Tamil Hindu Maryamma Fest , I spoke to Lakshmi the sister of the head priest to make it feasible for me, will I be able to maneuver shoot pictures I dont know..I was going to do it this year but changed my mind at the last minute to shoot my favorite Tamil Hindu ritual.

The other problem is you dont pierce the rod and than remove it, you have to walk with it on the streets for almost 3 hours before they are collectively removed via a painful procedure.
I shall overcome...all for Ghame Hussain.