Tears for Hussain

Tears for Hussain, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

My life's goal has been to capture the human tear falling as a drop of pain from the eyes of a Shia person , it was this quest , this trail of a tear I followed , I wanted to understand this tear that uniquely symbolizes Ghame Hussain.

I came to Lucknow during Athvi as someone told me nobody cries like a man from Lucknow for Imam Hussain and during Athvi at Kazmain when the Alams are put to rest the Shia cry is like a soul being pierced alive in the womb..so armed with film cameras I shot this in black and white, I ran from one majlis to the next and it was a drop of tear tantalizing my camera eye..seducing the spirituality of my restless wandering soul.

I came to Mehmoodabad shot the royal tear that fell on the thirsty earth from the Raja of Mehmoodabads eye, yes more than blood I wanted to glorify the human tear..

I rushed to Kolkatta searching for a drop of tear and here I was shocked and astounded I was beaten at my own game I saw a Shia tear in a Hindu womans eye , with vermilion on her head , she placed her new born child beneath the legs of Zuljana the replica of Imam Hussains steed..crying as she wished for his long life , I was told the child was sickly since birth..I saw Hindu mothers collecting the milk that was given to Zuljana to drink, picked up from the dirty ground and dabbed on the child's lips..till I noticed tears in the eyes of Zuljana..

I came to Hyderabad broke the cordon of the caparisoned elephant that carries the Bibika Alam to shoot the tear in a elephants eye..

So shooting Moharam is nothing but searching for humanity within the soul of Hussain..

I was told about an incident a very senior Indian Maulana long since dead was to recite a Majlis in China, when he entered the Imam Bargah he was shocked to see hijab covered women instead of men , he refused to recite the Majlis till the organizer told him they were all men covered in hijabs as they did not want want to see Bibi Zainab.. whom they say invariably comes to hear the Majlis..on the Farshe Aza..

I thought perhaps it was their tears they wanted to mask from her.. Ever since I began shooting Moharam I too have been crying , cried in every city I visited be it Kolkatta, Hussain Tekri, Lucknow ,Delhi , Hyderabad Mumbai , and crying bought out the angst of my spiritual ancestry embedded in Ghame Hussain.

So this is my humble tribute to a drop of tear .. the search continues..beyond the click on my Google web browser.