The Bajra Wiladat e Imam e Zamana Gateway of India, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
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This was shot in 2007 .
Now this pier is closed to public for this function due to security reasons , last year I shot it too but the side pier next to the the one where you catch the boats for Alibag or Uran.
This boat comes at the pier and within the boat is the Nazar for tasting consisting of halwa and aflatoon and home made sweets.
Before the boat called the bajra arrives there is a lot of shair and shairi in praise of the Ahle Bayt and a continuous , ear piercing shouts of Nare Hyderi.
The women come here too with their relatives kids and throw arzis or requests in the sea , the arzis are covered in flour fed to the fishes.
There is heavy police bandobast and thankfully everything goes on peacefully.
This is a predominantly Shia event and part of the Shia Shabbarat celebrations by the Shia Muslims of Mumbai.
The Sunni Muslims too celebrate Shabbarat at the various Sunni cemeteries but the largest crowd is at Haji Ali Dargah and at the Mahim Dargah of Makdhoom Shah Baba and Fakhruddin Shah Baba.
At Shia houses the ladies make puri halwa and offer fatiah to their dead ancestors visit the Shia cemetery at Arambagh Khojas and Rehmatabad Mazgaon the Iranians and Hindustani Shias.
They light candles on the graves of their relatives , remember them fondly in the prayers called Fatiah.
My parent graves side by side is also at Rehmatabad Shia cemetery.
