8 Moharam at Hussaini Koti 2009

8 Moharam at Hussaini Koti 2009, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

8 Moharam at Hussaini Koti 2009

8 Moharam at Hussaini Koti 2009, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

8 Moharam at Hussaini Koti 2009

8 Moharam at Hussaini Koti 2009, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

The Alam of Hazrat Abbas is traditionally carried by the scion of the Hussaini Koti Nawabs and this will move around the entire property and finally be put to rest at the Hussaini Koti Imam Bargah..

Unfortunately I aborted this shoot , and had to return back to base as my camera battery charger and my extra batter had failed.

But I shoot this event in entirety in 2003 pictures on my Flickr photo stream, Moharam in Hyderabad.

8 Moharam at Hussaini Koti 2009

8 Moharam at Hussaini Koti 2009, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

The Nawabs of Hussaini Koti

The Nawabs of Hussaini Koti, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

I know one thing for sure they will never forget me these young Nawabs the future of Hussaini Koti..

Kya Sunni Kya Shia

Kya Sunni Kya Shia, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Majlis e Aza
aane ka shukriya
farshe aza pe
bujhta nahi diya
hussain is humanity
kya sunni kya shia
sar katake hussain ne
yazid ka sarjhuka diya

Adab Aur Tehzeeb

Adab Aur Tehzeeb, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

We in Lucknow had a saying you can live without food and water but not without Adab and Tehzeeb, meaning culture and etiquette..

So in many ways Lucknow and Hyderabad are the main pillars of this important aspect of life..
In the olden days in Lucknow young Nawabs would be sent to the homes of courtesans to learn adab and tehzeeb.

I made these kids pose for me after seeing each one bend low offer adaab or salutations to the people that had come to attend their 8 Moharam majlis at Hussaini Koti Hyderabad but as I cannot post all my stuff at Facebook, just see this at Flickr..

I could have gone on shooting them forever.. this is the way tradition is nurtured by Nawabi families..this is how heritage is kept alive, this is not just about being Muslim , and no cheek and jowl among the radicals and the white collared Wahabbis , Shias are not even considered Muslim, ill treated , abused because of their customs because of their beliefs by the Saudi culture police when they go for Haj or Umrah..speaks a lot about so called Brotherhood and Peace and Islamic so called Universality.

And yet Shiasm in India gave some of the best architecture,poets , writers..its pity the decadence seeped in pretty soon..once the states broke up and Nawabi and the feudal system ceased to exist.

When the child is born and tutored in life in Lucknow , he is taught to say Adaab a head bent low salaam or salutation , the girl to do Tasleem a feminine part of salutations.

As a child I was bought up in the house of actor , a giant of an actor who to act act in a film called Yahudi as an old man had removed all his teeth, Nawab Kashmiri contemporary of Dilip Kumar, Jayant , Johnny walker, Mukri and Sohrab Modi..

Nawab Saab had long died but Adab and Tehzeeb were kept alive among his kids Akhtar , Munnawar and Anwar by Ammi his mother in law directly related to Wajid Ali Shah. Kolkatta was one of their ancestral home from their mothers side and Lucknow from both sides..

Nawab saab was related to late Agha Jani Kashmiri and Ali Raza Saab and Nimmi.
Whatever I am today a major part of my growth I owe to this family..my father Mohomed Shakir was a tenant of the family , he was given quarters strictly on the criteria he was a Lucknowi and married ..my mother's father Daroga Nabban Saab being a descendant of poet Mir Anis.

So Adab and Tehzeeb is not just the jagir of the Nawabs but is part and parcel of day to day life in poor families too as seen in Old Lucknow.I dont know much about Hyderabad as I visit it for 3 days during Ashura or Chehlum.

And I have self exiled myself from Lucknow the city of my birth, for life due to its sectarian hate among Muslims and radicalism...and bigotry.

And I dedicate this to Anis Sabri my Facebook friend..blogging is a holistic science that like a time machine takes you back into the darkness of your soul.. much before life began.

Ps
It was Nawab Saabs daughter Akthar baji who enrolled me in Private European School I955 and my poor dad paid the princely amount of Rs 50 as my monthly fees ..how can I forget Nawab Saabs family ever..we stayed at Khatau Mansions Wodehouse Road now Jony Castle.

The World of a Shia Kid Matam Majlis and Ya Hussain

The World of a Shia Kid Matam Majlis and Ya Hussain, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Shia Blogger and The Hussaini Koti Nawabs

Shia Blogger and The Hussaini Koti Nawabs, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Syed Askar Ali Khan of Shariyar Ul Mulk Palace Hyderabad

Syed Askar Ali Khan of Shariyar Ul Mulk Palace Hyderabad, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

8 Moharam Hazri at Shariyar Ul Mulk Palace

8 Moharam Hazri at Shariyar Ul Mulk Palace, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

I was invited from Hussain Koti to Sharyar Ul Mulk Palace of Nawab Askar Ali Khan for the Hazri of Hazrat Abbas ..the Hussaini Koti Maulana accompanied us.. I know the Nawab Saab since 2003 and he once had a flat at Versova.

Here the palace is worth seeing age old relics alams received as bravery in war by the forefathers of the Nawab..And you can only see this during Moharam.

They have a Majlis e Aza on 9 Moharam I shot it in 2003 ..it is the ancestral Alams carried around a pit of fire..I had slept almost at the edge of the fire and shot this moment..burning up all the back elements of my Nikon 20 mm AF lens ..

As a Shia Fire Blood Air and Water seem to be a part of our spiritual consciousness

Pain That Binds Us All..

Pain That Binds Us All.., originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

I had requested Nawab Saab to pose with me but he was uncomfortable , the message here at Hussaini Koti is a message of Peace through Ghame Hussain..these Nawabs are totally low profile and dont push their royal past or their credentials up your throat..

You must see the kids of the Nawabs I shot them extensively, greeting everyone with heads bowed for coming to this Majlis e Aza..

And I show you a world as photo journalist photo blogger , a world you may not see unless you are invited ..you cant just bring in your camera and start shooting pictures here..most of the venues strictly prohibit entry to Non Muslims..

And I will digress here , this morning after leaving Marziya my grand daughter to her play school..I met an old acquaintance a Sister from the order of Mother Theresa in Mumbai , she has a small kiosk opp the Bandra Municipal offices, we got talking and I told her about the neglected uncared for Umbrella Lady of Bandra Reclamation,.,and the good sister who bathes beggars on Bandra Hill Road , removes lice from the hair did not know about her ..she said she would see her up .

It is than I told the Sister of Mother Theresa the only religion greater than any religion is the religion of Pain , pain that we all feel, pain that binds us as men gods and super gods.
Pain the crux of Faith , be it Moharam or the 14 Stations of the Cross ..the message is simple and plain..you see the world through the eyes of Jesus we see the world through Karbala and Hussain.

.Paradise Revisited Regained...

8 Moharam at Hussaini Koti 2009 Hyderabad

8 Moharam at Hussaini Koti 2009 Hyderabad, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

I am with Nawab Saab brother of late Rashid Ali Khan, I am poor with names as I suffer from a ver bad diabetic affected memory, but Syed Ghazanfer Ali Khan son of late Rashid Ali Khan has promised to give me the Hussaini Koti history and the names of all the Nawabs living and those of his ancestors..

Nawab Syed Askar Ali Khan of Shariyar Ul Mulk Palace where I was invited for the 8 Moharam Hazri is closely connected to this family of Hussaini Koti..

And after I shot these pictures including that of their Majlis and juloos I never could meet them at all..

The alams of Hussaini Koti are very old heirlooms and you will never see such grandeur anywhere ..the Alams are viewed only during Moharam ..and the 8 Moharam of Hussaini Koti is a moment of a life time for a Shia..

The Alam of Hazrat Abbas is carried on a horse by the young scion of the Nawabs and finally bought back to the haveli ,unfortunately I could not shoot that portion , my camera battery charger and the batteyr had failed me..

However luckily I had shot this in Back and White when I was last here in 2003.

Hussaini Koti is about a chapter that comes alive of Nawabi charm , culture and tradition of these blue blooded Shia Nawabs of feudal Hyderabad of yore.

A Humble Request to My Facebook Friends .

A Humble Request to My Facebook Friends ., originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Originally posted at Facebook

I am an incorrigible addictive blogger I blog as per the religious season in the air, I blog Lord Ganesha when the Ganesh festival begins , I blog Goddess Durga when Navratri begins I blog Jesus during the 14 Stations of the Cross , I blog Moharam as a Shia Blogger I am definitely not a religious site at least not a Muslim hating Muslim site for a fact, I am opinionated , and if my attitude as a blogger hurts your sensibilities remove me from your friends list no big deal, or remove me from your feeds..immediately.

I have removed almost 95 % of my friends feeds, I hold them dear as friends and their choice of blog does not affect me in the least..

In my feeds I just have 4 or 5 friends who I have been close as a blogger since almost 6 years.

I hate the accursed Facebook uploader , and when it does not work I post links you dont have to click on them I dont post links on your wall at least not about penis enlargement I dont post links about forcing my views on you..
All my stuff including Hijdas and the Naga Sadhus is in respective albums I dont post porn ..

So read this as a disclaimer and wipe me out from your friends page ..you dont have to bark your views to me if you can send me a private mail too..

And if you dont have anything to blog than I dont blame you .,.. I make the most of my pedestrian fragmented genius inherited from my old man..he taught me to change water like prose into wine like poetry ..all though the third eye of Shiva embedded in every camera lens...