The Hazri Or The Possessed Souls of Hussain Tekri Jaora, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
165,489 items / 1,302,151 views
Possession is a common malady in rural India and in city slums too, and when such a malady takes place than the possessed persons family normally seek advice from Bengali Bawas or visit Dargahs and places such as Hussain Tekri or Meera Datar Unjha Gujrat.
Here in local parlance possession by the evil spirit or demon is known as Hajri or Hazri.
Its a dreadfully painful sight and I have shot this intensely , extensively, as I have undergone this vicious cycle personally , my mother took me to a lot of Shamans, Bawas as I was an alcoholic and everywhere she took me it was the usual story of pain humiliation and degradation..
I was the eldest son the bread winner after my dad and my parents had great hopes on me , my alcoholism did not abate I was dead drunk when my dad died even at the Name Janaza.
My mothers death I was sober but it did not last long, even after marriage my boozing plagued me, my wife too prayed but being a hardcore Shia kept away from Sufi dargahs shamans etc..
I too was in a state of morbidity tried to kill myself severa times jumped from a building lit myself with kerosene cut my wrists but survived each time..
Finally I gave up booze drugs cigarettes I dont know how , and took up photography as another form of intoxication,i have not touched booze since 1998 call it will power or my karmic fate.
I lived with Naga Sadhus Aghoris Hijras Rafaees Malangs and Mastans, but Peersaab Fakhru Miya of Hujra no6 Ajmer Sharif helped me in this struggle exorcised my demons.
My Naga Sadhu Guru Shri Vijay Giri Maharaj also helped and my religiosity my faith always remained intact.
So I shoot these possessed people as I know their pain , and it is tough breaking these chains , and only the family makes it possible to gain the ultimate freedom from this accursed situation , good friends too.
This is known as holistic healing and walking a tight rope of fear of not falling back in the hell hole again.. it is only a whisker away.
