The Shia Kids of Mumbai Demystified

The Shia Kids of Mumbai Demystified, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

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Before the Amary Athvi Juloos reaches the corner where the bloodletting zanjir matam and kama matam take place , little kids begin their scourging on the streets itself, and this is a euphoric , seamless without me glorifying the ritual of blood.

The kids I must reiterate are totally involved , the very young ones are with their parents or guardians but the older kids are out here on their own, there is no parental pressure or gudance as this ritual is part of the Shia ethos at all levels whether you are a rich or a Shia from the slums.. the blade cuts both ways.

Mind you in Juloos such as these or fir the matter any Shia Juloos there is hardly any media coverage..hardly any photographer . just a few stray guys doing video recording for private reasons.

The Shia organizers dont believe in media , they want the juloos to begin and end without any communal skirmishes , and here I must mention earnestly without prejudice or bias that other communities support the cause of Hussain.

The Hindus Sunni Muslims Christians watch from the sidelines as the juloos makes its way to its end.

So as a Shia , as a photographer who shoots all religiosity with sincerity and the same emotion and passion as I would be shooting Lal Bagh Chya Raja or the 14 Stations of the Cross barefeet on Good Friday I shoot the Shia processions during Moharam or otherwise.

I chronicle Mumbai the city of my Inheritance its multi colred culture, I am as much a Hindu as much as you are a Muslim , a thought I believe in , because every religion is bound to Humanity and over personal ideology respect and mutual coexistence and tolerance is the keystone of a Mumbaikar from Amchi Mumbai.

As Shias we are products of our surroundings too, how we translate our spiritual angst is what matters the most, predominantly the Shias of Mumbai are very cool headed and peace oving people , they do what they do, they cut their bodies a form of expression expounding the tragedy of Karbala , the genocide the inhuman manner in which the Holy Prophets grandson Imam Hussain was killed in cold blooded murder by the custodians of Yazidi Islam at that time.

So Islam too though universal in Peace and Brotherhood has a few chapters reeling in blood , persecution hate and bigotry.

What the Shia is trying to translate by his blood letting his matam that Karbala should not repeat itself, and Terrorism is the greatest enemy of Humanity cloaked in any form or disguise.

Imagine a 1400 yea old protest from one generation to the next unbroken as it continues , a banner of revolt as red as the Shias blood on the soul of Humanity by subsequent Yazid and his followers.

This is in short a treatise on the Shia ethos angst that the majority does not want to see ..every corrupt nation or its despotic ruler falls in front of the popular will of the people.

It is people that make or recreate History.

So as a poet I picturize the pain of the Shias , I shoot the coming of Age of the Shia child, the Shia motherhood that produces and keeps the flame alive of Azadari and love of Hussain.,

I shoot all this as a street photographer a canvas that reads as photo blogs.. mind you I shoot without proselytizing my Faith , I dont believe in conversions I respect the Mothers womb the only place you were a human before you become a bigot.. or a faithful believer of Humanity irrespective of your caste color or creed.


So see my world through my camera eyes.. I dont wish to change your views your own religious opinions..my blog is a blog of peace and the source of my blogs is as human as the tear that falls from my eyes we call it Ghame Hussain.

And with this set Moharam will be over , but than it is a state of our Choice and the struggle continues against Oppression and Persecution.

I will shed my black clothes wear saffron the color of my culture and the metaphor of my surroundings.. so dont blame me if the poet in me calls himself a Shia Hindu..

Yes I shoot Hope and Hindutva too as a message of Peace and Humanity.