Moharam in Mumbai Ashura 2002 Amin Imambada

Moharam in Mumbai Ashura 2002 Amin Imambada, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

Moharam in Mumbai .
Ashura at Amin Imambada is a unique experience and this is organized by the Shia Iranians .Its a morning event and the place is jam packed.
The pictures I shot here are at the lag end of the event.
Ashura at Amin is a passion play depicting Shimr and Imam Hussain and the atrocities, a lot of people dont take kindly to this human depiction of Imam Hussain, but than the Iranians have being doing it since time immemorial.
And this remains with you for a long time as Shimr in red beats the crowd and hangs little children uside down removing them from the Cradle of Ali Asghar where they are placed for good luck.
When I shot this I was bodily lifted and placed on the Imambada wall by my good friend Nasser of Lucky Restaurant Bandra.
This was the first time I was photographing this sequence in my 50 years at that time.

The sword matam here is to be seen to be believed.
The Damam beaters of the Iranian drums add to the cacophony that reverbrates as Ya Hussain Ya Hussain..
The entire acoustics is of pain, women shrieking , crying weeping as the matamdars cut their foreheads and lash their backs with 24"steel blades.

The entire area is a sea of black clothes and blood.
Every Shia child has become man at Amin Imambada.