Shooting Moharam In Mumbai Ashura

Shooting Moharam In Mumbai Ashura, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.

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I am updating this post for a few of my foreigner friends who are contemplating of staying back and shooting Ashura in Mumbai..they were planning to leave at the end of the month , but they want to get some footage of this huge event that touches Shias all over the world.

My American Guru friend family Dr Glenn Losack shot this in 2008 the Chehlum juloos in Mumbai I had stitched a black Indian trouser and a sleeveless jacket he wore his green Tshirt, black is the dress code of this mournful moment , dont wear red and try shooting this event as tempers get frayed , women should have a head scarf that makes their presence agreeable to the crowds..

Because the Shias bleed , it is better to remove your footwear shoot them barefeet .. they get upset when photographers enter the cordon with shoes .. you can remove it at the edge take a shot and wear it back again , for Dr Glenn I am making a footwear of thick black socks..

The Ashura juloos begins at about 4.30 pm after the Shias break an enforecd fast called Fakke Shikani with dal and rice or the quintessential Irani khichda..

The alams or standards ,and the Shia groups called Anjumans each representing an area in Mumbai or from out station recite nohas matams , on the roads , there is heavy police bandobast, ambulances first aid kits .. and once the juloos reaches JJ Hospital corner from Yaqob Gully , or a little ahead from Imamwada , the kama matam starts , cutting of heads , by a contigent led by Habib and Baqar Nasser dear friends and photographers too..

I cut my head here with their anjuman , and once my wound is cleaned up , I start shooting the events , but the bleeding does not stop, firstly because I am a diabetic , and I dont use ointment antibiotics or antiseptic , my wound is cleaned with water or rose water.

Even the dagger I use was used by a person before me only washed or I use it as it is .. after cuttig my head leaping and hitting the dagger on my head the guys pull away the dagger from my hands , and than I hit my hands on the wound to open it up more and let the blood flow .,.

Even little children have their heads cut by the adults and this is a vow the parents took before the male child was born..this is known as Mannat or fulfilling of a Mannat or wish.

Girls dont cut their heads but this custom is prevalent a lot in Hyderabad and child kama too.

The Mumbai kama matam the Mumbai sword matam is very vicious ..dangerous too..

The juloos or procession moves from the streets of JJ to Dongri towards Mazgaoan the Shia cemetery called Rehmatabad .. inside the cemetery is jam packed for a majlis by Maulana Athar Sab called Shame Ghariba ..

As soon as the majlis ends the hardcore sword zanjir kama matam begins for about an hour , sometimes it is pitch dark as the lights are switched off only the shining blades and the sounds of Ya Hussain nothing else.

The zuljana the replica of the steed the taboot little children shouting Wa Waila Wa Waila make their appearance in this moment of pain called Ghame Hussain.
Shooting the cemetery sequence is sheer impossible , there is no safe place and media is not allowed this is a private affair , the Shias shoot it ..

I have cut my head in the cemetery too after having cut my head outside on the roads and it was painful as the blood messed up my camera and the camera lens.

Dr Glenn Losack will shoot this event with me .. hopefully..