My Head Bleeds My Camera Bleeds My Soul Bleeds When I Shoot Pictures, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
My Head Bleeds My Camera Bleeds My Soul Bleeds When I Shoot Pictures
My Head Bleeds My Camera Bleeds My Soul Bleeds When I Shoot Pictures, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
when you have hussain in the heart what else do you need
when you have hussain in the heart what else do you need, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
165,633 items / 1,302,717 views
pelted by stones
by lovers of yazid
his march continues
unfaltering speed
black clothes
bleeding faces
his grief
they misread
alam abbas
chained
to mashke sakina
in the lead
as the soul
erupts
tears fall
from the ocean
of his eyes
prayer beads
hussainiyat
kashmiryat
the fragrance
of serenity
blossoming
from a seed
ya hussain
ya hussain
the kashmiri shia
bibi fatimas
rare hybrid
peace
hope
harmony
his ancestral creed
when you
have hussain
in in the heart
what else
do you need
The Kashmiri Shia Bleeds Peace Hope Harmony His Creed
The Kashmiri Shia Bleeds Peace Hope Harmony His Creed, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
165,633 items / 1,302,717 views
pelted by stones
by lovers of yazid
his march continues
unfaltering speed
black clothes
bleeding faces
his grief
they misread
alam abbas
chained
to mashke sakina
in the lead
as the soul
erupts
tears fall
from the ocean
of his eyes
prayer beads
hussainiyat
kashmiryat
the fragrance
of serenity
blossoming
from a seed
ya hussain
ya hussain
the kashmiri shia
bibi fatimas
rare hybrid
peace
hope
harmony
his ancestral creed
when you
have hussain
in in the heart
what else
do you need
Mazloom hi Mazloom ko rote hain jahan mei,
Mazloom hi Mazloom ko rote hain jahan mei,
zalim kabhi Mazloom ka Matam nahi kartey,
Apna koi Marr jay tu rote hain Tadap kar,
Par aale Nabi (S.A.W) ka Gham nahi kartey,
Ho himmat tu Mahshar main yeh kehna Paighambar say,
Eid to karte thay, Par Gham-e-Shabir nahi kartey.
Hardcore Zanjir Matam at Hussain Tekri Jaora Chehlum
Hardcore Zanjir Matam at Hussain Tekri Jaora Chehlum, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
165,498 items / 1,302,158 views
I shot this seven years back and did zanjir matam too, and now coming back after seven years was nostalgia, and the Shias who come to Hussain Tekri for Chehlum ,its a spiritual high of a symbolic nature.
The matam is fierce, and you dare not come near the guy who is inflicting his body for Ghame Hussaain.
All this blood letting is a protest against the war mongers terrorist thugs of spirtuality collectively we call this bunch of thugs by the name of Yazidiyat...
Yazid was the accursed Caliph of the Ummayad Dynasty who wanted power temporal and spiritual at any cost and the person who stood in his was was the poius devout Imam Hussain grandson of the Holy Messenger of Islam and son of the first Shia Imam Ali , Imam Hussains mother was Princess Fatima or Bibi Zehra the only daughter of the Holy Messenger.
Imam Hussain lost his life and his family ,a chapter that the pseudo religious would love to erase , they did it under every regime but we keep it alive with our black clothes our matam our majlis our blood sweat and tears.
So shedding our blood is personal form of pain and expression , and you dont have to do this as a choice, but each one relates to Moharam in his own way.. they also serve who only stand and stare.
I cut myself , its my choice I have cut my head thrice this Moharam, my bleeding continues even after my head has healed and this is Faith.
But this year because my Hindu friends scourge for Hussain , I shall pierce my cheeks with them with a 18 feet rod as my contribution to their cultural ethos, ever year I take the rod to push it through my cheeks they stop me, and they know I shoot this ritual of theirs ever year known as the Maryamma feast of the Hindu Tamils in Mumbai.
So one of the reasons I call myself a Hindu Shia is a metaphor of my roots embedded in the soil of my beloved India..
Verily Humanity is another name for peace hope and harmony we call it Hussain
The Hazri Or The Possessed Souls of Hussain Tekri Jaora
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.
The Hijra at Hussain Tekri Jaora
I knew I would meet one of them , and I did finally , she was with her daughter ., our eyes met, we shared the eternity of human pain ,she was chained to her androgynous kama and me to my cosmic fate as a Shia Hindu from Mumbai.
We did not talk at all...there was no need as silence of this sort is more eloquent than speech, every community loves Hussain , and Hussain Tekri is the symbol of this love bound in peace and humanity.
Chehlum Juloos Streets of Hussain Tekri Jaora 2011
Chehlum Juloos Streets of Hussain Tekri Jaora 2011, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
165,468 items / 1,302,032 views
This juloos starts in the afternoon from Azhakhana Zehra and winds its way to the Roza of Hazrat Abbas and Bibi Sakina at Hussain Tekri Jaora.. the hardcore zanzir and kama matam takes place in both the rozas.
Both the rozas the walls the surrounding areas are covered with hordes of pilgrims, I shot the Kashmiri Shias as they scourged ther backs, cut their chests with blades and used a doctors needle to pierce their heads , the intensity of their matam and mourning for Hazrat Imam Hussain is unbelievable, the ferocity of their zanjir blades, all this worked me up, placing my bag and camera around my neck, I borrowed a dagger and began cutting my head a form I call Dance of Death Tandav on the soul of Shimr..
My bleeding just would not stop and my camera was a bloody mess , after my matam I continued shooting this event and left later after a wash to catch the Jaipur Mumbai express for my home town..Amchi Mumbai with Ali Shah and a few Irani friends.
As the Hussain Tekri Chehlum takes a day in advance I was able to shoot the Mumbai Chehlum the next day on my arrival in Mumbai.
Mumbai Chehlum is of to diverse segments the juloos on the streets and hardcore zanjir kama and sword matam within the walls of the Shia cemetery Rehamatabad , this is a virtual war zone and blood bath.
I Cut My Head The Third Time at Hussain Tekri Jaora Chehlum
I Cut My Head The Third Time at Hussain Tekri Jaora Chehlum, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
165,415 items / 1,301,609 views
On Ashura day I cut my head a Shia ritual called kamazani at Chennai .
Than this year I cut my head again at Pappu Bhais juloos Kurla and the third time I went into a frenzy seeing the Kashmiri Shias cutting their heads at Hazrat Abbas Roza Hussain Tekri Jaora on Chehlum 40 day of Martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain.
I shot the Mumbai Chehlum the next day after my return from Jaora , I did not cut my head , but I did bang my wounds with a Machete and made it bleed all the more.
My Maha Guru Ashok Row Kavi
164,859 items / 1,297,769 views
I have shot this event ever year to show my support solidarity with the Hijra and Gay community.. this series is dedicated to Queer Prince Manvendra Singh of Raj Pipla and my Hijra Guru Laxmi Narayan Tripathi..
Being Human is the message of this series the people I shot are supporters of the gay community , college students , parents relatives and most of them straight that stood up for the right of people beyond gender caste color or community..
I wont be shooting this Gay Pride in the future , at all.. I shot this to share to those who could not be part of a great awakening and movement.
My Mask Of Blood Is A Protest Against Yazidiyat
My Mask Of Blood Is A Protest Against Yazidiyat, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
165,414 items / 1,301,356 views
I take you back to Hussain Tekri Jaora where I shot the Chehlum on the streets and at Hazrat Abbas Roza and the Roza of Bibi Sakina .
Chehlum is the 40 th day of Imam Hussains Martyrdom.
As the Chehlum is a day earlir than at Mumbai I shot both the Chehlums though I cut my head at Hussain Tekri along with the Kashmiri Shias more intense and fierce matamdars than me in a way they inspired me to do my Dance of Death Tandav on the Soul of Shimr.
My bleeding would not stop because I am a diabetic and dont take my diabetic dosage when I am out of Mumbai on pilgrimage I leave it to God.. he takes care of me.
I was told by the Just guys First Aid holistic healers to take stitches on my head I refused flatly and after several bandages continued shooting this event till it got over by 5 pm and I cleaned myself and rushed to catch the Mumbai Jaipur Express for Mumbai.
This is a long series prior to this thee is another flder I shot of possessio exorcism at the Holy Shrines including my barefeet trip to Chilla of Chabuk Sharif another holistic healing place bordered by hashiish fields.
Hussain Tekri is an experience of a life time and shall remain with me forever.
I had cut my head with the camera round my neck..so I dont have pictures of the head cutting only these few pictures shot by a guy to whom I gave my camera.
I did not cut my head at the Mumbai Chehlum but removed this bandage in Mumbai ..
This is a graphic set that i have moderated accordingly please use your discretion while seeing it at my Flickr photo stream.
Because of the blood and gore I house this in a new set here at Flickr... there are three sets of Hussain Tekri 2011.
Why Do I Shoot The Gay Pride Year After Year Barefeet
Why Do I Shoot The Gay Pride Year After Year Barefeet, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.
165,413 items / 1,301,221 views
I have had a problem I got a call that upset me badly as I shoot this parade year after year without any agenda, simply because I am a disciple of a Hijra Guru Laxmi Narayan Tripathi , the Gay pride includes hijras and transgenders, I dont have lesbian or bi sexual friends and their sexual orientation is their personal prerogative and does not bother me.. I do not degrade their community , but my hand is my signature that intrudes on time and space to tell you all this shot by me.
I have a lot of gay friends I have known since ages , I am not a member of Humsafar Trust but I salute the work they do and I am a hardcore fan of Ashok Row Kavi , he is a subject of my pictures and my poems too.
I have a great respect for Vivek anand Nitin Karani and Pallav , whenever they invited me for an event I ever refused any of them.
I dont sell my pictures at all , though I offered to give it to the Oprah Winfrey show when it was requested by them for their latestshow , pictures of Manvendra Singh Gohil to whom I have dedicated this series and to my Hijra Guru Laxmi Narayan Tripathi.
I cross blog my stuff to my Hijda Eunuch blogs and at Bogspot Word Press Twitter , I have moved out of Facebook hence these pictures or links wont be seen there at all.
I shoot this Gay Pride for those who could not make it straight or gay, I show you a movement that has grown fewer masks and open support by all college students of their gay friends and parents and relatives of their gay ward and children.
My pictures wont make it to the newspaper at all ..but yes as a photo blogger my pictures reach where angels fear to tread.
I was posting religious pictures of my Shia heritage I pput it on hold to include this stuff so people can see it in its topicality.
I now bring this series to an end I have about 100 pictures I shall post them after I finish my Moharam stuff..
Thanks to all of you who helped me supported me..while taking these pictures.
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