For Years She Has Walked The Mountains For Being One With Haji Malang.., a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.
Hardcore devotees of Holy Saint Abdul Rahman of Haji Malang , walk up face difficulties , badly kept toilets ,no facilities to speak of , and yet they come in hordes to be one with him on his annual Uruius day.. Hindus Muslims Dalits Parsis Christians Sikhs , the beggars the cripple the lepers the blind yes he pulls them and with the tide come the eunuchs hijras transgender , cross dressers seeking salvation and I have blogged all this poetically through pictures ..
I was very late this time due to my new job, but I came to shoot the Urus of Sultan Shah Baba the second salami of Haji Malang.. and I reached here at 7 pm, shot a 10 GB card , and at 2.30 am decided to walk back to my own world barefeet .. and my legs are swollen as I did not sleep when I reached home at 8 am at 10 am I reported to work..
Such is the passion of shooting this Holy Shrine ..I shot the hijras possession , the urus of Sultan Shah Baba I shot hope peace embedded in humanity..
I must tell you while climbing the mountain I met devotees coming down who considered me a Fakir holy man , they kissed my hand the Hindus among them touched my feet they asked me to pray for them, some innocently offered me money food , and I wept within yes I am beggar too a beggar poet in the wilderness of Life ..
The alms they gave me I gave to a more deserving beggar than me he had no eyes ..
And the government has not bothered to help these devotees , its all about big bucks the government puts money where it earns money.. call it malls whispering woods or whatever , places like Haji Malang are hardly given a thought ..
