Shooting The Rafaee Culture At Dharavi

Shooting The Rafaee Culture At Dharavi, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.

Sufism is much closer to Sunnism is what I saw in my years of associating with them simply because the common Muslim who comes here hardly knows what Sufism is all about , and if it is Ajmer Sharif they come because of the Humility of the Greatest Suf Saint Kwajah Garib Nawaz.
Hindus Muslims Dalits they come for peace of Mind and to attain Hope.

The Sufism of the common man is very different from that of the Trustees of a Holy Shrine and I hate to say it at some places the heads of the Dargah are absolutely arrogant , dictatorial and million light years from the message of the Holy Saint.

And the same thing on a larger scale in Universal Islam with its headquarters in Wahabbi Salafi Saudi Arabia , peace and brotherhood has been pushed aside ..is the way I see it personally .

I like the Malang way of Life approach, no spiritual barriers no casteism of rich poor , so I became slave of Imam Ali Haq .. I became a Dam Madar Malang.

At Dharavi it is the Hindu Maharashtrians that take care of this dargah called Maulah Ali.. and it is in a tiny winding lane , the Hindus and the Muslims .. live in peace goodwill.. and during the Urus here it is celebration time.

I have not gone there since this one visit..and the guy next to mein white lungi is a crazy Rafaee ..during the Urus of Fakhruddin Shah Baba he was very high and in his Junoon he slashed my stomach with a sword , my tshirt tore but his blade did not touch my skin...this is the Art of the Rafaee I was not scared and stood my ground , he hugged me wept and this is the life of the Rafaee .

I have not met him since .. and it was all this body piercing that attracted me to the Rafaees ,.. I decided to document it ..