Anamika is the little child of mixed parentage her father was a South Indian her mother a Koli , her mother was alive and is seen in the picture with glasses but died subsequently , Anamika gets her tongue pierced with a Trishul .. here the Devi enters her body she goes into possession like trance..
Though Goddess Marriammen is a Tamil Goddess of Fertility here at Mahim Macchimar Colony she is worshiped by the Koli fishing community too.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Anamika Koli Possessed
Possession on the Beach - Marriammen Feast Macchimar Colony
Possession on the Beach - Marriammen Feast Macchimar Colony, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.
As soon as the puja gets over the devotees go into a state of trance including the Hijra priest Krishna and the main priest Ganesh... fowls are slaughtered as sacrifice ,, than the ritual of the piercing of the cheeks inserting hooks on the back of the devotees start...
I have documented this Tamil Hindu feast extensively in Mumbai..
Possession At Marriammen Feast Mahim Fishermen Colony
Possession At Marriammen Feast Mahim Fishermen Colony, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.
Another place famous for possession , and the supernatural..is the feast of Goddess Marriammen , where after the slaughter of the goat ritual , the women enter a state of frenzy, and go into a state of possession.. here both the woman and the boy are under spiritual siege , they call this entering of the goddess in the body.. even later at the Maha Puja on the beach before the piercing rituals , the hijra pujari Krishna and the main pujari Ganesh go into a state of possession , it is a amazing sight ..
When the piercings start even the devotees go into possession , glaring eyes and and total state of frenzy..
Possession At Dargahs .. Sandal Time
And I continue with possession , a very integral part of dargah culture ,part of the Sufi aspect of this Muslim ethos in India.
Though all this is looked down and condemned by others and those of the Tabbliki jamat , dua tawiz , exorcising evil spirits by the Khadims of the Dargah or the Bawas and Malangs ,, some might be genuine while others are out to fleece make a fast buck..
I stay away from all this , just shoot pictures , and dont get into debate or scholastic dialogue I am an illiterate as far as theology or semantics of religiosity are concerned .. I dont shoot pictures to undermine a persons faith or belief , I dont shoot pictures to satisfy your faith and what I shoot does not endorse its practice or promotion.. I dont get paid for what I shoot nobody has paid me money or bought me a camera or lens ,, not even the over generous moneybags of any religion I shoot ..I have often asked the Holy Saint for sponsoring a new camera and a good powerful lens ..I was endowed with vision much before I began seeing one eyed photographically...
On Possession and Photo Journalism In Mumbai And Blogs
On Possession and Photo Journalism In Mumbai And Blogs, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.
I was lucky to actually shoot the preparation of the sandal paste at Shakil Bawas house , sandal paste is made from Sandalwood a very expensive aroma item and is placed on the tomb of the Holy Saint at Dargahs.
As Mahim Dargah is close to Bandra it was easy to document all this , but the sandal procession that comes to Makdhoom Shah Babas Urus to pay tribute from far flung areas has to first give salami at the Dargah of Fakhruddin Shah Baba and finally come to the main Mahim Dargah all this takes hours by the time the sandal procession reaches its final destination , young devotees carry the sandal paste on their heads in decorated lace thalis and it is these guys who come under the possession spell, they are held by others , so that they dont collapse on the roads , but even during the spell trance they dont let go the sandal paste.
Both the Urus of the Mahim Saints holds great importance and the start of the Makhdhoom Shah Baba Urus begins with the Sandal of the Mahim Police Station , they place the first offerings to the Holy Saint and their patron Saint too..and here mind you most of the police force devotees are Hindus and even the wives of the police go into a trance like possession when the Sandal starts its journey I have not been able to document this lately as it fell during Moharam..being a Shia Muslim we are in mourning , but yet I have shot the proceedings later on..
And also documented the life of the Rafaees at the Mahim Dhuni.. behind the Dargah.
Possession at Dargahs is very common aspect of Dargah culture ,,and you find women near the Dargah doors in a state of trance frenzy and spiritual pain.
And all my years in Mumbai I must confess , I have never seen the insides of Shakti Mills at Mahalaxmi .. my genre is street photography, with respect to people rituals customs possession occult and the supernatural.
And it is sad our political satraps wake up after a tragedy only , before that it is life as usual,,and though a blogger I must stress the photo journalists are treated with contempt by the cops themselves , manhandled spoken rudely pushed and so first the cops must get ther house in order before going after others .. even at events were the the photo journalists are invited the bouncers push them and I saw this while shooting the unveiling of Mr Rajesh Khannas statue at Taj Lands end..The photo journalists job is to get pictures and he will get it despite your intimidation .. I fought with the bouncers pushing the journos .. I was a VIP invitee with a camera , they did not push me .. as I was not part of the press enclosure .. but I sat away from the VIP space in order to shoot them .
The government talks of giving police attendant to the lady journalist , what about the ladies working in the hospitality sector why was this not given to bar dancers ... shocks me..
I know i am digressing on this post but .. change has to come from within.. not just cosmetically to run another term in office .
Law and Order in Mumbai has literally gone to the dogs , there are more drug addicts in Bandra on the skywalk , that we see them only the cops with blinkers dont see them.. why because drug addicts are a pain in the ass and bring no returns ,,, you catch them they cut themselves up and land the police into trouble and perhaps you cant house drug addicts in beggars homes ...imagine the other beggars becoming druggies too,, a social solution and serious policing is required without political interference and those with police security wont ever get gang raped or have their faces slashed in Mumbai trains .
And when will the Press Club of India treat bloggers as part of their community and not lepers and give us the same accreditation and respect..I dont know..
Imagine having a Press Card and getting treated this way what happens to lady photo bloggers and enthusiasts .. I wont say anything further .. the camera is the only instrument of peace and a catharsis to society's endless problems ,,
And I am sad because my grand daughters learnt to hold the camera before they picked up a Barbie doll.. both are 5 year and 2 year both are Canon users and street photographers like me .. so I feel ashamed when the camera gets gang raped too by a rotten system. and political failure ..and I pray for the speedy recovery of the photo journalist , may she overcome this sad memory , may God give her the strength to get over it and move forward..and dont give rape victims name like Nirbhaya you make me puke all over ,,,
Message Sent To Ms Marissa Mayer Yahoo Via Twitter
Message Sent To Ms Marissa Mayer Yahoo Via Twitter, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.
@marissamayer
maam you need to do something about protecting our images at #flickr .. the space ball tool sucks
#yahoo copy right sucks
Firoze Shakir @firozeshakir
@marissamayer
my transgender images were stolen by #flickr members reposted on their streams ,, i have removed them from public view now forever ,,till #flickr rectifies the faulty space ball tool
Firoze Shakir @firozeshakir
@marissamayer
you have added hope to #flickr ..its the best site I have 285000 images documenting India unseen .rituals custom humanity
The picture is of cheek piercing ritual performed by the Hindu Tamil migrants of Mumbai on Marriammen Feast , the rituals are performed to appease Goddess Marriammen an avtar of Goddess Durga .Goddess Marriammen is the Goddess of Hope and Fertility for the Tamils , these rituals are akin to Thaipussam of Far East , here in Mumbai the devotees pull cars buses trucks rickshas with hooks attached to their backs..rods of 21 feet in their mouth from one end of the cheek to the other end.
I have shot this event for several years in Mumbai Juhu , Mahim Fishermans Colony , Sion Koliwada and Madraswadi opp Atria Mall Worli ,,
Sandal Procession Makhdoom Shah Baba Mahim
The sandal procession passes from the back of the Mahim Dargah , and this is in front of the Dhuni of the Chancawalli Rafaees .. a few steps from here is the entrance to the Holy Tomb of Makhdhoom Shah Baba , and outside women with open hair are in a total state of frenzy and possession , shouting screaming , crying shaking their heads and it is verily a frightening sight.
It Is From Here The Mahim Dhuni That I Began Documenting Possession Occult And The Supernatural
It Is From Here The Mahim Dhuni That I Began Documenting Possession Occult And The Supernatural, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.
Most of the bawas I shot here have left this world hurriedly in oxymoron haste to the other side of midnight ..and it is this spot where the processions pass with the sandal to the Holy Saint Makhdhoom Shah Baba and they pay salaams to the Rafaees and it is here while the drums beat people women go into possession like trance ,, known as Hazri.
I was offering a shawl to Barsati Baba ,, he too is dead and gone , before him Handi Sai died and before Handi Sai .. Sikandar Wali Baba ..all Murshads of the Chancawalli Rafaaes .. I was documenting Death too..
Possession at Sandal Time Mahim Dargah
People who carry the sandal on their heads to presented to the Holy Saint are normally prone to going into a trance like possession .. and this state I have documented at most of the Dargahs I have shot ..
As a Malang I have myself gone into a trance while doing Kaif a Sufi trance in praise to Imam Ali in my case ..
Possession is very common in India in both communities Hindus as well as Muslims ,, I have documented this during Durga Visarjan and also during the Tamil feast of Goddess Marriammen all over Mumbai.
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Shah-e-Mardan Sher-e-Yazdan Quwat-e-Parwardigar Lafata Ila Ali La Saif Ila Zulfiqar , originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1 ....
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Dargah of Hazrat Syed Ali Mira Datar Unava Gujrat , a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr. HAZRAT SYED ALI MIRA DATAR'S G...
