Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Kesy Kahon Main Tujh ko neya Saal mubarak.. Zainab (sa) mana rahi hai Chehlum Hussain (as) Ka
Kesy Kahon Main Tujh ko neya Saal mubarak.. Zainab (sa) mana rahi hai Chehlum Hussain (as) Ka, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.
Eh deen kay mufti to aqeedat ka safar dekh
her matmi key khoon say alooda kamar dekh
JIssnay jaha bhee rokna chahee azadari
Tareekh mi un kutto kameeno ka hasher dekh
Her simt sya matam key sada ayeegi tujhko
Tu Fatima Zehra key duaaon ka asar dekh...
Malang Bhi Karten Hain Matam Hussain Ka
Bachban se kaha meine ya ali madadd
maa, bab, ne bhi kaha ya ali madad
puchta hai tu, kyun hum malang muskuratey hain?
ek bar tu bhi keh, ya ali madad
Shooting Moharam In Hyderabad Is a Lifetime Experience
Shooting Moharam In Hyderabad Is a Lifetime Experience, a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.
The Hyderabadis are kind courteous people ,and I shot the blue blooded Nawabs and the man at grass root level and they had one thing in common besides their love of Hussain , hospitality , khulus and respect that we call Athithi Devo Bhava .. guest is god in Indian cultural terminology, the azadar respects the zaireen and that is the crux of Moharam for among those who come to the majlis or farshe aza are the ladies of the Imams house the ladies that stood against the might of mighty Yazid.. and they say if you see the silhouette of three ladies its possible a mother a daughter and a little grand daughter might be the reflection of our pain that we call Ghame Hussain.
Wherever I went I was treated with humility and humility is the essence of Hussainiyat and the Imam did not bully his enemies he did not do what they did to him an his family so it hurts me when I see one Shia unnecessarily finding faults with the matam of another Shia .. heckling him abusing him ..and so I have kept away from Mumbai azadari completely .. my photography does not make me a Shia .. but what makes me human is the essence of respect for others and their faith.. I am lucky I was bought up very differently .. I have lived among Hindus Christians Anglo Indians Parsis Buddhists Sikhs Jains even Jews .. but their association did not mar my humanity or my love of Hussain.
My children my grand children follow the path of peace as taught by my parents..
I came to Hyderabad not merely to shoot pictures but to emotionalize what I saw what I felt , people who gave me shelter , and though I took limited sum of money I had to spend nothing on food .It was free Niyaz e Hussain.
I bought a bunch of memory cards and I still returned home with a unused amount of Rs 2000.
I should have not traveled by bus I am a diabetic , kidney stones but I had to get back to Mumbai my work my commitments , my responsibilities.
And today I am happy at heart on seeing my grand daughters Marziya Shakir and Nerjis Asif Shakir return from Lucknow after 25 days.
And they love me a lot.. I took Nerjis to the bazar and I realized she knows everyone shaking hands waving out to all the shop keepers .. this young street photographer waiting in the wings.
So shooting pictures and blogging are two different ends of a spectrum..
Ashura At Amin Imambada Mumbai 2011
I have stopped shooting Moharam in Mumbai completely since two years for personal reasons , and the bigots among my community that have no respect for their elders , totally abusive .. defiant and their acts unpardonable .Bullying is in the genes it does no go easy..
And I did not shoot Moharam for them it was for the Non Muslim and my friends abroad who even today leave everything come down from America to shoot pain.
I am not a Shia because I am a photographer , perhaps not a Shia like you , my parents instilled love of all religion all faith and I am the symbol of their upbringing .
So I shoot Moharam in Hyderabad where the Shias have one Maksad Matam Azadari and I go there to document the Deccani ethos of love of Hussain.
Last year I shot Chehlum in Lucknow .
I only shoot Ashura and Chehlum .. I wanted to shoot Moharam in Kashmir I was short of funds and I had no contacts in Kashmir so I shelved the idea last year.
This year friends are coming from States I shall help them document Moharam in Hyderabad ..for Chehlum some other city I have not decided..
My wife gets called to Karbala every year .. and I feel happy for her ,,
My Karbala is my Karam Bhoomi Hindustan.
Zanjeer
This is penance , this is weight carried permanently by the body , a tribute to the Fourth Imam Zainul Abedin by a Sunni born in memory of the tribulations the sickly bedridden Imam suffered during the genocide at Karbala , the burning of the tents the huger thirst of the children , and this was the old Islamic way of punishment with no remorse no humanity this was oppression by the dastardly Yazid , father of modern Terrorism.. and such was his character that no one stood up to him ,save the grandson of the Holy Prophet Imam Hussain.
So Zanirwale Bawa , Monk in chains walks through life carrying all this , the body chains are removable but the ones on his hands legs are welded forever ,.. he does not bathe at all, but he is fresh as dew everyday..if he hits his head against the wall the fragrance of roses emanates the air .
But there are others who carrying chains on their bodies as penance but without the .spiritual memory like Zanjirwale Bawa Of Indore.
Can you imagine climbing the Haji Malang mountains with 80 kilos of welded steel attached to your body .. but this happens only in India the land of spiritual surprises and mysticism.
Now those from the other end of the spectrum , wont end understand this , this could be understood if you have lived in India ..
I have been lucky to meet such people personalities in my limited travels , I hate texting I type with one finger but some pictures need explanations ...so this it .. please dont ask me why I shoot what I shoot.. I was destined to shoot ,,, what you were not destined to shoot..
Two Bawas In Chains
He is in welded steel and iron chains about 140 kgs or more all in the memory of the Shia fourth Imam Sayede Sajjad Zainul Abedin.
He is a Sunni fakir but curses the killers of Imam Hussain.
I have been shooting his pictures since many yeas and is a set on Flickr.com
Zanjirwale Bawa Welded in Steel Chains
welded
remorse
in memory
of the fourth imam
sickly bedridden
zainul abedeen
survivor of karbala
son of hussain
witness to horrors
of yazidi inhumanity
humiliation of the
ladies of the house
of the holy prophet
tremendous pain
walked in chains
from karbala to
damascus ..he
did not complain
umayad caliphate
yazidi reign
a caliph insane
who forgot the
words hussain
o mini ana minal
hussain ..hussain
is from me i am
from hussain
every day is
ashura every
land karbala
gods own
domain
As Zanjirwale bawa has welded the chains both on his legs arms , he does not bathe at all, but he does not stink and he hits his head against the wall .. emanating a fragrance of roses .. he carries a spearhead with which he hits head to the chant of ya hussain..
He is a Sunni born but Karbala is his reason to live ..
He is very fond of me and I have not met him since last three years ..
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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...
