Kamazani is a Shia ritual of cutting the head with a dagger , and is a very old ritual in memory of the Martyrs Of Karbala Imam Hussain the Grandson Of The Holy Prophet and his family .
The trials tribulations the Imam underwent and the genocide by Yazid the Caliph of the Umayad Caliphate is remembered during Moharam , a month of happiness as New Year for majority Muslims but a month of pan and a month of the start of Shia Mourning in remembrance of Ghame Hussain.
All this is commemorated for 2 month 8 days and the hosting of this event at Imambadas and in Shia homes is known as Azadari.
The 10 day Ashura is the saddest day for the Shias and most of them self flagellate known as Zanjirzani, they cut their heads know as Kamazani, and this ritual was basically done by the males and even new born children but of late Shia fathers get their daughters to do the same .
I first shot a Girl doing Kamazni cutting her head at Hyderabad in 2003 ..and than I saw a lot of girlchildren doing the same in 2009 and 2012.
This image of the girl child doing kamazni was shot in Chennai 2010 .
My friend Pappu bhai Kurla allows his daughter to partake in this ritual and so does my friend Habib Nasser whose daughter is just 2 year old.
In Chennai and Hyderabad children s Kamzani is very common..I used to shoot it once but than hardly shoot it anymore.
And I shot it more for its photo journalism value rather glorifying the ritual..
And all this blood letting by the Shia is a silent protest againt the terrorism of Yazid and his bete noire the ISIS of modern times ..
