Sufism in India could be translated as a cauldron of humanity bringing everyone within it as one , no sectarian pull or push..
At Darghas such as Nizamuddin Aulia or even Ajmer Sharif of Khwajah Garib Nawaz , there is no spiritual apartheid no humiliating boards like in some mosques that says Non Muslims not allowed ..this could be more because of the purity factor , but still I remember I was once thrown out of a Mosque as the person a young kid over smart thought I was a Hindu ,I never forgot him and till date I never step into that Mosque in my area.. never will.. for me personally God does not exist in such commercial establishments .
I prefer the solemnity the sanctity the austerity found in a Dargah , I never enter the Sanctum Sanctorum, at any Dargah , simply because my connection begins with the Holy Saint the moment he enters the sepulchral corner of my soul.
Those who know me at the few Dargahs I visit are aware of my Shia roots background and I have no issue with him being a Sunni it never mattered to me ,, my Malang transmigration my status as a follower of Ali and being called a Maulaiee even by my Malang Gurus has never belittled my love for humanity above caste color creed , the Faith I was bequeathed in my mothers womb cannot be bartered or exchanged like Alladins lamp.
I hate conversions completely , unless it answers your spiritual needs and comes from deep within , religion is only skin deep..
I have lived with the most cultured well read Naga Sadhus and even my own Guru Teacher emphasized to be strong of Faith from within... if Faith is strong it cannot be blown away by thunderous storms or strong wind.. through my camera I learnt from the text book of life , lessons in humility charity and so many other aspects I may have never known..
And the best lessons of Life I learnt at my mothers lotus feet , she insisted that our old Marathi house maid should always be addressed as Aiee , Marathi word of Mother another name for compassion , and the highest of human feelings , though I am rusty in the use of Marathi but Aiee only spoke to us in Marathi she taught us things we never knew so Lord Shiva and the Hindu Pantheon stayed in our minds during the days of our childhood .
And has all what I learnt made me a bigot or a racist or narrow minded the only answer is my grandchildren are like me .. all three girls all three photographer enthusiasts and wont hesitate to use the Kama during Moharam.
So coming resting my inner angst at Dargah Nizamuddin Delhi in a very troubled state of mind duress was a catharsis and I knew when to leave ..I shot pictures not only for myself but for your eyes too simply because a few things my eyes see poetically and metaphorically too.
