My Guru and Me ..Man Kunto Maulah Ya Ali Ya Ali

More than the Indian photographers its the foreign photographers that have documented the Malangs , foreigners from Poland France Holland walking with the Malangs from Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah Delhi with the Standard of the Great Saint Khwajah Garib Nawaz till Ajmer though most of the Malangs like Masoom Ali Baba Rifaee and the Qalandaris walk from Kalliar Sharif Panipat via Delhi to Ajmer Sharif,, this is an age long tradition once they hand over the Standard the following day the Ajmer Urus begins ,,

The Makanpur Urus of the head of the Madariyya order does not have many foreigners as there is no boarding lodging near the Shrine people live in makeshift tents and some in rented houses but it it totally totally packed ,, here it is complete Malang territory , Malangs are initiated upgraded , and they are made Khalifas of their order even the new initiates have to go to a river near the Holy Shrine get cleansed and the rituals start , the new initiate begs from the crowds..

I have documented all this when I was here in 2013 .. the Malang lifestyle is austere , simple and caring for the poor the needy ,, feeding them giving them spiritual guidance so the poor of Uttar Pradesh come in hordes to the Urus of Zinda Shah Madar.

Syed Masoomi Baba my Madar Guru is the most famous well known person here , and highly respected , scholars , Islamic teachers students all throng to him and there are a lot of Shias attached to the order of the Madariyya Sufis.. I met a lot of them.. and they all wanted to meet me to find out from where I got my kama for cutting my head during Moharam they had seen my Kama matam pictures on the net.

As a photographer I love shooting the Malangs ,, I shoot other ascetics mendicants , bawas but the Malang photography gives me a high..these simple people who have renounced life their homes their families to be with the poor ..they have no belongings and live at some Dargah in their hometown or nomadic on the move from one Urus to another ..all over India.

The Dam Madar Malangs At Makanpur

If you are a people photographer , you like to shoot faces than shooting the Madarriya Malangs is spiritually satisfying ..

Being a Malang myself and a stranger to the other Malangs at Makanpur , I did meet resistance from one or two who consider photography heresy , but being a disciple of Masoomi Baba head of the Asan Malangs I endeared myself politely to others , always taking permission befor shooting them or I took wide angle candids.

If you live among the Malangs and once gain their trust they will go out of their way seeking your comfort .

Liaqat Baba Malang got a room for me and my friend Marc without charging a cent , to see that we had a nights sleep, though later the room became overcrowded ..there are no hostels or hotels at Makanpur .

People who visit the Holy Saints Shrine face a lot of hardships but are happy nonetheless .And in Uttar Pradesh Makanpur is close to Kannauj and Kanpur and is one of the most visited spiritual center of Madarriya Order of Sufism.

For me living in Mumbai , I travel by train it is an arduous trip,and this was my first trip inspired by my Belgian friend Marc De Clercq so I went and documented the Dam Madar Malang way of Life .

I met the Malangs specially my mentor Masoomi Baba this year at Ajmer Sharif Urus and Rafi Ali Baba too.

Because of my Shia ancestry  family tree and backgrounfd Rafiq Baba calls me Maulaiee follower of Imam Ali..

This year at Ajmer I did not see many Malangs mostly those from Aqsan Order and Murids of Masoomi Baba .

I am barefeet at Ajmer and this time because of my gall bladder stones I did not climb the mountains to visit the Malangs who live there with Baba Wahid and some foreign Malangs . This is the group that walks from Nizamuddin Aulia Delhi to Ajmer a day before the Urus starts .. iit is a very tough trek I have not done it as yet . Marc has done it several times .

Documenting the Malangs is my high I can go on shooting them , and the most interest time is during Dhamal when they display mind boggling feats , eye ball piercing etc known as Zarb..

Most of the Rafaees Qalandaris take part in the Dhamal at Makanpur headquartes of the Dam Madar Malangs .

After the Dhamal on the main day of the Urus before the Malangs go to pay their tribute to the Shrine of the Holy Saint Zinda Shah Madar , new Malangs are initiated in the order through a few rituals.

On the main day just outside the gates of the Holy Shrine to the beat of drums the Malangs  remove their huge turbans and open out their lon dreads over 15 to 25 feet and dance known as kaif.. to the chant of Dam Madar Beda Par.


I was told it is very difficult to shoot this ritual as the crowds are huge suffocating  surroundings but I managed to shoot it ..and it is terrifying people crushing you stamping your feet but it is worth it.

If as a people photographer I was given a priority I would shoot the Zinda Shah Madar Urus and the Kumbh Mela ..I shot the Maha Kumbh living with the Naga Sadhus ..and taking a dip with the Naga Sadhus in the Sangam on Basant Panchami.

I dont have the resources  nor a sponsor and at times it is very tough , financial constrains ,I dont sell my pictures so all this is documented for those who are ardent soul searching peace seeking photographers like me.

This is a territory you should know some people , or be a Malang like me.

This is my favorite set at Flickr over 2300 images ..and excitement and adventure.

Dam Madar Beda Par - I Become A Dam Madar Malang

Picture was shot when I was  being initiated as a Murid of Peer Sayed Masoom Ali Shah Baba Malang Madari Asqan..this year in June 2011  at Ajmer Sharif ..

I have known the Dam Madar Malangs that sit at Char for many years . I always made it a point to visit them as I liked their spiritual state of mind , and their austerity, these dread head Malangs with hair as long as 30 feet or more keep the head covered in a giant turban, that they dont remove in public..

They live on a cemetery during the Urus of Khwajah Garib Nawaz also known as the Holy Saint Moinuddin Chishty Sabri from the Sufi order of Chisthiyas..one of the most famous important Sufi pilgrimage center in Ajmer Rajasthan.

All those Sufi Malnags Rafaees , and people of peace from all communities come to the annual celebrations of the Holy Saints birthday known as u7rus.

I come here to and my host is a a very devout Sufi scholar Peeersaab Fakhru Miya Hijra No 6 who propagates the message of Ahle Bayt.. Imam Hussain and his father Imam Ali.

As a Shia born I am very comfortable with his teachings and I stay every year at his house he is my extended family..this year my Belgian friend Marc De Clercq a great famous photographer who shoots hijras street life malangs and who walks on foot from Delhi to Ajmer with the Dam Madar Malangs had a desire to become a Malang , so we both became Malangs and our Peersaab is Peer Sayed Masoom Ali Shah Baba Malang Madari Asqan extreme right in the picture and his Murid Syed Saab Madari..

I went through the initiation ceremony  first became a Maang and the following day Marc became a Malang too..and I walked barefeet with Marc from Taragadh to the mountains to the grave of a Eunuch Saint and his biological son , the toughest trek for me as my feet were cut up burnt but I did not give up till I had reached my destination.

Marc De Clercq is a great friend of my Hijra Guru Laxmi Narayan Tripathi now in Big Boss house and Marc shoots medium format , he has shot the eunuch festival of KoOvagam for many years I have yet to shoot it , I am plumb broke when it takes place so I have never been able to shoot it all..


But I dont begrudge him or my fate I shoot hijras through the year on streets besides shooting them each year at Ajmer and Haji Malang..I have no sponsors or financial backing to pursue shooting the study of hijras as a pictorial documentary, but I have shot over 17000 images of hijras till date..all at my Flickr Hijras of India set and collection that includes Hijra poetry and Hijra shamans exorcists and soul healers . .. eunuch children too..


I dont sell my pictures nor do I distribute my pictures , my pictures are all photo blogs , I pimp them through my Wordpress site Hijras of India or through Twitter and Google+ I am not on Facebook..

Marziya Shakir my three and a half year old grand daughter is totally a fan of Marc De Clercq and now that we are spiritual brothers Marc is related to Marziya too..

And Marziya Shakir is eagerly waiting for her photo Guru Dr Glenn Losack MD  he saw her gift of vision and bought her the Nikon D 80..when she was a very tiny tot..