Syed Masoom Ali Baba Asqan Of The Sufi Order of Madarriya,

I met Dam Madar order head Syed Masoom Ali Baba in 2005 ,, and got fascinated by their austerity , their dread heads and the simplicity of their spiritual life .
I began shooting them both Masoomi Baba and Syed Rafik Ali Baba at the Char Yar Mosque and cemetery ..Every year I attended the Urus of Khwajah Garib Nawaz Ajmer Sharif I stayed with my host mentor Peersab Fakhru Miya Hujra no 6 ,,
I would shoot the Rifais the quintessential hijras at Ajmer .. but I would find myself at the feet of Masoomi Baba ,,, I loved shooting them and the people malangs around them.
Their frugal lifestyle their abundant love for Imam Ali they talked about the sacrifice of Imam Hussain they talked about Karbala ,
They were spiritually connected to Khwajah Garib Nawaz he was the bond of a force ,,, through their own Holy Saint Zinda Shah Madar Makanpur .
Than in 2011 I took the Pyala with a Belgian friend we both became Murids and Malangs of Masoom Ali Baba,, we both visited Makanpur in 2013.
Syed Masoom Ali Baba lives at Panihar 22 km away from Gwalior MP.. and I had never dreamed I would ever come here ,..but I did on 27 Jan 2016 ,, invited by him for the chalisva of the mother of his nephew Razzak Ali Baba Gaddi Nasheen of Makanpur and Panihar and Rampur ,..Madarriya order ,
Masoom Ali baba missed Marc Malang and Dorothea ..also known as Miriam.
The main event was on 28 Jan it began in the daytime and ended the next morning ,, I was not well in real bad shape could not be too adventurous but I shot what I was destined to shoot ,, the village kids followed me everywhere because of my Bollywood status ,,
All in all it was an enlightening trip I met other Malangs Sunni scholars poets and added some more to my learning .
I did not shoot a lot , but I shot videos ,, from the Dargah of the Malangs at Panihar where I stayed it was traversing a bad road to reach the event site ,, so I spent most of my time in the village by myself.
Talking to the villagers ,,,and a very very distant dream called Acche Din,, not here in Panihar .. it will take a lot of time ,,,
Masoom Ali Baba likes me a lot when I shot his video he was in tears ,,,he calls me Maulaiee too..
And now I will get ready to visit the Urus of Zinda Shah Madar Makanpur .. in Feb.. and I will miss my brother Marc Malang ,,
A French photographer another dear friend will join me here ...to document the Humility of the Dam Madar Malangs of India ,...
Dam Madar Beda Par.

The Dargah Of Aqsan Malangs Of Panihar

Panihar is on the Indore Gwalior to Indore Highway , the roads real bad inaccessible till the village , this village is a mix of Hindus and Muslims ,,from Gwalior station to reach Panihar I was to give the ricksha guy Rs250 and than he told me he would be returning back to Gwalior , empty I gave him another Rs 200 ,, because it was very late in the night ,,

Panihar is the seat of the Asqan Malangs and here lie the ancestors of Syed Masoomi Ali Baba ,, now I will explain to you about the Malangs ,, Malangs are only among Syeds ,,ancestry of Janabe Fatima ,, there maybe other Malang orders but Hazrat Ali is the fountainhead of the Madarriya order affiliated to Hazrat Zinda Shah Madar ,,even the Qalandaris Rifais Chishtiyas etc are all interconnected to the Sufi order of Madariyya .

Syed Masoomi Ali Baba is a celibate ,, Dam Madar Malangs malangs have to be celibate and must grow their hair..the next Malang peer will be the nephew of the reigning head of Malangan.. so Syed Masoom Ali Babas inheritor of his seat at Panihar and Makhanpur is his nephew Syed Razzak Ali Baba he is very young and an Islamic scholar ,,,he is wellversed in the traditions of the Malangs he was initiated as a Malang when he was 7 year old .

He is a bit camera shy but I shot a video..he took extreme care as I was suffering from a viral stomach ailment ,, this grand event was in memory of his mother who untimely death was a tragedy,.. Razzak Baba I think is not more than 27 year old or younger ,,the langar community dinner was for over 50000 people Hindus Muslims Dalits combined sharing the same platform..

The Hindus consider Syed Masoomi Ali Baba an avatar of Lord Shiva ,, his dread heads are about 18 feet long,..

Along with Syed Masoom Ali Baba is his main malang Syed Rafik Ali Baba a great Malang scholar ,, orator and my dear friend ..we are both malang brothers ..he has been my greatest supporter he calls me Maulaiee ,,

My Shia background my Shia ancestry my Shia ethos has added this Malang dimension purely out of being a follower of Imam Ali ,,

Despite living in a village ,, no electricity no internet no mobile network.. I was well taken care of ,, I met some great poets scholars at the event and was impressed by Dr Inthikhab Alam Jaffery of Makhanpur ,,
And The Gaddi Nasheen of Dargah Zinda Shah Madar Hazrat Baqi Sab..

But what really humbled me was young kids who had seen my cameo in Mr Raj Kumar Santoshis film Phata Poster Nikla Hero produced by erstwhile Mr Ramesh Taurani..came surrounded me to give them autographs others taking selfies with me in this village .

Another awakening here was a devotee a Hindu wealthy Patel from a wealthy family of Jaipur Gopal Badshah ,his adopted father is Liaqat Ali Baba Malang who is my peerbhai.. Gopal Bhai is decked in gold ,,dresses in white carries a golden plated Hookah with an attendant from Jaipur ,, he became my friend calls himself Mohomed Ali Momin.. both his kids are doing MBBS ,,

He is well known among the Qalandaris Madaris and has built a safe house for travelers at Kaliar Sharif Panipat .

I am posting my documentary in my new set at Flickr ,

Documenting the Dam Madar Malangs of Panihar MP

Just come back from a Dam Madar Malang event at Panihar village 22 km away from Gwalior .
Panihar has Hindus Muslims living in peace . The simple rustic Hindus consider the Malangs to be avtars of Lord Shiva ..and I have never seen such amity anywhere else ..The Malangs had a langar for the villagers and fed over 50000 people at one time.
But all in all I missed Mumbai my heart soul was in Mumbai .

A Muslim boy related to the Malang head took me on a hillock he was about 11 year old holding my hands he bought me to the oldest Durga Mandir. The head priest other Hindus touched my feet they gave me money and were touched by my visit and my greetings Om Namo Narayan...

They told me incredible tales of my Malang Peer Syed Masoom Ali Bawa when he first came to the village there was a drought no rains he opened out his hair he has dreads about 18 feet long and invoked God standing for hours on one leg they said it rained and rained and the villagers thanked the Lord by having a langar and to show his love for God , Syed Masoom Ali Bawa jumped into the cauldron of hot oil nothing happened to him today they rever him as a living saint .
He has built wells schools clinics for them he lives in austerity .

He had invited me to this event of his nephew Razzak bawa Gaddi Nasheens mothers chalisva it was to mark to pay tribute to her memory 40 days after her death.

I lived here with the villagers and documented the Sufi order of the Malangs .

I was not well it was very cold here but I lived to tell their tale through pictures

Dam Madar Beda Par .

Syed Masoom Ali Baba Blesses Me At Panihar Gwalior

Panihar is 22 km away from Gwalior railway station ,,a rustic village hardly any good roads and is on the Gwalior Indore highway... This is the personal seat of the Aqsan Madirrya order and its head Syed Masoom Ali Baba  ,

I was invited to Panihar for the celebrations of his nephew Razzak Ali Baba whose mother had passed away 40 days this was an event to commemorate the memory of Razzak Bawas mother ,, Lots of scholars poets Maulanas Alims from the various Sufi and Sunni school of thoughts were here .

Malangs and Shaikhs Gadddi Nasheens from Makhanpur the fountainhead of the Madarriya order ,,

It was held on 28 January,... and this is one unique village that both Hindus Muslims live in eternal peace , this is my new set at Flickr documenting the lifestyle of the Malangs ,, I too belong to this Sufi order ,,
I shot stills videos and my Malang brother Syed Rafik Ali Baba was very helpful.. he is a Madarriya scholar and highly respected among  other orders too.

I had a lot of discourses with young Razzak Baba who is the Gaddi Nasheen of the Aqsan order of Dam Madar Malngs here Painhar as well as Makhanpur ,

Dam Madar Beda Par

The Malangs Call Me To Gwalior

I have been invited for an event by Syed Masoomi Baba head of the Asqan Malangs he asked Baba Wahid of Kolkatta to call and invite me and thus I tried to get ready for this trip... but I had a lot of work till last night that I was trying to complete .. I did .
Now I am waiting for my train ticket I am fascinated with the Malangs more deeply as a peoples photographer I can just go on shooting them non stop ,.. and as I was initiated into the fold by Masoomi Baba I am very close to his main Malang Syed Rafik Ali Baba ,, we both are Malang bhais ,,
I am perhaps nothing but a speck in the malang hierarchy ..I mean nothing most of them see me a a photographer but Rafik Ali Baba knows me very well he calls me Maulaiee follower of Imam Ali ..
He speaks highly of me to the other Malangs ,, as very few know my background ,,so thanks to him I made some good Malang friends Liaqat Baba ,Amin Baba Razzak Baba and others ..and though I try to make it to the Urus of Zinda Shah Madar ,, I somehow am unable to make this momentous trip..
I will be going there with a French world famous photographer a humble being ,, have known since 2007..
I have earnestly tried to document the Malangs , the Madarriya Order a very strong active and indomitable part of Sufism in India ,, the malangs are like the fakirs of yore ,,austere and inclusive ,, they hardly mix ,,but sometimes they visit the Dhunis at Mahim or Abdul Rehman Baba Dongri..
My granddaughter Nerjis and Zinnia call me Malang Dada ,,,
I never expected Masoomi Baba to call me at this huge Malang event ,, so I feel humbled all the same ,,their spiritual abode is 25 km away from Gwalior ,, if my ticket comes through I will reach there tomorrow ,,, if not I remain in Mumbai,
The Dhamal of the Malangs includes Qalandri Malangs and Rifais ,,mindblowing acts of zarb.. or body piercing performed by both the orders ,, but than it includes Sawali Malangs who beat themselves with a hard whip.. till their wish is fulfilled at the gates of the Dargah where they demand a wish from the Holy Saint..
Basically this is a genre that I like to document and there are Hindu families who felicitate the Malangs in their villages offering them food , clothes and other tributes and invoking the Malangs to pray for their good crop, family welfare etc.. I was at one such felicitation and the host bought tears to my house when he washed my hands feet ,,,and touched my feet when I told him Om Namo Narayan..
And this is the undivided India this love beyond caste color creed or spirituality I try to shoot and share with all of you ,,

Some Great People

I Try Not To Unnecessarily spam people with Republic Day messages .

Earlier I took both my granddaughter s Marziya Nerjis to shoot the flag sellers but this year I stayed at home nor did I go for my walk ..however I am posting this picture of a man who walks on crutches at Bandra Reclamation he walks a step at a time sometimes he gives me a smile and I encourage his spirit of fighting back with a smile too.
We have never talked but while I was coming back from the sea link end I saw him doing his exercises he was in dialogue with god as I shot this image and from my soul saluted the resilience of the Indian ..and God created the Indian in his own image ..and I like all of you am proud to be an Indian born in the womb of Mother India .

This is a memory I metaphorically impose on you without spamming you harshly ..I use my own images to tell the story of life ...

Jai Hind Jai Maharashtra.