Firoze Shakir Poet - Frozen Time

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

The Mystical World Of Dam Madar Malangs Of India

I first met the black robed long haired ,, dread headed monks Malangs in 2005 the first visit of my life to Ajmer Sharif.. I got fascinated into the world of Sufism as a photographer I wanted to shoot this unusual tapestry of a different world I began by documenting the Rifai Silsila in Mumbai and than met Peersab Fakhru Miya Hujra no 6 in Mumbai 2004 ,he invited me to Ajmer and was my host I am indebted to him and his sons who have continued the tradition of giving me shelter under their the comfort of their roof I may have come as a guest but subsequent visits I am now part of this extended family ,,,

When I came to Ajmer I hardly knew anything about Malangs .. I thought they were same little different from body piercing Rifais ,, I shot the Rifais , I shot the transgender or hijras and I shot the beggars as my documentary ,

In 2011 a friend wanted to become a Malang and he walked with Malangs every year from Delhi to Ajmer Sharif ,, he knew more Malangs than me , but he insisted I help him and so I introduced him to Syed Masoomi Baba .and perhaps I thought he was joking with me when he said you make him a Malang..I looked at him amazed ,,but than I understood the underlying metaphor I accepted his offer became a Malang and after that my friend became a Malang and we both become Peer Bhais .. one white man and the other a dusky urban brown skinned man.. I went to Makanpur because of him,.

And I still go to Ajmer I still shoot the Rifais Malangs , the transgender hijras and I still shoot the beggars ,, but than I also go to Pushkar my cosmic connection with Lord Brahma and to buy daggers to cut my head for Moharam from this Hindu town from my friend Raj Telik .

I dont meet the Malangs in Mumbai,, so I only see them once a year , but I speak to Syed Rafiq Baba in the picture .. we keep in touch he keeps enticing me of the different places calls me but I am spiritually enchained to Mumbai.. with badly broken wings.

And there is a German connection too Dorothea Reicker who has saved many a Malang life by giving them medical aid , mostly of the Malangs suffer from chest ailment TB and she helped them and Peersab Syed Masoomi as he could not pronounce her name baptized her as Miriam .. the Healer of both the Worlds ,,

There are now many foreigners who walk with Malangs sadly I could never make the trip.. from Delhi To Ajmer on foot ,,

I miss my Malang brother he has shut himself up from me ,,

What I like about Masoomi Baba he did not impose his faith on me all he said you are a Maulaiee ,,, from the beginning to the end ,, you got the gift of Ali from your Mothers womb others have to search for it or earn it ..

Shah-E-Mardaan, Shair-E-Yazdaan,
Qoowwat-E-Parwardigaar,
La Fata illa Ali,
La Saif illa Zulfiqaar

Ali imaam-e-manasto manam Ghulaam-e-Ali
hazaar jaan-e-giraamii fidaa-e-naam-e-Ali

Her Qalb Ali, Jism Ali, Jaan Ali Hai
Mujh BeSar-O-Samaan Ka Samaan Ali Hai
Imaan Ka Matlaash E Ye Imaan Keh Doon
Iman To Yeh Hai Mera Imaan Ali Hai
Ali Maula, Maula Ali Maula
Maula Ali Maula, Maula Ali Maula

man kunto maulaa
fa haaza Aliun maulaa

To whom I am the master
Ali is the master.

Documenting The Madariyya Order Of Dam Madar Malangs

My greatest regret is I just recently started shooting videos , and I did not shoot the Malangs on video at Makanpur their greatest event of their Holy Saint Zinda Shah Madar ,, I was in Makanpur UP near Kannauj for the 896 Urus ,,and each year after that I thought I would go back some work commitment stopped me from going.

Shooting the Malangs at Ajmer and shooting the Malangs at Makanpur is very different at Ajmer they are in a small group paying tribute to Kwajah Garib Nawaz ..it is not their home territory ,, Makanpur is the essence and soul of their Madariyya Order .. and the rituals will blow you away , the Dhamal body piercings and many other rituals including the opening of their dreads on the main Urus day and the huge tumultuous crowds from all over India .. Malangs from W Bengal Malangs from Gulbarga ..and there is no place to stay at this Holy Site , we used to use the field for our toilet ,,and luckily we had a room we shared with a dozen pilgrim it was frickin chaotic but worth it .. Syed Masoomi Baba head of the Asqan Madari Order is highly respected revered and is a huge personality and being his Murid I hardly had any problem.. I was barefeet and at times my feet would get completely scorched with the heat of the earth..

This is one place I would like to visit one more time.

The Madariyya are members of a Sufi order (tariqa) popular in North India, especially in Uttar Pradesh, the Mewat region, Bihar and Bengal, as well as in Nepal and Bangladesh. Known for its syncretic aspects, lack of emphasis on external religious practice and focus on internal dhikr, it was initiated by the Sufi saint 'Sayed Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar' (d. 1434 CE), called "Qutb-ul-Madar", and is centered on his shrine (dargah) at Makanpur, Kanpur district, Uttar Pradesh.

Originating from the Tayfuriya order, as his Pir, spiritual teacher was Bayazid Tayfur al-Bistami, Madariya reached its zenith in the late Mughal period between 15th to 17th century, and gave rise to new orders as Madar's disciples spread through the northern plains of India, into Bengal. As with most Sufi orders, its name Madariya has been created by adding a Nisba to the name of its founder Madar, leading to Madariya, sometimes spelled as Madariyya, though it is also referred as Tabaqatiya.[1][2][3][4][5]

Dargah[edit]
The Dargah, or the tomb of Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar, is located at Makanpur, near Kanpur city, in Uttar Pradesh state, India. It is visited by thousands of visitors every month and especially during the annual Urs celebrations.[6]