Imamiya Sabil Bhendi Bazar 2003, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

The founder of Imamiya Sabil Bhendi Bazar, was late Maqbool Bhai, he was my fathers uncle or Mamujan , and my paternal grand mother Khurshed Baji was extremly fond of him, he was the life and soul of this sabil , that was a watering hole bringing all migrant Lucknowis under its shadow of spirituality.

Till my dad Mohomed Shakir Lucknowi was alive he took charge of feeding the Shia Azadars on Ashura day for many years, he had dal and chawwal made for Fakke Shikani the Ashura fast.
My brothers would supervise the cooking done by the khansama on the streets.
After the Fakke Shikani the crowd would move in the mamoth procession towards Rehmatabad the Shia cemetery..where the Shame Ghariba was recited by Maulana Athar Saab..

These are pictures that I bring alive and its an irony of fate that the person who presented me the Epson Scanner to salvage these old negatives and slides is not a Muslim but an American Jew from New York Dr Glenn Losack MD who shot the Kurla Juloos and the Chehlum Juloos in Mumbai 2008.

Dr Glenn Losack is passionate of photography of pain, with respect to the Shia community, he shot the procession in black clothes and barefeet.. drenched in blood..

He wanted to use the dagger to cut his forehead to feel the Shia pain for Imam Hussain, but I averted hs plea and curiosity.

Today in retrospection Dr Glenn Losack MD is my extended famiy, he is uncle godfather to my grand daugher Marziya Shakir..9 month old.
They say Americans are crazy, but I think they are realistic , sane and more human , this was proved by Dr Glenn Losack MD an Indian at heart.

Posted by photographerno1 on 23 Sep 2008 07:28 pm
Filed Under: shiasm |