The Hallauris of Mumbai
The Hallauris from Mumbai..
The Hallauris are natives of Hallaur in Uttar Pradesh, a race that takes its origins from two brothers who had come from Arabia.
Hence you will find them fair complexioned, sharp poetic features, and colored eyes.
A very beautiful race men women and children, as earlier they married within their own kind, the resemblance is very close, and they are closely inter-related.
I have never been to Hallaur my Hallauri connection is my dear friend Cassim Hallauri, and come to think of it I have not even visited Cassims house, Cassim I met for the first time at Agnes Perreiras house at Veronic Street Waroda Road , where I was a a tenant in my struggling days and I first thought he was a Mack, meaning Christian.. this was about 10 years ago.
Cassim is a devout Shia , has gone through hell , both with his deteriorating health due to to severe pancreatic problems , but come what may he gives life to the Sabil next to Trios at Chicnchpokli road , Trios has now given way to Matriz radymade showroom..
Cassims brother too has a pancreatic ailment , his father was a well known poet who died prematurely, and Cassim is a brilliant carpenter , does interiors creatively..
Most of the Hallauris are in the interior decoration trade and Hallauris are all born poets..If you see a Hallauri doing hand matam, you will know the intensity of his Shia faith, I was a whisker away from having a Hallauri daughter in law for my remaining son, but it did not happen.
Hallauris are a unique Shia race, a community filled with piety and believers of Ahle Bayt..At Govandi there are no less than 14 Anjumans .
The Hallauri hand matam is a class by itself I reiterate nobody can do the hand matam like the Hallauris , every stroke opening up the chest without razor blades.I shall shoot this today at their Hallauri Imambara, choreography of hands and rythmic silence within reverbrating sounds of Ya Hussain , Ya Hussain..
Cassim Hallauri was the one who introduced me to the Iranian Sword Matam, yesterday he took me to the 72t aboot procession at Govandi.
The Athvi Amary procession has camels , Zuljana , Taboots but no blood, unlike the Athvi at Kazmain Lucknow where there will be much bloodshed and my dear friend Habib Nasser from Mumbai will be shooting this..
I have forefeited my birthright to Lucknow..
I think Mumbai is a Shia Safe haven for me away from cancerous Shia Wahabbis and Shia Talibans that have infested Shiasm and are dead against Azadari of Imam Hussain.
I digress so back to Hallauris, Mohsin Hallauri, is a great Matamdar, though he had promised his mother he would not cut his forehead at Rehamatabad Shia cemetery , he called her seeking her blessings and her permission to cut his head again , he did quite fiercely..
Than Syed the videographer from Pathanwadi , his wife is a Hallauri and his kids are more Hallauri tham Mumbaikars.. even his kids are upcoming videographers..
Syed runs a Shia channel..
I met Khusthar once a Hallauri poet whose rendition of Lut Gaya Ghar kis Tara Batlayegi Zainab,,has been my favorite Noha and I cant even get the CD ..
Than I know Khurshid Hallauri who is a dear friend of my father in law Abbas Qasim Qazilbash of Diamond Cassettes Nakhas Lucknow.
I guess my affinity to the Hallauris maybe due to the fact that my late maternal grandfather Daroga Nabban Saab of Patal Nala was a poet from the family of poet Mir Anis...I am a poet of sorts..pedestrian photographer cum poet..
So I go to shoot the Amari and show you the Athvi through the eyes of the Halluris of Mumbai..
The Hallauris of Mumbai
The Hallauris from Mumbai..
The Hallauris are natives of Hallaur in Uttar Pradesh, a race that takes its origins from two brothers who had come from Arabia.
Hence you will find them fair complexioned, sharp poetic features, and colored eyes.
A very beautiful race men women and children, as earlier they married within their own kind, the resemblance is very close, and they are closely inter-related.
I have never been to Hallaur my Hallauri connection is my dear friend Cassim Hallauri, and come to think of it I have not even visited Cassims house, Cassim I met for the first time at Agnes Perreiras house at Veronic Street Waroda Road , where I was a a tenant in my struggling days and I first thought he was a Mack, meaning Christian.. this was about 10 years ago.
Cassim is a devout Shia , has gone through hell , both with his deteriorating health due to to severe pancreatic problems , but come what may he gives life to the Sabil next to Trios at Chicnchpokli road , Trios has now given way to Matriz radymade showroom..
Cassims brother too has a pancreatic ailment , his father was a well known poet who died prematurely, and Cassim is a brilliant carpenter , does interiors creatively..
Most of the Hallauris are in the interior decoration trade and Hallauris are all born poets..If you see a Hallauri doing hand matam, you will know the intensity of his Shia faith, I was a whisker away from having a Hallauri daughter in law for my remaining son, but it did not happen.
Hallauris are a unique Shia race, a community filled with piety and believers of Ahle Bayt..At Govandi there are no less than 14 Anjumans .
The Hallauri hand matam is a class by itself I reiterate nobody can do the hand matam like the Hallauris , every stroke opening up the chest without razor blades.I shall shoot this today at their Hallauri Imambara, choreography of hands and rythmic silence within reverbrating sounds of Ya Hussain , Ya Hussain..
Cassim Hallauri was the one who introduced me to the Iranian Sword Matam, yesterday he took me to the 72t aboot procession at Govandi.
The Athvi Amary procession has camels , Zuljana , Taboots but no blood, unlike the Athvi at Kazmain Lucknow where there will be much bloodshed and my dear friend Habib Nasser from Mumbai will be shooting this..
I have forefeited my birthright to Lucknow..
I think Mumbai is a Shia Safe haven for me away from cancerous Shia Wahabbis and Shia Talibans that have infested Shiasm and are dead against Azadari of Imam Hussain.
I digress so back to Hallauris, Mohsin Hallauri, is a great Matamdar, though he had promised his mother he would not cut his forehead at Rehamatabad Shia cemetery , he called her seeking her blessings and her permission to cut his head again , he did quite fiercely..
Than Syed the videographer from Pathanwadi , his wife is a Hallauri and his kids are more Hallauri tham Mumbaikars.. even his kids are upcoming videographers..
Syed runs a Shia channel..
I met Khusthar once a Hallauri poet whose rendition of Lut Gaya Ghar kis Tara Batlayegi Zainab,,has been my favorite Noha and I cant even get the CD ..
Than I know Khurshid Hallauri who is a dear friend of my father in law Abbas Qasim Qazilbash of Diamond Cassettes Nakhas Lucknow.
I guess my affinity to the Hallauris maybe due to the fact that my late maternal grandfather Daroga Nabban Saab of Patal Nala was a poet from the family of poet Mir Anis...I am a poet of sorts..pedestrian photographer cum poet..
So I go to shoot the Amari and show you the Athvi through the eyes of the Halluris of Mumbai..