2004

Muharram (derived from Urdu word ‘Haraam’ meaning ‘Forbidden’)

Muharram is the first month of the Muslim calendar, one of the four sacred months of the year. There are many differing views and beliefs of this special time in the Muslim calendar. The 10^th day of Muharram is the known as the Day of Ashura (aa-shu-raa), and is very special to Shia Muslims, a part of the mourning of Muharram for them. Many Sunni Muslims fast on this day and perform other activities according to their personal beliefs.

This photographic journey was captured in the city of Karachi, Pakistan, specifically in an area where emigrants from Bangladesh have settled and have been living for a number of decades. Here I would like to emphasize that my photographic documentation of this event is entirely to capture the essence and beauty of this event, and is in no way not intended to raise any social or religious questions. It is a series of colour as well as black-and-white images trying to encapsulate the mood of the performances itself.

Pakistan is one of the top ten refugee hosting nations in the world, and this adds to the amount of diversity that is present in the photography. As an image-maker, I wanted the photographs to have a timeless quality, and that is why I preferred the usage of monochrome over any other palette of colour. These pictures make for an epitome of culture that is ever-prevalent in the immigrant community.