Rasha Yousif | We Came For Peace

With all the turmoil caused by various strands of so-called 'political' Islam and far right Islamists, We Came For Peace is a welcome and timely reminder that Islam's message is that of peace and tolerance.

“We Came For Peace” is a very short multimedia story of Namreen and her mother. Rasha tells us she met them in the women’s section at a Sufi mosque in Srinagar, and was touched by the mother’s sincere prayers. She asked if she would say a prayer for her, and asked the daughter Namreen to translate it. When Namreen was asked as to why she came to the mosque, she answered “We came for Peace”.

Rasha Yousif recently returned from my Sufi Saints of Rajasthan & Kashmir Photo Expedition-Workshop, during which she was immersed in her favorite element, photographing Islamic rituals and traditions, particularly those we encountered in Srinagar.

As I wrote in another post, the Islam (and Sufism) we witnessed in Srinagar's various religious sites was calm and soothing, and while there were many manifestations of utter devotional zeal especially amongst by women, these were gentler than those we witnessed and documented at the Sufi shrine of Moin'Uddin Chisti where the exuberance of the pilgrims was mind-boggling.

Rasha is from Bahrain, where she works in the finance industry. She graduated from the University of Bahrain, and obtained her Masters in Finance from DePaul University.

Back Story | The Sufi Poet(ess) of Hazratbal

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

"I Knew You Would Come"

At the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar during my just completed Sufi Saints of Rajasthan & Kashmir Photo Expedition-Workshop , we came across a middle-aged woman devotee, clutching a well-thumbed Qur'an, praying and meditating in solitude. Her prayers became more audible as I approached her, and she seemed oblivious to being photographed. Her face was streaked with tears, as she was totally immersed in her devotion.

The Hazratbal shrine and mosque is on the western side of the Dal Lake, and is an important place of worship for Muslims. This shrine blends Mughal and Kashmiri architectural styles and dates back to the 17th century. It contains a relic, the Moi-e-Muqqadas, believed by many Muslims of Kashmir to be a hair of the Prophet Muhammad. This relic is shown to the general public on very special occasions, such as the recent observance of the Isra and Mi'raj; the ascension of Prophet Mohammed to Heaven.

Through our guide and interpreter, Nizar Malik, we learned she had traveled quite a distance from her village to pray at the shrine, and that she had been foretold of meeting us in a dream.

Unprompted, she launched into a plaintive and devotional song in Kashmiri...which, to my ears, sounds very similar to Turkish, sprinkled with some Portugese. In reality, Kashmiri has thousands of words Persian and Arabic due to the arrival of Islam in the region, however, it remains basically an Indo-Aryan language.

For more of my monochrome photographs from Srinagar, see Kashmir's Sufi Soul.

I was told her song is a devotional poem to the Prophet Muhammad, and how his light shone over El-Tor in Sinai, where Moses received the tablets from God.

Aziz Ahmed, The Srinagar Unani Hakim

"Arak Kelab". Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

"Aziz Ahmed, The Unani". Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

"Dame-Jeanne Bottles". Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

"Aziz Ahmed, The Unani". Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Across from the Sheikh Hamdan mosque in Srinagar, I noticed a small traditional store (top photo) with a sign in Urdu script which, in Arabic, read "Dogs' Sweat"! However, on further clarification, it was a store owned by a vendor of rose essence, and the sign actually meant "Sap of Roses"....quite a bit of difference.

I entered the dingy small store, and introduced myself to the owner Aziz Ahmed, a Kashmiri unani who's been practicing this dying profession since inheriting the business from his father, and his grandfather before him. The store had been standing for many generations, and still has a wonderful array of antique bottles and jars; some of glass, others in ceramic, imported from England during the Raj. Some larger ones called dame-jeanne (or demi-john in English) have capacities of up to 15 gallons. I know that because my maternal grandmother used to buy similar bottles in Cairo, and convert them into beautiful floor lamps for her home.

But what is unani? It's a form of traditional medicine practiced by Muslims, and first arrived in India around 12th or 13th century with the establishment of Delhi Sultanate and Islamic rule over North India, and subsequently flourished under the Mughal Empire.  Unani is the Arabic word for Greek, and it's based on the teachings of Hippocrates, hence the term.

However, Aziz hasn't really practiced it for a while, and it's a profession that is slowly but surely disappearing. He survives by selling rose water used to wash the Sufi shrines, and kewra water used for flavoring various foods, sweets syrups and soft drinks. Extracts of these two florals are also used for perfume...so the unani may have turned into a attar (a perfume seller).

Listen to Aziz Ahmed telling me (in accented English) about the demise of his business:

Sufi Saints Photo Workshop: The Verdict

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

That was the line that came to my mind the most frequently during my two weeks Sufi Saints of Rajasthan & Kashmir Photo Expedition-Workshop...and I had to remind some of the group members of it as well.

In comparison to the 10 days or so spent in Ajmer attending the death commemoration of the Sufi Saint Moin'Uddin Chisti (aka Nawaz Gharib), the initial days of the workshop were spent in Srinagar; the capital of Kashmir, and the experience was virtually placid. The group interacted with and photographed people of all walks of life during the walk-abouts the streets and alleys of the city, during the visits to the shrines and mosques, and with about everyone...from the shikara boatsmen to the flower vendors and even the elderly religious clerics who wanted to salvage our souls. I can confirm that the Kashmiri people are amongst the nicest and most hospitable people I've ever met...and if you haven't been already, just go. 

Seven of the group stayed in the stellar luxury of the Sukhoon houseboat (a truly magnificent houseboat which only had 5 bedrooms), while I and another group member stayed in another nearby houseboat...far from having the same quality of accommodation as the brand new sleek Sukhoon. I imagine Onassis' yachts would be of the same luxurious standard.

Traveling on Indian Railways from Delhi to Ajmer was a cinch, and was a pleasant experience...albeit one that took 6 hours to complete. I was looking forward to settle in the luxurious setting of the Ananta Resort near Ajmer, but was shocked to find it didn't have rooms for us because it had accepted the booking of an Indian wedding with literally hundreds of guests, and we had been moved to the Pushkar Resorts...an oasis of calm within 15 minuted drive. Having vented my spleen with the choicest of epithets directed at the Ananta management, I bowed to the inevitable and we moved to the Pushkar Resorts (in retrospect, a much better choice) for a few days until the wedding ended. We did get complimentary meals as compensation, which soothed our feelings a little. In case you seek hotel accommodations near Pushkar, do not go to the Ananta...it's more of a convention center and principally caters to noisy Indian weddings. 

As for the photographic experience during the Urs (Moin'Uddin's commemoration), it was mixed. Mixed not because of the lack of incredible subjects, but because of there being too many, and after a day or two, our eyes got used to them...and we became blase. We became understandably more choosy in what and who we photographed, and the buzz and the novelty decreased. That is the main difficulty in attending and photographing such events...after a while, it becomes repetitive and it becomes a struggle to find "new" angles.

The first few days at the Urs were enjoyable and full of  photo opportunities that most of hadn't ever seen.  The fakirs and the Sufi ascetics (the real and fake), the charlatans, the flag-waving pankiwallahs,  some maimed and others healthy...the vagabond self mutilating malangs, the venal khadims squeezing every paisa from the poor and gullible, the eye-popping rituals...some based on Hinduism, Buddhism and even on paganism,  the disturbing self-induced trances by mostly schizophrenic women and their attempts to exorcise jinns, the disparity between Sunni and Shi'a Islamic traditions, the welcoming kindness of pilgrims towards foreign visitors, and our being interviewed on Indian national television all made for exhilarating initial days.

I was thrilled my choice of Tahoor Chisti ( a khadim and descendant of the Saint) as a facilitator for the event proved to be extraordinarily fortuitous. He was instrumental in procuring camera permits for us, got us replacements when we need them...and was the go-to-man whenever we needed to. A dignified and an extremely affable and helpful young man...and certainly an asset to our photo workshop. Shuchi Kapoor, a freelance photographer and writer, who joined the workshop in Ajmer as my assistant, is also to be commended for her help and skills.

One of the highlights of the Urs was having our very own guelaf (a large velvet sheet embroidered with verses from the Qur'an) which we placed on the saint's marble tomb, along with a basket of sweet-scented roses. Doing so exposed us to the most chaotic part of the event since we shared the tight space with hundreds of other pilgrims/supplicants; some of whom gripped with a religious frenzy.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the failed attempt of my being being pick-pocketed. Surrounded by a mass of pilgrims, and sensing my iPhone had been lifted from my pocket,   I grabbed the nearest man next to me...shook him out of his wits and yelled "thief" at the top of my lungs.  A policeman swiftly grabbed the fellow and as if by magic, my iPhone was returned by some other guy claiming it had fallen from my pocket! Another highlight was to meet a bunch of transgendered hijras in their rooms overlooking the main street in Ajmer.

What would I do if I had to repeat the workshop? Well, I'd extend the Srinagar part of it for a couple of days  and attend the first half of the Urs...and skip its latter part with its claustrophobic-inducing crowds.              

Dal Lake | Panidhar Revanur

I'm pleased to feature Venice of Asia (Dal Lake); a lovely video by Panidhar Revanur of the famous Dal Lake in Srinagar. The post is timed to show the beauty of the lake to the participants in my forthcoming Sufi Saints of Rajasthan & Kashmir Photo Expedition-Workshop.

According to Wikipedia, ancient history records mention a village named Isabar to the east of Dal Lake as the residence of goddess Durga. During the Mughal period, the rulers of India designated Kashmir, and Srinagar in particular, as their summer resort. The area around Dal lake in Srinagar was developed with Mughal-type gardens and pavilions.

Interestingly, during the British Raj though the Maharaja of Kashmir restricted house building in the valley, the British circumvented this rule by commissioning lavish houseboats to be built on the Dal Lake. The houseboats are generally made from local cedar-wood and measure 24–38 metres (79–125 ft) in length and 3–6 metres (9.8–20 ft) in width, and are graded in a similar fashion to hotels according to level of comfort.

Panidhar Revanur is based in Bangalore, and used a Canon 5D Mark II with Magic Lantern 17-40mm,  24-105mm, a Glidecam HD 4000, and graduated filters.

I'm not sure why the opening soundtrack is an Arabic song, especially as there is wonderful Kashmiri music which would have furthered the authenticity of the piece.

Helen Rimell | The Houseboats of Srinagar

Photo © Helen Rimell-All Rights Reserved

As my forthcoming photo expedition-workshop will include a few days in Srinagar, what better way to whet my appetite (and that of my fellow photographers who are joining me on this two week long adventure) than to feature a lovely photo essay on The Forgotten Houseboats of Kashmir by photographer Helen Rimell?

"The houseboats are the heritage of Kashmir, without heritage, what will the people come to see?"

The photo essay was produced a few years ago, at a time when the Indian Government was making it difficult for houseboat owners to obtain permits to repair or rebuild their boats. The houseboat industry in Srinagar at that time was suffering from a lack of tourists, and a general pessimism was prevalent amongst the houseboat owners.

Although the political climate has considerably improved, there has occurred some instances in the past months that made tourism-reliant activities in Kashmir quite nervous. So far, it appears tourists are returning to Kashmir...especially to escape the heat during the summer months.

Helen Rimell graduated from the University of Wales Newport in 2004 with a BA (Hons) Degree in Documentary Photography, and has worked on projects in a number of countries, including: India, Afghanistan, and the USA. Her work has been exhibited in galleries such as The Frontline Club in London, The Filmhouse Cafe in Edinburgh, and The Mustafa Hotel in Kabul.

Helen's work has been published in newspapers such as The Guardian, and The Observer; and she has undertaken assignments for Warchild and The Salvation Army amongst others. She's also an alum of the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop (Manali). 

Elijah Solomon Hurwitz: Kashmir

Photo © Elijah Hurwitz-All Rights Reserved

Illegal transmigration through neighborhoods with unusual names such as Kumpkapi and Shapira, a doomed neighborhood called Tarlabasi, the Roma people, unfamiliar countries such as Romania, Moldova and the region Transnistria, as well as Kashmir and a drive through South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia, are all subjects and issues that Elijah Solomon Hurwitz captured with his photography.

I especially liked Eli's Kashmir gallery...an eclectic mix of documentary, landscape and travel photography.

Elijah Solomon Hurwitz is an NYC based photographer with special interest on documentary and street photography, and social and cultural issues. He has traveled in over 40 countries.