House Imambada, originally uploaded by firoze shakir photographerno1.

The heart and soul of a Shia household , is the quintessential house Imambada.

Bigger houses will have bigger Imambadas in the house , in Lucknow and Hyderabad an entire room is reserved and cordoned of as the Imambada.

I have over the years shot house Imambadas in Lucknow specially the one of my mother in law Wassim Qazilbash.

In the picture is our house Imambada perched on the wall an extension of a wall unit.

The Alams in the Imambada were recently received from a lady in Vazir Ganj Lucknow, the alams were given to her by my patrenal grandmother Khurshed Baji before she died, she told this lady to see that it was given to her grand sons wife..
Years passed and one day the lady accidentally met my wife's mother and handed over these silver heirlooms to her which now adorn my family house Imambada in Mumbai.

The other artifacts belong to my mother Shamim Shakir which she handed over to my wife before she died a few years back.

The Shia Imambada really comes to life during Moharam, when it is artistically decorated , and the matam of the ladies starts from Moharam chand raat..eve of Moharm night..the ladies of the house and little kids..

After the matam recited by my wife or my daughter in law , the chant of Ya Hussain my wife gives out sweets to the family members , this colloquially called Hissa.

Marziya my 13 month old grand daughter too beats her chest with both hands as Ya Hussain is too much of a mouthful she keeps chanting Ya Ali Ta Ali.


Today is first Moharam, the Shias now will only wear black clothes ,the men go to the various Imambadas in town or wherever they stay.

The Bandraites are a divided lot, those who stay close to Bandra Shia Khoja Masjid go to the Majlis of Maulana Jaffar Abbas of Lucknow .

Those that want some change go to Rizvi college to catch up with Maulana Bilgrami.

But there are those brave hearts from Bandra who go to Moghul Masjid to hear the Shia scholar and Maulana of repute Maluana Athar Mirza Saab also from Lucknow.

There are those who watch his Majlis live at home on TV.

I will shoot the processions at Kaiser Bagh in a few days, though I am hoping against hope to shoot the Moharam in Hyderabad once again.. a task which I leave to the Mother of All Bibi Fatima..otherwise I shall remain in Mumbai and shoot the proceedings here .

Hyderabad Moharam is intense , it is awesome and Imam Hussain really comes to Hyderabad to be as close to his followers who leave no stone unturned , their spiritual austerity , their fervor is two words Ghame Hussain. nothing else.

I felt the same about Moharam in Lucknow too but I have distanced myself completely from the city of my birth..for personal reasons and hurtful memories.

My good friend Dr Glenn Losack MD too wanted to shoot Hyderabad but I have not heard from him..

Chehlum I would like to take him to Hussain Tekri Jaorah.. Inshallah.


So this is Moharam and specifically the House Imambada in a nutshell.