Nakhas the Pride of Shia Lucknow

Tazias

Tazias

Nakhas is the predominant area of Shia Moharam celebrations, the most sectarian fire prone, the main thoroughfare , a commercial hub, with less fan fare than Aminabad, not high end or classy as Hazratganj.
Nakhas is pure Nakhas, it touches Chowk the chiken capital, has most of the Imambadas within walking dstance.Towards the Mandi are the two famous ones Gufr Map, and Akka Baqar, near my father in lawAbbas Qasims house are Nazim Saab, Shia girls college.
The road of Nakhas is blocked during Moharam time from 1st Moharam to 10th Moharam.
The 9th Moharam Juloos starts from Nakhas late evening ending at Hazrat Abbas Dargah.
The Ashura Juloos starts from Nakhas ends at Karbala Talkatora.
Once in a lifetime affair , worth watching is the Moharam Ashura here, still clinging to the mustiness of its old embroidered chikankari charm , old age traditions, of course Tehzeeb and Adab have been driven away into exile, by a more disgruntled lot, a deafningly deviated lot.
The older folks still maintain their ancestral hospitability, decorum, go out of their way to ease the comforts of the guest visitor.
I was born at my grandfather Late Daroga Nabban Saabs house in in 1953, at Pataala, Imli Wali Gully..close to the Sunni citadel of Subatiya Bagh..
Being a Shia my paternal roots were part of Subatiya Baugh as my great grandfather was a Sunni vinegar merchant.
His only son Bashir Hussain married my Shia grandmother Khurshed Baji, converted to Shiasm, giving up all his ancestral property and wealth and Sunni heritage.
He was the only surviving son among sisters I am told.
My father late Mohomed Shakir originally from Lucknow was settled in Bombay he would narrate the Dock bomb blast to us as kids, married my mother late Shamim Shakir..

We have never stayed longer than two weeks in Lucknow, even when times were bad, my mother has come to her mothers house with the other kids , I remained at Colaba in late Keith Kangas house my childhood friend.
Both my parents are buried next to each other at Rehmatabad cemetery Mazgaon Mumbai.

So this is my story as Lucknow born Mumbai desi…
This was my first Ashura with a camera …

Tazia

Ashura in Lucknow 2007

Tazias

Laurent Salesse in Action

Tazias

Tazias

Zanzir Kids

Laurent takes a shot

Tazias

Tazias

Tazias

Laurent Salesse shoots my mother in laws house imambada

Myself Photographerno1 shot by L.Salesse Shia Blogger

Shia Child from Kargil

Shia Child

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Haider Ajaz