Ashura Processions, Dhaka, December 2009

The Holy Ashura Processions

08 January 2009
Dhaka, Bangladesh

Its been 11 days short of one year; Ashura processions are back! It was 08 January of this year that thousands came out on the streets celebrating holy Ashura. That time I went to the main procession of the city, starting from the old part of Dhaka. The year before I was at Mohammadpur, where the processions usually carry a completely different mood. So, during the last couple of years, I was able to observe the diversity of celebrations. It really is worth exploring this variety.

With this thought in mind, I planned to be at Mohammadpur this year. This is usually one of the two most important processions of the day. The effort put in by the participants into these processions has to be noted. From the design of Tazia to designing costumes, to the practice of performances, their devotion to the cause is something to see.

Usually it starts in the late afternoon. The usual starting places are the Bihari camps of Mohammadpur. Being very near these starting places, I was looking to go out late, to be with the crowd for a couple of hour or so, and ultimately to come back with some experience to remember. I went out with my camera right after 4:00PM (Daylight Saving). I was there on the streets around Mohammadpur and Mirpur Road until around 7:00PM, when the procession came to Tajmahal Road and got split in different sections. It was dark when I finally separated from the crowd.

Here are some of the glimpses from the event.

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

Heir.......01

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

Flags.......

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

Mobile camera......

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

The Procession.....01


Johuri Mahalla in Mohammadpur is most favourite in terms of attractiveness during the Tajia processions. The confined spaces of the area makes the procession vibrant and colourful. The Tajia seems at home in this place. The moment the procession moves to larger roads, it becomes a bit unnatural; something like an export! At Johuri Mahalla, the large concentration of Biharis makes it so special. This really looks like their own procession there!

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

Startled.......01

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

Startled.......02

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

The Procession.....02

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

Startled.......03

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

The noisiest bed.....


This year round, I was really surprised to see the small size of the Mohammadpur procession. And when I say small, I mean really small. I haven't seen such a small procession before. It was almost as if there are lesser number of people participating!! I've tried to find the reason behind it, but haven't found any authenticated sources. One source told me that it might because of lack of finding resulting from political changes. Well, its difficult to guess though.

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

Heart of the Tazia.......01

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

Heart of the Tazia.......02

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

Heart of the Tazia.......03

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

Running repairs.......


Apart from the difference in size of the procession and number of Tajia, there weren't too many things that have changed during the last couple of years. Have seen some innovative ways of designing Tajia. One of the main Tajias originating from Johuri Mahalla had a miniature 3D map of the then Karbala under it. And as usual, the Tajias were designed by people who were more driven by emotions, rather than practicality. The Tajias got tangled with wires at many places on the road due to their height. At one point, the main Tajia had to lose it top spires to make any process!!

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

The collections department......

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

Children power.....01

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

Private video.....

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

Animated faces.......

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

Drums.....


This time, the procession moved to Mirpur Road, a move that I haven't seen before. Usually the procession moves through Mohammadpur alone and doesn't spill out in Mirpur Road. Anyway, it seems that they got permission for that this year. But the procession was so small that they could hardly dominate the road!! Once they reached Asad Avenue and combined with the other procession, the overall crowd size became a bit bigger. But still, the size remained pretty small.

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

Children power.....02

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

Children power.....03

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

The holy horse......01

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

The holy horse......02

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

Heir.......02

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

Children power.....04

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

Spectators.......

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

Startled.......04

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

The leader......

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

"Say cheese!!"

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

A fashion statement......

From Ashura Celebrations, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, December 2009

Heated personality......

This year's small prcession was full of frame-throwing stunts!! These stunts are usually there all the time. But this year seemed like a particularly big concentration of these people. These young chaps were taking a lotta risks to display their valour! And in doing so, putting themselves as well as others in grave danger of personaly injury. And in fact, we've witnessed one of the performers getting burns over his upper body after one of his friends failed to control the flame!!

Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Two Hard!
TTL Safari to Sitakunda, Chittagong
17-18 December 2009


A great opportunity was presented in front of me to visit the ship-breaking yards of Sitakunda. I simply couldn’t think about missing it. And how many times Shudipto gets the credit? His initiative to get access to the sensitive ship-breaking yards had to be appreciated. This was yet another tour organised by “Through the Lens: Bangladesh” (TTL) group of Flickr. Even though the main attraction of the tour was Chandranath Hill of Sitakunda, to me it was the ship-breaking yard that provided the kick! But I was extremely concerned about my busy office schedules. There was every chance that I might miss the tour. Yet, I thought I shouldn’t cancel my participation in it too early. I kept my chances alive until the last moment. I finally confirmed Thursday night, barely 10 hours before the journey began!

8AM bus was almost too much for me, as I was barely able to reach Sayedabad Bus Terminal. It was a small team; almost too small compared to the previous safari tours that we had from TTL. Only four of us were on board the bus. Another member was supposed to join us from Chittagong. The number of members meant that this tour was going to be somewhat different from the others. The journey lacked the chaos of other times! We missed a big gang badly. But considering the sensitivity of the tour subjects, somehow a smaller group helped us a lot.

After a hair-raising 5 hours’ bus journey, we finally reached Sitakunda. This is the first time we didn’t have a hotel booked. Our plan was originally to stay at Chittagong, because we were supposed to have a much larger group. But a small group changed everything. We searched for a decent hotel, but failed. Then Shudipto came up with his fantastic connections, and in no time we were in a lavish bunglow! What a change of fortune within such a short time. Anyway, with our lodgings confirmed, we went to Sitakunda bazaar and finished a goodish lunch. We met our other friend from Chittagong there.

We quickly finished our lunch and grabbed a three-wheeler by around 3:20PM. Our destination was Bhatiary, the main hub of ship-breaking business in Bangladesh. We reached there after half-an-hour’s journey. After getting the proper authorisations, we were given a free hand in the open. But the condition was, we could not go inside the ships.

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Shadow keepers.......01

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Shadow keepers.......02

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Skeleton......

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Shadow keepers.......03


The first glance at those ships inspired awe in us! Honestly, this was a amazing feeling seeing those massive structures towering above the ground. I had been to these yards before, but didn’t manage to get a glimpse of that many ships. Yes, there were quite a few ships there. Some were almost intact, while others were cut into pieces. Our movement was somewhat impeded by the soft mud. After all, this was a sea beach, so, mud was not supposed to be a strange phenomenon.

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

In the land of the giants.......01

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Eaten.......

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

A devoted watchman........

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

A metallic landscape!!

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

In the land of the giants.......02


It was a Friday, and Fridays are usually half-day working time. Work went on until around 2PM, a couple of hours before we actually arrived there. There was hardly anyone there. Only some watchmen were roaming about and above the ships. We roamed about in the mud and explored different opportunities to get different shots in the same place. Actually, the subjects were so big that a lot of walking needed to be done before a different composition could be tried.

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

In the land of the giants.......03

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

In the land of the giants.......04

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Angles of steel......

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

In the land of the giants.......05

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Stairway to ruin........

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Some moments are idle.....

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Through the muddy highway!!

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

In the land of the giants.......06

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Phenomenon........

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Nature's gift to the un-naturals......



Although we had little opportunity to manoeuvre ourselves in the mud, shooting continued without mercy. We didn’t rest our cameras until the red ball of the sun set right between two beached ships. It was an awesome moment. It was a fit tribute to the day’s efforts. Amazing day we had! We came back to Sitakunda right after sunset. We were tired. A day of journey from the early morning, followed by a visit to the yard. A busy, but a very productive day.

Second day’s plan was to start early. We finished our breakfast by around 8:30AM and boarded a three-wheeler. Ultimate destination Chadranath Hill and Temple. This temple stands at the top of a hill, which can be accessed via a 1200-step stair. But before that hill can be reached, we needed to go through the Sankar Math, the main place of Hindu worshipers. The Math lies right next to the Sitakunda town. Chandranath Hill is usually famous for its once-in-a-year festival. Thousands gather there during that time, but during the rest of the year, it is usually not occupied. This day is due on the last day of Bengali month of Magh; or 12th of February 2010. We thought of getting a glimpse of that temple in its usual self.

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

The entrance to the Chandranath.......

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

A patch of religion......

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Call of Shambhunath.....

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Domes of Shambhunath.....

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

A call to prayers......

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Guardian of God's house......01

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Guardian of God's house......02

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Rays of hope......


At the Sankar Math, Shudipto introduced us to his uncle, who was one of the highest priests there. His hospitality delighted us. He gave us enough advice and direction to us, which helped us to plan our day. But most disappointingly, he advised us not to go to Chandranath, or even to go to a much nearer waterfall. His concern was a security issue. We took his advice and the guide he gave us. Rubel took us to the nearest temple that lies on the way to Chandranath. This temple is called the Shambhunath Temple. Its not too far from Sankar Math. Just a bit of uphill walk took us there.

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Twin peaks..... the peak of Chandranath Hill seen from Shambhunath


We received even more advice there regarding a walk to Chandranath. Priests and all others advised against such an idea. Our heart sank! We had so much plan around it; and now this. The groups of miscreants there are very well-organised and regularly intercept visitors and take their belongings. They even intercept large groups of tourists. They have informers all throughout the place and organise and execute their missions flawlessly. What people told us was that the police was having a hard time wiping this group off. This is a very remote place with a lot of hiding places; so, getting rid of these vandals wasn’t easy at all.

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Stairway to down-under.....

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Signs........01

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Milestone........


We decided to abandon our plan for the moment. We would rather visit the place again coming February, when such risks usually don’t exist. Festival time brings thousands of people, and a lot of security with it. It would be much safer to visit the place then. We only awed at the peak of Chandranath. The high hill presented a pretty imposing personality. There were two temples at the top of Chandranath, one built recently and the other one built several hundred years ago. We were content with snapping the temples from our position way below.

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Squirrel play........01

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Squirrel play........02

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Squirrel play........03

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Entrance to another world......

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Peace-keeper......

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Home of the dead......01

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Voices of devotion......

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Gift?

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Death spares none......

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Call of the dead......


The time released by this change of plan gave us opportunity to stay longer at Shambhunath. We developed bit of a relationship with the priest there and snapped quite a few pics. We enjoyed the short time out there. We also got some glimpses of some squirrels just outside the temple. Their activities made us captive for a while. On the way down, we stopped at a ‘shashan’ or cremation place, where the dead receive their last rites. The mood of the place held us up for a while.

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Prayers......

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Window.......

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

A young vendor.....

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Entrance with a warning......

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Warnings.......01

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Holy men........01

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Holy men........02

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Holy men........03

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Holy men........04

From Sitakunda, Chittagong, December 2009

Gods within, Gods without......


Once back at Sankar Math, we climbed the small height of around 100 steps. There we spent some time at the places of worship. We had unprecedented access to the insides of the temples thanks to Shudipto’s uncle. This was the best times for us during the day. We tried to forget the loss of Chandranath and concentrated on the subjects in front of us. We also relaxed there under the shadows and received nice entertainments by the students there. Rubel also proved his worth by singing. It had to be appreciated.

Lunch time was another great time for us. We received Prasad at the temple. The meal was both delicious and really filled our stomach. After relaxing for a while, we bade goodbye to the priests, especially the generous high priest, Shudipto’s uncle. By around 2:00PM we were back at Sitakunda. We had enough time to rest before boarding our bus at 4:30PM.

Though the tour had a lot of disappointments, it certainly acted as a key to further explorations. We had unusual access to ship-breaking yard and Sankar Math. We developed good enough relationship with key people to help us come back. We brought this key for others, yet, we were able to capture some truly amazing moments. In my view, it was a great success! Thanks Shudipto; thanks TTL!