Tazias mark the end of 10-day mourning

With cries of Ya Husain ringing through the air, more than 100 tazias weaved their way through the city on Monday to mark the end of Muharrum, the 10-day Islamic period of mourning, reports HT Correspondent.

With cries of Ya Husain ringing through the air, more than 100 tazias weaved their way through the city on Monday to mark the end of Muharrum, the 10-day Islamic period of mourning.

HT Image

Tazias, which are long processions of both Shia and Sunni Muslims, carry replicas of the tomb of Imam Husain, the Prophet’s grandson, who sacrificed himself for the preservation of Islam in the seventh century battle of Karbala.

The Mumbai police registered nearly 123 tazias in the city, which started from various mosques at around 2 pm and finally ended at symbolic ‘Karbalas’ across the city late in the night.

Creating an atmosphere of mourning, women beat their chests while many Shia men whipped themselves on their backs and chests with zanjeers (a double-sided knife), all to the beats of large drums called nagadas.

“The tazias here strongly reflect unity and harmony across languages and religions,” said graphic designer Amir Rizvi, who heard Shias and Sunnis chant prayers in various Indian languages while participating in the Bhendi Bazar procession.

Several Hindus stood around serving water, food and medical help, he added.

“I even saw several people wearing T-shirts that said ‘Karbala, satyameva jayte’ to describe the universal holy war for truth,” he added.

Though Muharrum is predominantly a Shia observance, a large number of Sunnis form areas such as Dongri and Bhendi Bazar also joined in the mourning.

After the tazias, Shias observed the shyam-e-ghariba (evening of the homeless) by keeping lights off all night at home and in the mosques, as a mark of respect for the fate of the slain Imam’s family.