Photographs capture a moment for us to visit over and over again, each time with a whole new set of emotions. True to this concept, the photowalk was an exciting experience curated for the members of the Dawoodi Bohra Community by Radiant Arts, a collection of various moments in history from the life of His Holiness Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA and His Holiness Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS.
Standing among the photographs of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA, a sense of nostalgia washed over me, and i was transported back to my childhood years, when the brilliant and fatherly smile of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA would light us up whenever we went to His Hazrat A'aliyah. Ever since He has passed away, we hold that dear smile in our hearts and this exhibition has let us take home that smile to hold it in our homes as well. For that we will always be grateful.
Next was a whole section dedicated to photographs of Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS. Most of the photographs were of events that we had been there, right in the moment, and seeing them brought back all the memories of those events, the glory and the grandeur. Especially the one photograph with Maula in Milaad Maukib, donned on himself a Kasbi Dupatta, the clarity of the picture such that we could make out the Quranic verses embroidered on his attire. There are so many details that we don’t pay much attention to, but the eye of the camera doesn’t miss any details and we are privileged to be living in an era where we can relive every relished moment through and through and visit it in retrospect.
One photograph that really tugged at the strings of my emotions was the one where Maula gave his Salaami, from the Nairobi Shubbak. Being a student of Al Jamea Tus Saifiyah, Nairobi, the memories of Iftetah (Inauguration) and Imtehan (Final Examination) are very close to my heart. That ‘Salaami’ sums up that entire event, and that moment holds in itself a million feelings that all came rushing back when I glanced at that photograph. I could even hear the tunes of the band that played in celebration of that event. The Misr Collection contained a lot of Al Jame Al Anwar related pieces, but the one that caught my eye was the one with AL-Imam-Al-Husain written on it, engraved in stones.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but these pictures were priceless, for they held in them a thousand emotions, feelings, and a million blessings. These photographs are an extension of our faith, our belief and everything we hold dear.
I congratulate RadiantArts and its team for this success and wish to see more of this.
Comments