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Shri Sadanand of Agni Akhada :
I was waiting outside the Akhada premises at Sevagram, to catch a glimpse of him, his bodyguards told me that he would come out for darshan, I took his picture after taking his permission,,turned my back and was going away, I was dressed in my normal trouser , shirt attire, not the exotic clothes that I wear.
He called me back, he looked deep into my eyes , said 'You are a Momin arent you' this is what the Shia are called among Muslims.I was shocked but did not betray any emotion , I said 'Yes '.
He said wash your hands , as a devotee gave me water , than he pulled out a silver coin presented to me, the moment I touched the coin, I went down on my knees automatically, he said look at the coin, the coin was the image of Mecca our Holy city it had the Kaaba on it, , he walked away without hearing my thanks.In the meanwhile all his devotees rushed up to me kissing the coin taken from my my hands.
This was the mysticism of the Kumbh , for a Muslim man like me.
As I walked away a man caught up with me, rich man gold in abundance on his body, he came to the point...He said 'Will you sell the coin I am offering you Rs 5000/I declined , pushed my way into the crowds.
I still have the silver coin of a reminder of my tryst with a spirtual destiny.
This is Hope and Hindutva the cornerstone of my cultural inheritance.
There was so much to learn to absorb at the Kumbh, the Kumbh is not just an important part of a Hindu calendar, the Kumbh is a chapter of your after life opening to the present.
I start the Kumbh experience, these are pictures embedded in memories, the picture quality has been reduced in terms of Dpi..as there is much I have to post , within the limit set by Bloggers inMb.I do not intend taking an upgrade , as this is a purely sharing religious sentiment with absolutely no commercial craving.
A lot of people approached me to buy off my Hindu, Shia , Sufi Christian images , though I was broke sometimes but never interested.. I got it free I give it back to the community I took from..I may be not as talkative or self explanatory on the next posts, so read the silence of a spirituality in my pictures.These are timeless moments of my unlearning photography.
