HYDERABAD: Attired in a black suit, 65-year-old Aapa Kulsoom is busy comforting a group of women, who have gathered at her imambargah in one of Hyderabad’s oldest localities, Gari Khata, to have their prayers answered on the eve of 7th Muharram ritual of mehndi.

Being custodian of one of the oldest imambargahs of the city, Gul Shah Bukhari (1876) which is located in her house, it is part of Aapa’s duties to say soothing words to all visitors, mostly women, who wish to have their prayers answered on the eve of 7th Muharram mehndi, which is attributed to Hazrat Qasim, nephew of Imam Hussain (RA) and one of young martyrs of Karbala.

“They [women and girls] pay respect to custom of mehndi of Shahzada Qasim, son of Imam’s elder brother Imam Hassan (RA) with a strong belief,” she says.

“My cousin is issueless. I am here with his wife to have her mannat [a vow] fulfilled,” said Bina, a young woman. Her ailing mother, Husn Bano, wishes to see her son-in-law healthy. By Monday evening Aapa’s house will be swarmed by young, elderly, married and unmarried women, all with different prayers.

The mehndi is purely a women event. From Saturday evening onwards Aapa will start receiving female visitors, who have different wishes in life which they want to be fulfilled in the name of Imam Hussain (RA) and his small group of companions, who sacrificed their lives in the battlefield of Karbala centuries ago.

This mehndi is one of several cultural peculiarities of the city where colourful and huge alams dot the skyline of the city, named after Hazrat Ali (RA) and established by a Kalhoro dynasty ruler Ghulam Shah Kalhoro.

Hyderabad city owes much of its Muharram traditions to Talpurs, who ruled over Sindh after Kalhoros. “Azadari and culture of nazar-o-niaz flourished in their regime,” says Prof Dr Mirza Imam Ali, author of two books Sindh ki azadari and Sindh aur Ahl-e-Bait.

The Talpurs’ influence can be felt more pronounced and visible in Faqir Ka Pir, Tando Agha, Tando Mir Mehmood, Shahi Bazaar etc, the areas closely located to Pucca Qilla (fort) built by Kalhoros.

Aapa says: “Many among these women are those whose prayers are answered. Some are blessed with baby boys or girls. So, they have a purpose to be here,” she says.

Aapa is keeping her family’s years-long tradition alive. “Taj Bibi, my mother, professed Ahl-i-Sunnah faith and she had great reverence for Imam Hussain and Ahl-e-Bait. I grew up seeing this tradition flourishing,” she informs.

Women share problems like economic woes their families are confronting. Some are issueless for years while others wish to get rid of debts. They all want their prayers answered in the name of Shahzada Qasim’s martyrdom.

Imam Hussain (RA) promised his elder brother Imam Hassan that he (Hussain) would marry his daughter to Shahzada Qasim. Hussain (RA) selected place of Karbala to fulfill his promise, according to historical accounts shared by scholars. Qasim was martyred in Karbala while fighting against forces of Yazid.

“People observe this ritual of mehndi for their love of Ahl-e-bait. Wedding of Hazrat Qasim didn’t take place in Karbala so people perform this ritual in his memory,” says Salamat Feroz, who wrote poetry and composed a tune on mehndi for iconic Rahat Fateh Ali, who sang it later.

“We will keep the ritual alive,” says Aapa. The room where she sits will soon be filled with small replicas of cradles and items like sehra (garlands), sweets, beddings, replicas of alams, chadors and dupattas. “Sehra of [Hazrat] Qasim is prepared by our family along with henna. “Stuff like flowers, henna, etc are placed in five utensils, including bowls, which our male members take to Qadam Gah around Fajr prayers,” she says, alluding to a place located at a small distance from her house.

Qadam Gah has a prayer mat of stone with imprints believed to be of Hazrat Ali’s forehead, hands, knees and feet in position of prostration.

It was brought by Talpurs from Iran in 1805.

Young girls sing eulogies to narrate martyrdom of Imam Hussain and his 72-member army in Karbala. Many carry candles on their palms as a mark of mannat till the candle is extinguished. Replica of cradle is brought as a mark of respect, attributed to one of youngest Karbala’s martyrs and Imam Husain’s son, Ali Asghar.

Women who are expecting mostly bring the cradle as well considering it sacred. Aapa says there are women who were blessed with babies after a gap of seven and even 14 years. “But some are blessed with babies within one year of mannat,” she says.

As the tradition goes, the mehndi ritual and Jamaityan Jo Pir of Tando Mir Mahmood are interconnected. Thousands of mourners forming part of the pir would converge on Gul Shah imambargah in small hours of 8th Muharram to walk with sacred stuff from there to Qadam Gah.

Pir itself has a history dating back to 1909. It emerges from Anjuman Safina-i-Hussaini imambargah. “Our elders told us the cradle of the youngest martyr Shahzada Ali Asghar became part of the pir in 1930,” says Abdul Ghani Leghari, the imambargah’s general secretary. It is a 5x3 brown wooden cradle that is preserved on the premises of the imambargah.

The procession keeps growing in size soon after it starts from the imambargah and heads for Faqir ka Pir, its first major stopover. It is one of the high points of Hyderabad’s Muharram events, involving unprecedented security along its entire route. Moving in zigzag manner from one locality to the other, it makes several stopovers at different spots along its journey, lasting around 30 hours.

It culminates on 8th Muharram at the same imambargah. “Thirty-nine Zuljanah will be part of the pir this year. Their number may rise this year,” says Leghari.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2021