The halls of the Zahoorul Ikhlaq Gallery situated in the National College of Arts was home to a vast and unique collection of photographs, of moments captured in time throughout the country, representing unique glimpses into the culture, traditions and workings present when people are engaged — whether individually or collectively — in sacred acts of devotion.

The exhibition, titled ‘Tapestry of Faiths’, is a culmination of a journey that started before the photographer, Mobeen Ansari, was even born.

“A few years before I was born, my father was diagnosed with abdominal tuberculosis, which had reached a critical stage,” states Mobeen, adding that, during his surgery, his father had lost a lot of blood and urgently needed blood that matched his exact blood type. “Two friends of his stepped up and gave their blood,” says the photographer. “One of them was his best friend, Ronald, who happened to be a Christian. This saved my father’s life.

“For years it made me think of how everyone’s blood is the same, regardless of their faith. It made me think of humanity. I wanted to better understand the more ‘plural’ identity I had, as a Pakistani, as a sum of cultures and history that I inherited.”

Photojournalist Mobeen Ansari goes on a personal journey to better understand his ‘plural’ identity

In the photograph titled ‘Interior of Saint Dominic’s Church in Bahawalpur’ the photographer waited for sunset, the golden hour, to photograph rays of lights shining through the church’s large, arched green-and-yellow stained-glass windows. Contrasted with the dark, empty pews, it presents a striking image, amplifying the calm and solitude of the church at that hour.

‘A devotee offering prayers at Shahi mosque, Chiniot’ stands out for the stunning portrayal of the seemingly endless layers of curved archways donning the hallway of the Shahi Mosque, with a devotee bent so deeply in prostration that it looks from afar like he might be sleeping. The hallway is set against a backdrop of stunning mosaic, deep maroon flowers and green leaves with a gold outline, faded over time yet captured in the most intricate detail. This too looks like it was taken in the golden hour, as a warm glow engulfs everything in the photograph.

Providing a glimpse into a tradition very few get to see, in ‘Madavsaro’, titled after a Zoroastrian pre-wedding ceremony, the photographer shows four women, two with dupattas over their heads and the other two wearing distinctive red hats, holding a variety of things — coconuts, leaves, seeds among others — in woven cane basket-like trays. Each basket represents four elements that life is made up of: the good, the bad, the sweet and the bitter. In this photograph, the subjects are awash in the warm glow of outdoor sunlight as well.

‘Holi celebrations in Karachi’ is a striking portrait of three young boys, faces completely covered with colour, one turquoise, the other purple and one, whose face is only partially visible, a deep blue. The colours match with another photo, ‘Holi celebrations in Mithi, Tharparkar’, even though both were taken at different points in time — the former in 2013 and the latter in 2017.

In ‘Holi celebrations in Mithi, Tharparkar’ we see the movement of rung (powdered dye) frozen mid-air in a streak of bright yellow. On the one side, devotees are covered in a deep purple and on the other an almost sea green. It’s a striking image that leads you back to it again and again.

In ‘Tapestry of Faiths’, Mobeen Ansari provides a respectful, yet voyeuristic look at the people and places that mark the diversity of faiths and cultures in the country. The photos have been shot so sensitively, with the photographer patiently searching for just the right moment, that even the inanimate objects — such as the various buildings and archaeological sites he has documented — seem to inhabit their own soul.

‘Tapestry of Faiths’ was up at the Zahoorul Akhlaq Gallery at the National College of Arts from September 22 until September 30, 2021. Photographs from the exhibition are available for view at www.zahoorulakhlaqgallery.com/tapestry-of-faiths-gallery

Published in Dawn, EOS, October 17th, 2021