Glissandi on the Arabian Sea

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The Queen’s Necklace. The pseudonym for the string of lights that decorate Marine Drive along the Arabian Sea, in Mumbai, India

Hosting an average of ninety-six thousand visitors per week, the mausoleum is not only a primary place of worship for the entire Indian community, but it is also a prominent tourist attraction for the international community. The extended concrete walkway, some five hundred yards in length, which links this sanctorum to secular life, is lined from dawn till dusk with the travesty of human folly.

Haji Ali Mosque in Mumbai, India

Lepers that reflect all shapes of deformity lie prostrate, or recumbent. It is unclear whether their genuflection is in respect to the sanctity of the ground upon which they rest, or if it is their position of perpetual gratitude for the offerings of every penitent or sympathetic passer-by. Ironically, all of these lepers are the property of large companies that make a business out of profiting from the contrition and empathy of mankind.

From a sociological perspective, this particular ecosystem at Haji Ali Mosque, physically and religiously isolated, repugnant, yet encouraging, is a piñata of human proclivity and depravity. Yet, amidst all of it, there is an air of mysticism that exudes, and lingers in the mind long after the visit has ended. Once trapped in its alluring clutches, one can feel a washing of the soul as never before experienced.

Excerpt fromThe Edge of Twilight: ”Glissandi on the Arabian Sea” Read More…