MUSICAL SOULS updt pg 2

He stopped his car at one side of the road and stepped out with his camera to take a picture. He had chosen his subject of photography project with great care and had decided to devote the entire day to this holy place only- Haji Ali.

As he knelt and clicked the marble structure, he saw the beautiful waves hit the stone path leading up to it and bounce back. The sea tossed its waves around playfully as though enjoying itself and guarding it at the same time. It was early hours of the morning and the sun was showering its gold over the dome. When he was done, he proceeded to enter the darga and drove around the road to the entrance. Even at this hour, a crowd was beginning to swell up. He passed by women clad in dark burqas, men dressed in traditional and modern attire, hurrying to get a glimpse of their beloved God. He wondered how many of the devotees here actually loved God and were not here to seek anything but only pay their respects. But the fact that truly amazed him was the faith people put in that power. It was almost impossible not to be struck by its terrible beauty in a place like this. He had seen people suffer ceaselessly yet continued to survive, depending upon their faith. He could see mothers praying for their lost children, confident that He could never do wrong. It defied all reason and science at one point of time and yet was based on simplest of science. This faith made people believe that God would protect them everywhere and yet induced them to take lives. The faith turned a common man to a sinner or savior without an explanation. This faith bound them in the face of adversity and divided them when the most obvious solution would be to stand united. The echoes of verses sent vibrations through his body and he smiled silently.

He deposited his camera at a point after which photographs were not allowed and walked in to the main chamber. The sheer beauty and purity overpowered him as he bowed down.