MADRASsAH

I arrived at the Taj-al-Masajid mosque in central Bhopal on a warm February morning. There were boys everywhere aged, it seemed, between 8 and 18, much like any school playground. Minutes later the playing stopped and they disappeared into the mosque and into small groups around a Mullar, their teacher. This building, the largest Mosque in India built in the 17th Century, is where these Muslim boys are taught the groundings of their Islamic faith as prescribed in the Holy Qur’an. In addition, they learn their prayers and about fasting and Islamic rituals, hopefully shaping their personality.

For several hours I enjoyed the peace and serenity of the place in the huge courtyard and inside. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming with some eager to practice their English. When I became invisible I captured the images you see here.

My visit reminded me of the magnificent mosque in Cordoba, now a Catholic Church. A thousand years ago it was the place for prayers on Fridays and on other days an informal university. Mullahs would sit, always in the same place, resting against a pillar ready to share their knowledge with anyone, male, who wanted to listen and learn. It was here that that Arabic numerals and algebra were first taught in Europe, both “invented” by Arabs. The start of decimalisation.

Bhopal is located in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, infamous for the chemical release at the American owned Union Carbide factory that killed thousands at the time and many thousand more with the cancers the chemicals caused.