Hindu Azadar & Swami Sarang of Sandeela

Dhobi Performing Zanjeer Ka Matam In Sandeeela 

Dr.Mazhar Naqvi

He is Sandeela’s reply to Swami Sarang of Lucknow with a difference. While Swami hit headlines by performing Matam with Zanjeer(Chains) on Yaum-E-Ashura-2017 in Lucknow for the first time, Ramesh Dhobi has been doing it since his childhood. Educationally and status wise, Dhobi stands nowhere, for Swami is a renowned spiritual and management Guru with large following. Further, he has done a detailed research on the life and works of Hazrat Imam Hussain. Swami gets invitations to address majalis during Ayam-e-Aza from different quarters on regular basis. Devotees turn up in large number to listen to his views on Karbala and Imam Hussain.

On the other hand, Dhobi matches the impressive background of Swami with his unconditional love for Imam Hussain. He works in Delhi to make a living but returns to Sandeela before ‘Chandraat’( Night of Muharram Moon) to participate in Azadari rituals .Dhobi takes part in the majalis and attends all processions. He even contributes to the commissioning of Sabeels like an azadar. On Yaum-e-Ashura, he makes it a point to let blood spill from his back by resorting to Zanjeerzani (Matam with chains).Dhobi does it for the sake of solace that he gets from Matam. After Ashura, he leaves for Delhi with a firm resolve to  return to Sandeela before the arrival of next Muharram.

The locals describe his love for Imam Hussain as inheritance, for his father too used to attend majalis and perform Matam with hands. Dhobi got attracted to zanjeerzani from a young age. The local Anjuman respected his sentiments and allowed him to do Zanjeer ka Matam by the turn of 20^th century. Since then, Dhobi’s Matam has become an integral part of Sandeela’s Muharram. His participation was never perceived as unusual, for Sandeela, a historic town of district Hardoi in Indian province of Uttar Pradesh, has been a center of inter-faith understanding since Nawabi era. Dhobi however got his share among Sandeelites when Swami’s Matam became of topic of discussion and videos of his zanjeerzani turned viral. 



Considering Dhobi’s devotion equal to Swami’s love for Imam Hussain, natives of Sandeela also offered a renewed respect to Dhobi and sent a picture of his zanjeerzani to blogger to post on Muharram Mirror with an article. The blogger feels honored in posting this article on a great Hindu azadar who has been trying to save  Ganga-Jamuni culture of Azadari without any expectation.( The article is based in the inputs given by Janam Meesum Rizvi. He hails from Sandeela and has sent photo also from his mail).