In the Adalhat locality of Mirzapur district, Uttar Pradesh, Mansoor Ahmed's Tazia is the talk of the season this Muharram. Rather than turning to conventional building materials, he chose peanuts and lentils as the core of his construction, decorating the finished structure with puffed rice and shiny stars that give it a festive, eye-catching appearance unlike anything else in the area.
A Fresh Experiment Every Muharram
Innovating with materials is Mansoor Ahmed's annual practice during Muharram. In a previous year, he built an entire Tazia using approximately seven and a half lakh matchsticks, a painstaking effort that demanded enormous patience. Before that, he had crafted a Tazia from paper glasses. This year's choice of peanuts and lentils represents yet another first, pushing his creative tradition further than before.
Fifteen Days, Four People, One Exceptional Creation
Getting this year's Tazia ready required four people working in concert over 15 days. The total expenditure on materials and effort came to roughly seven and a half thousand rupees. Mansoor Ahmed noted that he started work earlier than usual this time around, and that early start is what made it possible to complete the project on schedule.
Mansoor Ahmed in His Own Words
Mansoor Ahmed explained:
Our effort is to make something different and unique in the Tazia every year. That is why this time we started working early and prepared it with the help of peanuts and lentils. Shiny stars have been used for decoration.
He also said:
We prepare it only after receiving inspiration from Allah. Everyone gives their full support in this, and it is completed with hard work.
Standing Apart in Adalhat
According to Mansoor Ahmed, among all the Tazias that travel to Karbala from the Adalhat area, his always stands out as entirely different from the rest. His year-on-year commitment to trying something new has made his Tazia a landmark of the local Muharram observance, drawing admiration and surprise from everyone who sees it.
