The Last Of The Fakirs | 101 Traces
The era of the singing fakir announcing the ‘sehri’ during Ramzan may be over.
A decade ago, there were over 100 fakirs in Kolkata. Today, there are just a handful left. Mohammed Sabbir is one of them. Waking at 1 AM every day during Ramzan, he wanders the streets, singing to wake people up for the sehri or morning prayer. These days, mosques also announce the morning prayer, rendering the fakir’s job defunct. For generations, Mohammed Sabbir’s family has performed this duty, not for money, but as a good deed.
101 Traces looks at the last of anything: ethnic communities, folk craftsmen, disappearing trades, forgotten people. It sketches portraits of these unique individuals, locked in a battle they cannot win: a battle against the future. Together, they represent the dying whispers of ancient heritage and traditional individuality. As India moves towards homogenized global pop culture, 101 Traces honors the people, the objects, and the skills that connect us to our ancient identity.
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