By Navid Akhtar
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| Navid in Mina |
Navid Akhtar is a television producer/director and a member of Channel 4's Hajj team in Mecca. Each day this week he will be sending a Postcard from Saudi.
An incredible sight today, the most important, emotional and spiritual of
Hajj. We in the film crew arrive early on the empty plains of Arafat, ahead
of the pilgrims.
As we film, three million Muslims travelling on foot, by bus and even camel, walk towards us in an immense sea of white from the robes they wear. A truly amazing experience and one we are lucky to see.
Slight logistical problems have kicked in. For some reason, our phones have
stopped working and we need to track down our five pilgrims among the three
million.
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| Finding three pilgrims amongst three million proved impossible |
An almost impossible task that becomes matter of simple
probability....with two Europeans among them, and the pilgrims divided into
camps according to nationality, we cut the odds and head for the British
camp to seek two pilgrims amongst 20,000. It paid off as we found them both.
One last problem: Kosser is praying in a female-only tent. Our male
film crew have to give a crash-course in camera work to the female
sound recordist to head into the tent and record Kosser as she prays.
Now just three more to find.....
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Live at the Hajj