Iconic Mahim mela returns with promises of blessings,fun

This is neither birth nor death anniversary of Sufi saint Makhdoom Ali Mahimi (1372-1431). Yet thousands of devotees will make a beeline to the annual 10-day (December 5-15) Mahim Mela. To not just pay tribute to the sacred soul and seek blessings from the leading scholar of his time but also to soak in the mela being organised in his honour.Preparations, both at the dargah and the fair zone are afoot and Mahim as well as the city awaits devotees."We have held meetings with different departments like BMC, traffic police, fire brigade and police to ensure the peaceful observance of offering sandals (tributes comprising flowers, chadar and sandal paste) and holding the mela," says Suhail Khandwani, managing trustee of Mahim and Haji Ali Dargahs. "This is Mumbai's biggest and the most eagerly awaited mela."Over 100 volunteers, certified by the Mahim Dargah Managing Committee and the police, will help police personnel ensure smooth flow of the crowd. A group of volunteers will also be outside Mahim railway station to guide the devotees to the dargah and mela ground. Khandwani says his team has issued instructions to the sandal committees not to bring and play DJ music while visiting the dargah to offer tribute to the Sufi saint. Going by past experiences, this request is followed more in breach and, if no one takes notice, anti-noise activist Sumaira Abdul Ali will be there recording the decibel level. Beginning with the offering of the first sandal from the Mumbai police, between 450 and 500 groups from Mumbai and beyond, will bring sandals to the saint's mausoleum. In the past, even some police commissioners would carrythe sandals to the Sufi saint's shrine. Now DCP of zone 5 leads the sandal procession from Mahim police station to the Dargah. On the first day, immediately after the magrib or evening namaz, the lighting of lamps, sprinkling of attar at the shrine and beating of the nagara or dhol-like instrument will announce the mela's beginning. Over the 10 nights, the Qawwali team will drown the shrine in Sufi shairi and music.Held in honour of Mahimi who is also called Qutb-e-Kokan or polestar of Kokan because of his scholarship--he authored over 100 books, including first commentary of the Quran in India--the mela is even mentioned in the Gazette of Bombay of 1901. Move away from the spiritual environment of the shrine and reach the crowded Mela zone near the shore. Here giant wheels, some wheels called even called rangers and amusement rides enhance the excitement in the pleasantly cool December evening. "We wait for this mela the whole year. Over 2000 families depend on the mela which has kept its date with the city for the last 124 years. It is a privilege to be part of this historic mela," says Fazil Zubair Jhoolawala whose three generations have pitched their giant wheels at this annual mela. Children have a lot to do at the kids' zone as a variety of amusement and fun rides await them. "There are families which have visited this mela for decades. This is a nice time of the year when the weather is cool and the mood is happy as people anticipate holidays and new year," adds Fazil, a veteran of many melas in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Gujarat at different times of the year. And if you are at a mela, can you miss a variety of foods available here? Piping hot payas, mouth-watering kebabs, crunchy malpuas, sugary halwa with hot parathas attract foodies like honeycombs do to bees.

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