Couple of evenings back i took an uber to the bustle of Bhendi Bazaar, as I walked between Saifi Masjid in Bohra Mohalla to Minara Masjid on Mohammad Ali Road, in the post Maghrib prayers to the Tarawih, the bustle of a Muslim Bombay overwhelms the senses with the sounds and food sights. Bombay as a melting pot was on display as the wealthy Bohra’s had impeccable facilities to the Sunni Masjids down the road which were more earthy.
Different Gujarati Muslim mercantile communities have long made these mohallas home, on the way to East Africa and Aden/ Basra where long duree communities still come over to Bombay for the Jamaat Khana’s in particular the Bohra’s, Khoja’s and Ismailis.
I saw a Shiva Sena poster in the Bohra Mohalla, proclaiming Ramadan wishes, as i am not surprised as the Bohra community has a fondness for the Prime Minister who has often hugged the community members in his forays from New York to Cairo. My uber driver, a Bhendi Bazaar Native and a Muslim Gujarati from Palanpur, quipped about the closeness.
The sweets at Tawakkal were amazing as were the kebabs in front of Minara Masjid. Abaya stores brought me back to the Gulf, especially the souks that are near the old ports such as Bur Dubai or Mutrah/Ruwi.
The Ramadan stalls reminded of Pasar Ramadan’s in Malaysia and Singapore, where the spirit of community over a food plate of Iftar/ Buka Puasa fare unite friends and families. The Ummah unites over faith during the sacred month of Ramadan.
Change Thinker 